Deloitte Global forecasts major strides in machine learning for enterprises, a worldwide appetite for digital subscriptions among consumers, and ongoing smartphone dominance, along with eight additional predictions, as part of the 17^th edition of the "Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions.”

Among the findings pertaining to firms, this year’s report indicates that organizations will likely double their use of machine learning technology by the end of 2018. TMT Predictions highlights key areas that Deloitte Global believes will unlock more intensive use of machine learning in the enterprise by making it easier, cheaper and faster.

The most important key area is the growth in advanced hardware that will increase the use of machine learning, enabling applications to use less power, and at the same time become more responsive, flexible, and capable.

Despite these growths, machine learning has only begun its ascent. Georges Kioes, Partner and TMT Leader at Deloitte Luxembourg explains: “The advances we are seeing now in machine learning will pale in comparison to what awaits us in 50 years’ time. Machine learning capabilities have a long way to go before their use cases will be exhausted.

The future of the smartphone
Smartphone adoption also continues to grow. By the end of 2023, more than 90 percent of adults in developed countries are expected to have a smartphone, with ownership among 55-75 year-olds reaching 85 percent.

Consequently, data from the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey shows that 45 percent of adult smartphone users and 65 percent of 18-24 year olds worry that they are using their phones too much for certain activities and may try to limit their usage in 2018.

“Nearly two-thirds of Luxembourgers confess to using their smartphones too much, based on their own standards,” continues Georges Kioes. “Accordingly, most of them report that they are actively trying to limit usage when it distracts them from important activities, such as driving and spending time with loved ones.”

Additional topics from Deloitte Global’s 2018 TMT Predictions include:

• Augmented reality on the edge of reality – Over a billion smartphone users will likely create augmented reality (AR) content at least once in 2018, with at least 300 million doing so monthly, and tens of millions weekly, according to Deloitte Global.  
• An increase in #adlergic – While three quarters of respondents engage in at least one form of regular adblocking, only about 10 percent of this population engages in blocking ads in four or more ways – the “adlergic” population. Consumers who are young, highly educated, employed, and have higher incomes are more likely to be heavy adblockers.
• In flight connectivity takes off – One billion passenger journeys, or one quarter of all passengers, are expected to be on planes fitted with in-flight connectivity (IFC) in 2018, according to Deloitte Global. This is an estimated 20 percent increase from projected 2017 totals, generating IFC revenue close to US$1 billion for 2018.

Now in its 17^th year, Deloitte Global’s annual TMT Predictions provide an outlook on key trends over the course of the next 1-5 years in the technology, media, and telecommunications industry sectors worldwide. Paul Lee, Deloitte Global TMT Predictions Leader will discuss these topics at the next edition of the Deloitte Digital Series on 6 February.

To read the full report, please visit: https://www2.deloitte.com/lu/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/tmt-predictions.html