Consumers expect connected technology to be a major part of life by 2030: Report

Consumers who are tech-savvy predict that intelligent connected machines will become a major part of life by 2030, according to the tenth edition of the Ericsson’s ConsumerLab 10 Hot Consumer Trends report.

The report highlights consumer predictions about the various roles that connected intelligent machines could play moving forward.

According to the report, “Consumers expect connected technology to become more flexible and interactive going forward and see devices enabling more pro-active, and even creative choices in a wide range of everyday life situations by 2030.”

The report further highlighted the top ten consumer trends in connected machines expected to be adopted by 2030.

“In this study, respondents rated 112 connected intelligent machine concepts, ranging from a human-centred to a more rational perspective. The result is an overview of the 10 roles consumers expect connected intelligent machines to take in everyday life by 2030. Each trend in the report depicts a specific role that such machines could take,” Ericsson said.

10 Consumer Trends for 2030

76 per cent of global consumers predict that connected machines will include a smart posture-supporting suit.

Community and privacy bots are also among the emerging trends.

As per the report three-quarters of consumers globally believe that bots acting as “privacy guardians” will help “fool surveillance cameras and block electronic snooping.” The consumers banking on this technology in Delhi stand at 82 per cent.

For 78 per cent global consumers, “community bots” or electronic watchdog services will alert neighbourhood allies to any trespassers. However, a higher percentage of consumers from Delhi (81 per cent) prefer “gardening devices like mowers that team up to also keep common areas tidy.”

A majority of consumers also expect devices that can help in sustainable development. These devices will share data and warn about local rain torrents or heat blasts.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital adoption with many organisations looking at a hybrid work model. Work from home has led to increased adoption of smart devices such as speakers.

“79 per cent of global consumers say smart speakers will project noise-cancelling walls around the home office space. However, majority consumers in Delhi (89 per cent) predict smart electricity meters that calculate electricity used for work at home (including related activities) to be a reality by 2030,” the report said.

Other notable trends include automated financial management systems, smart signal locators that automatically connect devices to fibre, cable, 5G and Wi-Fi, security bots, media curators and improved social network AIs that will be able to understand a user’s personality and build up a circle of friends that is good for their mental and physical well being.

Consumer expectations on smarter connectivity are higher than for any other connected intelligent machine type based on the study. The study also points towards the importance of 5G in adopting the use cases predicted by the consumers.

Dr. Michael Björn, Head of Research Agenda, Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab, and author of the report, said, “I was surprised to see that consumer expectations on smarter connectivity are higher than for any other connected intelligent machine type.”

“This points to opportunities for 5G service providers to gradually extend intelligent networks to cover a whole range of new services for their customers, and each of the machine roles we present in this report could be seen as a whole new service area,” he said.

“What all of these potential services have in common is that they rely on intelligently communicating across devices and thus puts the networking aspect even more in the front seat than today,” he added.

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