Deloitte Global 2017 TMT Predictions:

• Over 300 million smartphones to have built in machine learning capabilities in 2017
• By 2022 autonomous braking will help to reduce fatalities from motor accidents by 16 percent (6,000) in the US alone
• Biometric fingerprint reader-equipped devices will likely top one billion for the first time in early 2017

Bratislava, 26 January, 2017 — Deloitte Global predicts that over 300 million smartphones, or more than one fifth of units sold in 2017, will have machine learning capabilities within the device in the next 12 months. Deloitte Global’s 16th edition of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions showcases how mobile devices will be able to perform machine learning tasks even without connectivity which will significantly alter how humans interact with technology across every industry, market and society.

“Machine learning is fascinating as it will revolutionize how we conduct simple tasks like translating content, but it also has major security and health consequences that can improve societies around the world,” said Tomáš Belavý, Senior Manager TMT Industry Leader. “For example, mobile machine learning is a strong entry point to improve responses to disaster relief, help save lives with autonomous vehicles, and even turn the tide against the growing wave of cyberattacks.”

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)

Another innovation with the power to transform the world is autonomous braking. Deloitte Global predicts that in 2022, in the US alone, fatalities from motor vehicle accidents will have fallen by 6,000, a 16 percent decline in 2017. The greatest factor in this decline will likely be automatic emergency braking (AEB) technologies. Deloitte Global expects that AEB will be so widely adopted, affordable, and successful at helping to save lives that it may even slow down the movement towards full self-driving cars.

Additional findings from Deloitte Global’s 2017 TMT predictions include:

• Biometric Security Reaches the Billions – The active base of fingerprint reader-equipped devices will likely top one billion for the first time in early 2017, with each active sensor used an average of 30 times a day, implying over 10 trillion aggregate presses globally over the year. With the rapid pace of access and adoption of this technology, the challenge is to determine which additional applications could use fingerprint readers and other biometric inputs to provide rapid and secure authentication.
• Have We Reached Peak Tablet? – 2017 sales of tablets will likely be fewer than 165 million units, down by approximately 10 percent from the 182 million units sold in 2016, suggesting we have passed the peak demand for these devices. While the numbers vary by country, in terms of the preferred devices for various activities, there are three consumer devices that are at present leading tablets by a large margin: TVs, smartphones, and computers.
• Vinyl Approaches Billion-Dollar Sales – In 2017 vinyl is expected to continue its remarkable resurgence, approaching US$1 billion globally in revenues for all vinyl related revenues for the first time this millennium. New vinyl revenues and units are likely to enjoy a seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2017, comprising six percent of forecast global music revenues of about US$15 billion in 2017. However, vinyl is unlikely to ever be music’s major growth or profit engine, with the future of music squarely focused on digital.
• 5G: A Revolution in Evolution, Even in 2017 – Significant, tangible steps towards the deployment of 5G, the fifth generation of cellular networks, are expected to take place in 2017. Planned upgrades to 4G networks, as well as the performance of the first limited 5G deployments, should acquaint users and operators with several of the most important features of 5G networks, including significantly higher speeds, lower latency, and support for low-power low-bitrate IoT devices and sensors.
• Now in its 16th year, Deloitte Global’s annual TMT Predictions provides an outlook on key trends over the course of the next 1-5 years in the technology, media and telecommunications industry sectors worldwide. Full details about the global TMT Predictions are available here: www.deloitte.com/predictions.