Separating Hype From Emerging Tech's Real Shortcomings Post-Crisis: New Skift Research

Every time a major advancement is made in the tech world, and some new technology starts being covered by the mainstream media, the main focus is always on the transformative impact this will have on the status quo. But so very often this does not transpire. Instead, the hype overshadows the major shortcomings the tech has to overcome for mainstream adoption, distinctions that are now more important than ever in these times. In the travel industry, we have been talking about the ‘transformative power’ of technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the internet of things for many years. Granted, technologies like artificial intelligence have had a major impact, and AI's impact is only growing. Other tech, however, continues to slow-burn on the fringes. In Emerging Tech in Travel 2020 we discuss four technology buckets which have been discussed most in the travel sphere, to establish their current and potential future impact on the travel industry. Last week we launched the latest report in our Skift Research service, Emerging Tech in Travel 2020. Below is an excerpt from this report. Get the full report here to stay ahead of this trend. Preview and Buy the Full Report Distributed Ledger Technology There is major buzz around blockchain, but also much misunderstanding. While there are theoretically strong use cases for distributed ledger and smart contract technology, these are largely unproven in travel and have shortcomings. Vested interests might be the greatest barrier to be overcome for distributed ledger technology to make a transformative impact on the travel industry and beyond. Distributed Ledger Technology Explained In October 2008,