This is according to a new report by the Nominet Trust, the UK’s leading social tech investor, named Transforming Lives with Tech: A Global Conversation.
Now in its 10th year, the Nominet Trust has invested more than £31 million in ventures driving social change.
The report is looking back at the past five years of NT100, the trust’s annual campaign focusing on social tech around the world. Based on analysis of 400 of these social tech projects, it investigates what it takes for a social tech venture to achieve impact at scale.
As a result, the Nominet Trust pinpointed the top social tech trends it will be focusing on for 2018.
Vicki Hearn, director of Nominet Trust, said: “We firmly believe that when social needs are baked into the very early stages of tech development, the transformational effect on people’s lives is multiplied.
“During the five years we’ve been curating the NT100, we’ve amassed a rich bank of knowledge which we’re sharing to help accelerate the growth of socially-motivated tech around the globe.”
The five social tech trends for 2018
1. Blockchain
The Trust believes that the blockchain, the decentralised ledger technology which underpins bitcoin, has the capacity to bring inclusion to billions. New socially motivated ventures are beginning to harness the potential to improve financial systems.
For instance, an initiative named Alice is using blockchain to restore trust in charitable giving and is helping homeless people get off the streets of London.
As well, BanQu is using the technology to give refugees a secure and verified ID, tracking things such as their transaction history and educational qualifications.
2. Artificial intelligence
We may forget that AI is already part of our daily lives, from the iPhone X Face ID to a simple Google search. Yet the technology is breaking ground in services such as healthcare and education.
In healthcare, AI is being used by the company Zebra to scan medical images to detect cancerous cells, with 91 per cent accuracy.
In addition, WYSA has created an AI-enabled chatbot app to provide advice for people experiencing mental health conditions on things like cognitive behavioural therapy.
3. Bionics
Bionics, as well as things like bio-electronics, are starting to gain traction. The Nominet Trust thinks developments in this space will continue this year in order to deepen their impact. One company BrainGate, has developed pill-sized electrode implants that respond to thoughts. It hopes to use these to restore a level of independence to people affected by paralysis.
Another one to take note of is the Smart Lens Program from Verily Life Sciences, which is working on a contact lens that measures glucose in tear fluid. This could create a non-invasive solution to monitor diabetes.
4. Immersive tech
This year is the year we could see immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) make a move from gaming into other areas.
AR, in particular, is having an impact in hospitals through initiatives like the Patient’s Virtual Guide. It’s an AR app that guides children through the hospital environment before they’re admitted as patients, intended to ease stress and anxiety, as well as improving outcomes.
5. Autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicles don’t just mean driverless cars.
There’s the Zanzibar Mapping Initiative, a partnership between the World Bank and Zanzibar's state university, that is using drones to capture aerial images and topography of the island, to help monitor and respond to floods and diseases.
In addition, Cyberworks in Canada has developed a motion sensor module that can be attached to a power wheelchair. This enables it to navigate autonomously, controlled by either a voice, eye-gaze, or a touchscreen
