Top Emerging Tech Trends Every Business Must Watch
- Christiano Gherardini
- Jul 1
- 7 min read
Emerging technologies that are reshaping the future—and the mindset required to stay in front.
A Story That Changed How I Think About Readiness
Several years ago, I sat in a strategy meeting with a leadership team debating whether AI was “real enough” to prioritize. One executive said, “Let’s wait for the dust to settle.” It was a reasonable point. Logical, even.
But like many emerging tech trends, AI didn’t wait.
Fast-forward 18 months: their competitors had integrated AI across support, sales, and planning. Meanwhile, that same executive’s team was scrambling—patching together third-party tools and hoping to catch up.
That meeting taught me something I’ve carried into every leadership session since:The question isn’t “Is the trend real?” It’s “Will we be ready when it is?”
This post is about recognizing emerging signals early, experimenting with purpose, and future-proofing your organization before you're forced to.
What Are the Most Important Emerging Technologies Businesses Should Invest in Now?
Users want more than buzzwords—they want to know where to focus. Here’s a prioritized list of technologies making a real business impact today:
1. Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Decision Making – Enables faster decisions, improves efficiency, and scales intelligence across functions.
2. Quantum Computing – Solves optimization problems and simulations faster than classical systems.
3. Blockchain for Enterprises – Enhances transparency, security, and trust in multiparty processes.
4. Ambient Computing and IoT 2.0 – Transforms environments into responsive, intelligent systems.
5. Extended Reality (XR) and the Spatial Web – Reimagines learning, collaboration, and customer engagement through immersive experiences.
These are not theoretical. As you’ll see throughout this post, businesses across industries are already implementing them—with measurable results.
Why “Wait and See” No Longer Works
Business change doesn’t always show up as a disruption. Sometimes it arrives as a slow drift, and companies don’t notice until they’re off course.
By the time a new technology is headlining conferences or featured in boardroom briefings, early adopters have already turned it into a strategic advantage.
Reacting fast is good. Anticipating early is better.
Think of it like navigating iceberg waters. The biggest threats are often what’s below the surface. If you’re steering based only on what you can see, you’re gambling. By the time you see the iceberg, it may be too late to avoid it.
How Can Small and Mid-Sized Businesses Prepare for AI and Automation Trends?
For smaller companies, the playing field may feel uneven, but the opportunity is real.
Start with narrow use cases:
Automate repetitive, rules-based tasks (e.g., invoice matching, customer routing).
Use no-code or low-code AI tools to pilot small changes before scaling.
Train staff on how to supervise and collaborate with AI—not just replace manual work.
Lean into agility. You don’t need a massive AI team to get started, just a clear AI strategy, well-scoped KPIs, and a willingness to learn and iterate.
The advantage of being a smaller business? You can often move faster than large enterprises stuck in legacy systems.
How Can I Tell If a Tech Trend Is Worth Adopting or Just a Passing Fad?
Use this quick framework to assess:
Strategic Fit: Does it align with your business goals, customer needs, or industry demands?
Momentum & Investment: Look for increasing VC funding, regulatory signals, and vendor traction.
Use Case Readiness: Are other companies like yours successfully applying it?
Talent Availability: Do you have—or can you hire—the skills to adopt and support it?
Decision makers need to look past the hype and assess the impact of AI on business and broader ROI with a critical, structured lens.
What Skills Do Leaders Need to Future-Proof Their Teams for Emerging Tech?
Emerging tech isn’t just a technical shift—it’s a leadership one. To future-proof your team:
Develop tech fluency: you don’t need to code, but you must understand how these technologies create value.
Lead through ambiguity: be comfortable experimenting with incomplete data.
Foster cross-functional collaboration: the best outcomes happen when IT, operations, and strategy teams co-create.
Cultivate ethical awareness: especially in AI and automation, where bias, privacy, and transparency matter.
Investing in AI strategist roles, innovation councils, and ongoing training programs is essential to adapt your culture—not just your tech stack.
Discover more: Driving Change Management for Tech Adoption Success
Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Decision Making
I remember when AI first moved beyond dashboards. I watched a tool that could complete a support ticket, flag a fraud risk, and recommend a resolution strategy faster than I could ask, “Where’s the report?”
It wasn’t just analyzing. It was responding.
What It Feels Like: A magic mirror that doesn’t just reflect—but acts before you speak.
AI mimics human reasoning to interpret, learn from, and act on data. Autonomous AI takes that further with systems that make decisions on their own, within pre-set guardrails.
Gartner predicts that by 2024, 40% of enterprise applications will include embedded conversational AI—up from less than 5% in 2020. Gartner, Generative AI Trends
Real-World Example: A global insurer now resolves 90% of customer claims using generative AI, reducing the average resolution time from days to under 30 minutes.
Benefits:
Frees up teams to focus on strategic work
Improves decision consistency and response time
Enables continuous service without fatigue
Challenges:
Requires clear governance over how AI makes decisions
Can create change resistance among staff
How to Get Started:
Identify your most repetitive, rules-based processes
Embed AI pilots into workflows with measurable KPIs
Train leaders on supervising AI rather than replacing humans
Want a view of a day in the life of a CFO: AI In Business: Harnessing Innovation to Redefine Success
Quantum Computing
I like to describe quantum computing this way: imagine a library where you don’t flip through books one by one. You open all of them at once and walk away with the best answer.
That’s what makes it so different—and so promising.
What It Feels Like: Solving a maze by flying over it.
