Women of Color in Tech

CHAPTER 4Emerging Technologies

In this chapter, we'll talk about the technologies that are poised to impact the way that we work in the future—and perhaps even sooner than we think.

What Is an Emerging Technology?

An emerging technology is one that exists but we have yet to fully use or experience its true potential. Additional research, application, refinement, and even regulation are necessary before we can consider it an established technology—a technology that has been in existence for some time, is used by many, and is considered a standard by just about everyone.

Emerging technologies may also have the power to become disruptive, meaning they have the potential to replace an established technology or have the power to change how an entire society does things.

Let's take email as an example. Before email, documents, cards, and similar items had to be sent physically, and it took days for recipients to receive them. With email, your recipient receives your documents in seconds, reducing the time and costs involved.

Although email is now considered an established technology, it was very much an emerging technology when it was introduced into mainstream society in the mid-to-late 1990s. As email became more secure and robust to handle image and music files, people and businesses started using postal services and paper products like envelopes much less.

The Future of Work

Many research organizations and studies have pointed out that the adoption and improvement of emerging ...