Question

Explain the concept of “technology convergence.”

Answer 1

Technology convergence is a term that enable different technologies to interoperate efficiently as a single system. It is sometimes known as digital convergence. An example of technology convergence is smartphones, which combine the functionality of a telephone, a camera, a music player, and a digital personal assistant among other things into one device. A tablet computer is another example of technology convergence.

Technology convergence includes two iterdependent areas - Technical design and functionality.

Technical design is occupied with constructing the underlying infrastructure needed to transport digital content. Functionality refers to the ease of use with which a user can access the same content on various devices. The functional aspects depends on the efficiency of the technical engineering.

With technology convergence, we can bring together variuos technology fields. For example, people who aren't familiar with computers are more likely to prefer the internet and video on demand if they are able to access these technologies through televisions. In general, TV is familiar and nonthreatening. Displays are large, and TVs are easy to operate. Using them to access the web requires almost no training. Another example include the internet of things (IoT), converged Bluetooth-connected devices and high-bandwidth Wi-Fi data networks to power intelligent sensors embedded in household appliances, automobiles, thermostats and similar everyday items.

Another example of technology convergence is in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human behavior by a computing device. Chatbots are software-driven tools designed with machine learning and natural language algorithms. Some companies use chatbots to handle service inquiries. Virtual assistants, like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, Google Assistant and Microsoft's Cortana, are AI chatbots. AI, blockchain and IoT technologies are converging to enable a tamper-proof ledger for financial transactions.

Drawback of Digital Convergence - Due to the complexity of delivering internet, video and voice services, network providers must make necessary expensive investments in computing, networks, security and continuous software development. These costs generally will be absorbed by consumers in the form of higher rates or service fees.