From self-driving cars to the metaverse, the tech world is bustling with promise. In 2022, Waymo (Google) will continue to test its driverless vehicles in various American cities and Facebook, now Meta, will add bricks to the construction of its metaverse, a parallel universe accessible via virtual reality and augmented reality.
But these futuristic visions will not materialize on a daily basis for a long time. Update on the trends to follow from next year.
Biotech meats and cheeses
“2022 will be the advent of food made from plant proteins,” predicts David Bchiri, president of the consulting firm Fabernovel in the United States.
From New York to San Francisco, meat substitutes have become a staple in many households, not least thanks to Beyond Meat and Impossible Food, whose plant-based foods are getting closer in texture, flavor, and flavor. price of a ground beef steak, in particular.
Their offer responds in particular to the demand of environmentalists: factory farming is responsible for 14% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations.
By 2027, the global plant-based meats market is expected to reach $ 35 billion (up from $ 13.5 billion in 2020), notably thanks to expansion beyond the United States, according to a report by Research and Markets. “The products are ripe and tasty. We are going to see agrifood groups buying brands that are starting up and we are going to switch from innovation to industrialization, ”says David Bchiri.
Cheeses are not spared: the Babybel brand launched vegan products this year.
Decentralized web
The first phase of the Web was the creation of blogs and websites, like Yahoo, eBay or Amazon. Then came Web 2.0, the current era dominated by social networks and content sharing. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube “have control and collect the advertising revenue”, summarizes Benedict Evans, an independent analyst specializing in Silicon Valley.
On Web 3.0, “users, creators and developers own shares [du site] and can vote, ”like in a co-op, he recently explained in his podcast. This new step is based on blockchain technology, which has enabled the rise of cryptocurrencies (bitcoin, ethereum, etc.) and NFTs (digital certificates of authenticity for online content).
“We talk a lot about decentralized finance, but I think that in 2022, we will see more localized use cases, which will come into everyday life”, intervenes David Bchiri.
The City of Miami, Florida has raised more than $ 20 million through its cryptocurrency, created in collaboration with CityCoins, an open-source protocol designed specifically for municipalities looking for new ways to raise funds. New York also launched in early November.
But these technologies have a significant environmental impact, because of the massive electricity needs of computer networks and data centers, links in the block chain.
Monopolies called into question
The immense power of GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) has bristled the authorities for years. Europe is taking action, Russia and China are framing or censoring them, and in 2021 America is armed to do battle.
Its angle of attack: competition law. Several investigations and legal proceedings are underway against these companies, accused of abuse of a dominant position. The American competition authority (FTC) believes, for example, that Facebook has bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush any risk of future competition.
Mark Zuckerberg’s group finds itself in a particularly difficult position after a massive leak of internal documents orchestrated by a whistleblower, showing that company executives are aware of the harm caused by its applications, especially for the youngest and democracy.
The American elected officials, for their part, approved in committee bills that call into question the domination of the GAFA.
The explosion of cryptocurrencies also worries regulators. In September, the Chinese Central Bank even ruled that all financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies were illegal.
Beware of ransomware
Ransomware attacks and theft of confidential data are expected to continue on a large scale in 2022.
Between the rise in the value of cryptocurrencies and the authorities’ difficulties in apprehending hackers, digital blackmail has taken off. It consists of hacking into an organization’s computer network and asking it for a cryptocurrency ransom in exchange for the code to regain access to its machines.
“With 495 million ransomware attacks recorded to date, 2021 is already the costliest and most dangerous year,” noted cybersecurity firm SonicWall in October.
“In 2022, the main topic for me and my colleagues is going to be ransomware. It’s too lucrative ”not to continue, wrote Sandra Joyce, director of intelligence for cybersecurity firm Mandiant.
And according to the American NGO Identity Theft Resource Center, data leaks will also break records.