Gartner 2017 Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends: AI, Smart Apps, IoT, VR/AR, Digital Twin, Blockchain and More

Gartner recently highlighted ten strategic technology trends for 2017 that are expected to have major strategic significance for many organizations, summarizing a shift toward an intelligence‑centric, digitally connected world.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced Machine Learning (ML) comprise technologies such as deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing (NLP). These go beyond rule‑based algorithms to create systems that can understand, learn, predict, adapt, and potentially operate autonomously.

AI and advanced ML enable a range of intelligent implementations, including physical devices (robots, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics) and services (virtual personal assistants, intelligent advisors). These become embedded intelligence for a wide array of devices and existing software solutions.

The key challenge is how to embed AI capabilities that support business processes and models from the outset, while also addressing funding constraints.

2. Smart Applications

Smart apps such as virtual personal assistants (VPAs) automate routine tasks, improving user efficiency. Other smart apps focus on sales, customer service, and similar domains, potentially reshaping work nature and workplace structure.

In the next decade, almost every application and service will incorporate some level of AI, creating a long‑term trend of expanding AI‑driven functionalities.

Examples include McDonald’s use of a smart app to monitor and automatically adjust burger bun production, reducing waste, saving millions, and improving energy efficiency.

3. Intelligent Things

Intelligent things go beyond rigid programming by using AI and ML to exhibit advanced behavior and interact naturally with environments and people. Examples include drones, autonomous vehicles, and smart appliances, which are evolving toward collaborative intelligent object models.

These objects are already in use—Google and Uber’s autonomous vehicle projects, autonomous harvesters, retail and concierge robots, etc.

Collaborative intelligence is also emerging as a distinct form.

4. Virtual and Augmented Reality

Immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are reshaping human‑software interaction. By 2021, immersive consumer, commercial content, and applications are expected to undergo a major transformation, merging with digital networks to deliver hyper‑personalized experiences.

Current VR/AR products support simulation, molecular modeling, remote medical diagnosis, and more.

5. Digital Twin

A Digital Twin is a comprehensive software model of a physical object or system that relies on sensor data to understand context, respond to changes, improve operations, and add value. It includes metadata, state information, event data, and analytical methods.

In three to five years, billions of objects will be represented as digital twins, enabling proactive maintenance, manufacturing planning, factory operation, fault prediction, and enhanced product development.

6. Blockchain and Distributed Ledger

Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger where transactions are recorded in sequentially linked blocks using cryptographic trust mechanisms. While financial services dominate current hype, applications span music distribution, identity verification, ownership registration, and supply chain management.

The technology adds trustworthy, immutable records in untrusted environments, enabling dynamic, pre‑programmed actions for valuable assets.

Significant opportunities exist in supply‑chain use cases, though widespread adoption requires deep collaboration and overcoming implementation challenges.

7. Conversational Systems

Current conversational interfaces focus on chatbots and voice‑enabled devices (speakers, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cars). As the digital mesh expands, interaction models will evolve, fostering richer collaborative experiences across devices.

Examples include Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, JD.com’s Xiaoyi, and Tencent’s early‑education story‑telling robot, all leveraging intelligent cloud services.

Future interaction will become proactive, with voice assistants offering guidance without explicit user prompts, driven by semantic analysis and contextual data.

8. Mesh Applications and Service Architecture (MASA)

Mesh Application and Service Architecture connects mobile, web, desktop, and IoT applications to extensive backend service networks, presenting them as unified “applications.” This architecture abstracts services, exposes APIs across organizational boundaries, and balances flexibility with scalability.

In ideal market conditions, seamless integration of proprietary and open infrastructure is envisioned, though real‑world constraints make full integration challenging.

9. Digital Technology Platforms

Digital technology platforms provide foundational building blocks for digital business, encompassing information systems, customer experience, analytics and intelligence, IoT, and business ecosystems. Major vendors such as Amazon, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, Google, and SAP are actively developing these platforms.

10. Adaptive Security Architecture

The growing complexity of intelligent digital meshes and platform architectures creates a more intricate security landscape. Adaptive security architectures continuously analyze user and entity behavior, incorporate external identity and threat intelligence, and provide ongoing profiling, analysis, and verification.

Effective security must keep pace with rapid advances in devices, applications, and underlying technologies.

Conclusion

These ten trends illustrate a shift toward pervasive intelligence, embedded AI, immersive experiences, and adaptive security, guiding organizations toward a more connected, data‑driven future.