Words of the year 2023 in tech and media

What will we be talking about in 2023 in the world of tech and media? “Les Echos” carried out a forecasting exercise on some of the terms that should be at the heart of the news in 2023.

In 2022, words like NFT, “related market” (in the context of the TF1-M6 merger), tech layoffs, audiovisual license fees, or even Elon Musk will be on the lips of professionals. In 2023, many terms should arrive or return to the fore. A brief, incomplete overview.

ChatGPT

The talking robot from the California company OpenAI is changing the world of artificial intelligence. The robot that everyone has been talking about since the beginning of December can be used to answer questions, write a school essay, write an article, poem or lines of computer code… ChatGPT stands out for with its detailed answers and the ability to remember past conversations and questions with him. Above all, he speaks like a human being – even when he makes mistakes.

As artificial intelligence transforms many professions (journalists, teachers, developers, translators, etc.), advances in these technologies will be scrutinized this year. And especially since OpenAI plans to unveil a new, more advanced version of its chatbot in February.

It will be interesting to see the response from Google and other tech giants. Especially since according to the American media “The Information”, Microsoft is preparing to integrate ChatGPT into its Bing search engine.

Streaming with advertising

Last year, Netflix broke a founding dogma by inserting advertising into its offerings. In early November, the streaming giant launched a cheaper offer, with announcements, in several countries including France. Disney+ also launched an advertising-supported offering in the United States in December.

While the new Netflix offer has not really taken off in the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal, it will be interesting to see if it will pick up momentum afterwards, in a context of inflation. The sector performs significantly, while the proliferation of services has created more intense competition and consumers will be encouraged to arbitrate between different subscriptions, given the economic context.

Morgan Stanley analysts expect a slowdown in subscriber acquisition. Specialists point out that the platforms are in the process of increasing their prices and reducing their costs. But, if these measures are not enough to generate profits, analysts see two options coming up: either the outright closing of activities, or consolidation maneuvers.

Twitter badges and platform moderation

The soap opera of the acquisition of Elon Musk’s Twitter caused a lot of ink to flow in 2022. The acquisition, in the fall, of the blue bird group for 44 billion dollars, by the richest man in the world raised many questions , far from residence From the beginning, Tesla’s founder made his mark by changing the platform and cutting staff. He wants to kick the anthill, also restore some banned accounts like Donald Trump’s..

In mid-December, he launched a paid version of the social network, the famous blue badge, which users must authenticate, to diversify his income. But, it is necessary to see if the users adhere to it.

More importantly, the issue of Twitter moderation is far from resolved. While Elon Musk describes himself as a “free speech absolutist”, many advertisers have turned away from the platform in recent weeks. In Europe, Thierry Breton warned the group shortly after the takeover. The European Commissioner for the Internal Market has warned that he has to respect the regulations on large platforms that have been adopted.

In another year-end poll, Elon Musk asked users if he should make way for a new Twitter boss. “Yes” for 57% of respondents. The group’s owner then announced that he would step down when he found someone “crazy” enough to run Twitter.

Therefore, the year 2023 should still be rich in twists and turns.

Metaverse and Web3

This is the big word of 2022 (along with NFTs), but clearly the new promised El Dorado is a little disappointing. The great ambitions of Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram etc.), while the group has focused on developing its strategy since last fall in these new virtual spaces inhabited by 3D avatars, have disappointed investors .

Companies are not rushing into the metaverse. The few who tried it found that these worlds were already depopulated and the experience wasn’t always easy. That’s why the Gartner firm puts the metaverse on the “disillusion slope” on its “hype cycle” curve (to assess the life cycles of innovations).

At the same time, the NFT market (these digital certificates issued and exchanged using decentralized ledger technology (blockchain) that prove their ownership) collapsed in 2022, under the effect of the crypto-crash following the rise of interest rates and investors who had become more reasonable. The failure of the FTX platform has made web 3 investors more cautious.

2023 will be an opportunity to see more clearly: new horizons or an epiphenomenon on the way to the funeral?

Cyberattacks

In 2022, large-scale cyberattacks followed each other: hospitals, SMEs, large groups such as Continental or Thalès, or more recently newspapers such as the Guardian.

In 2021, experts from the National Information Systems Agency (Anssi) found 1,082 intrusions critical to the proper functioning of the country. Not seen yet. Of this figure, around 200 are related to ransomware – software that paralyzes companies by rendering data unreadable until a ransom is paid. “While attacks for profit have taken over the media scene, they should not obscure the espionage campaigns, which are essentially less visible, and those carried out with the aim of computer sabotage”, argued Anssi, at the time of going out publication of his study in March 2022.

There is no doubt that cybersecurity will remain a major issue in 2023.