Quantum computing uses quantum bits (qubits) to process vast combinations of variables simultaneously, solving problems that classical computers can’t crack in reasonable timeframes.
Real-World Example: Volkswagen used quantum algorithms to optimize taxi routing in Beijing. The results? Smoother traffic flow and reduced emissions—before cars even hit the road.
Benefits:
Accelerates simulations in pharma, finance, and logistics
Helps solve optimization problems faster and more precisely
Supports next-gen encryption and secure communication
Challenges:
Still early stage; few commercially available systems
Requires new skill sets and research collaboration
How to Get Started:
Identify high-complexity use cases: logistics, pricing models, risk simulation
Monitor R&D partnerships and enterprise trials
Educate strategy and innovation teams on quantum fundamentals
Blockchain and Decentralized Trust
One of the best ways to understand blockchain? Think of a ledger that writes itself in permanent ink, shared with everyone in the network, and impossible to alter once written.
What It Feels Like: A shared notebook no one can erase and everyone can verify.
Blockchain is a decentralized ledger where every transaction is recorded across multiple nodes, ensuring security, transparency, and immutability.
Forrester notes that blockchain is now a foundational technology for multiparty business processes, data integrity, and new financial infrastructure.Forrester, Emerging Tech 2024
Real-World Examples: Walmart uses blockchain to trace produce from shelf to farm in seconds. J.P. Morgan’s Onyx network enables real-time, cross-border payments between institutions.
Benefits:
Eliminates reconciliation and fraud risks
Builds trust with partners, regulators, and customers
Streamlines multiparty collaboration
Challenges:
Integration complexity across legacy systems
Requires agreement on standards and governance
How to Get Started:
Identify high-friction areas involving multiple partners (e.g., supply chain, compliance)
Run a limited pilot with blockchain traceability
Align legal, IT, and security teams from the beginning
Ambient Computing and IoT 2.0
When I walked into a smart manufacturing site last year, it was like the environment itself was aware. Lights adjusted to footsteps. Equipment sent service alerts before failures. The whole floor responded to its people.
What It Feels Like: A house that turns up the heat before you realize you’re cold.
Ambient computing integrates smart sensors, AI, and real-time data to create environments that automatically respond to human presence, activity, and needs.
Microsoft says ambient intelligence will restore joy in frontline industries by reducing documentation burdens and improving context-aware decision-making.Microsoft, Ambient AI in Healthcare
Real-World Example: Hospitals now use ambient listening tools to document clinical visits automatically, letting physicians focus more on patients than on keyboards.
Benefits:
Improves operational awareness
Enhances worker experience and safety
Reduces manual overhead and downtime
Challenges:
High integration complexity
Raises questions about privacy and data ethics
How to Get Started:
Pilot predictive maintenance or room sensing systems
Identify workflows where automation could increase responsiveness
Design for transparency and opt-in behavior
Extended Reality (XR) and the Spatial Web
The first time I gave a demo in virtual reality, I realized I wasn’t presenting anymore—I was inviting people into the solution.
What It Feels Like: A portal you step through—not a screen you scroll past.
Definition: Extended reality (XR) includes AR, VR, and MR—technologies that create immersive environments for training, collaboration, and interaction.
Real-World Examples: Boeing reduced assembly errors by 40% by equipping workers with AR headsets that provide step-by-step visual guidance. Real estate firms use VR to offer immersive remote tours.
Benefits:
Speeds up learning and task adoption
Makes remote collaboration more intuitive and effective
Elevates product and service demos
Challenges:
Requires upfront investment in hardware and design
User adoption can vary by role and familiarity
How to Get Started:
Test XR in high-impact scenarios (training, sales, service)
Include frontline users in design feedback
Compare engagement and retention metrics to traditional tools
What You Need to Know: Metaphors, Meaning, and Action
Trend | Think of It As... | Why It Matters | What To Do |
AI & Autonomy | A magic mirror that acts before you speak | Scales decisions and learning across workflows | Embed in key workflows; invest in AI literacy |
Quantum Computing | A library that opens all the books at once | Solves high-complexity problems in record time | Start monitoring R&D use cases and upskill core teams |
Blockchain | A ledger that writes itself in permanent ink | Builds trust, removes friction in collaboration | Pilot in audit, contracts, or supply chain workflows |
Ambient/IoT | A room that responds to your needs without asking | Makes operations proactive and intuitive | Implement predictive sensors and real-time automation |
XR & Spatial Web | A portal you step into, not just look at | Enhances how people learn, buy, and collaborate | Use XR in training, demos, and high-cost field operations |
For a deeper dive into trends, read The Power of AI to Redefine Business Success.
Final Word: Don’t Wait Until You See the Iceberg
The future doesn’t come with a big reveal. It shows up quietly, in small signals: research papers, VC investments, regulatory whispers, shifts in customer expectations.
You don’t have to predict the future perfectly. You just need to build your radar, start experimenting, and train your teams to explore responsibly.
Because if your competitors are already steering while you’re still looking at the horizon, you’re not navigating the future. You’re chasing it.
If this sparked ideas—or questions—I’m always up for a conversation. Schedule a consultation with me today.
About the Author
Christiano Gherardini, CEO of Turnkey Technologies, applies cutting-edge technology to help B2B mid-sized enterprises optimize their data and processes to achieve more in less time with less expense.
A thought leader in the Microsoft space for nearly 30 years, Chris and his team have enabled hundreds of businesses to achieve their goals and attract sustainable growth.
