The Thematic Trader

  Quantum Computing Most people can be forgiven for this one. Gaining a low-level understanding of quantum computing generally requires knowledge of quantum physics which is beyond anyone who hasn’t studied the subject academically! However, at a higher level, there are also a lot of common misconceptions. Quantum computers aren’t simply computers that are much quicker than regular “classical” computers. In other words, quantum computers won't replace classical computers because they are only better at a narrow range of very specialized jobs. This generally involves solving very specialized mathematical problems which don’t usually come up as day-to-day business computing requirements. These problems include simulating quantum (sub-atomic) systems and optimization problems (finding the best route from A to B, for example, when there are a lot of variables that can change). One area of day-to-day computing where quantum computing might supersede classical computing is encryption – f...

  Artificial Intelligence (AI) This is perhaps the number one most commonly misunderstood technology and also one which causes a fair amount of anxiety! I’m certainly not saying that it isn’t a cause for concern and that anyone seeking to use it shouldn’t be cautious. But it isn’t about building robots that will one day take our jobs or our planet! The term "artificial intelligence," as it is used today in technology and business, usually refers to machine learning (ML). This simply means computer programs (or algorithms) which, rather than needing to be told explicitly what to do by a human operator, are capable of becoming better and better at a specific task as they repeat it over and over again and are exposed to more data. Eventually, they may become better than humans at these tasks. A great example of this is  AlphaGo , a machine intelligence that became the first computer to beat a human champion at the game of Go. Go is a game in which there are more possible moves t...

  Artificial coworkers Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – also known as software robots or the new “digital workforce” – can automate the clerical, repetitive, and often mundane aspects of a job, enabling employees to reconfigure job functions in new, meaningful ways. A few key benefits of these new digital workers include: Freeing up time and resources for higher-level strategic, creative and social tasks Increasing overall levels of productivity and output Enhancing levels of employee engagement Increasing employee satisfaction This frees up resources for other tasks but ultimately this will mean human resources will not be required for simple clerical work, data-entry or simple decision making.

  Antimicrobial resistance Trends Patients with infections caused by  drug - resistant  bacteria are at increased risk of worse clinical outcomes and death, and consume more health care resources than patients infected with nonresistant strains of the same bacteria.   We are finding that we can't fight infections the same way that we did in the past and need to have advances with new products or revised products to combat this area. These companies are working in this area: Paratek Corp. (NASDAQ:PRTK) Nabriva Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NBRV), Cempra (NASDAQ:MLNT)

  AI Trends Cognitive - learn, reason, predict, respond Visual - see and process the physical world Auditory - listen and communicate using written or spoken language Motor - manipulate physical or virtual environments Products Driverless Cars and Drones Augmented and Virtual Reality Chatbots and Intelligent Agents Machine Learning Algorithms Imaging (Computer Vision) Robots and Robotics AI - process data and infer complex relationships like a human Machine Learning - how computers with AI can improve over time using different algorithms as they are fed more data Neural Networks - type of machine learning Deep Learning - larger neural network Cognitive Computing - same as AI AI Chips - specialized chips used to train machine algorithms and then run in production AI Law Enforcement AI Law AI Investment Banking AI Insurance AI Real Estate AI Travel AI Accounting AI Agriculture AI Education AI is fundamentally used to remove or make cheaper the human costs to businesses.  Th...

  Affective computing Technology is becoming more empathic Track and interpret moods and emotions Dynamically change interactive behaviour Smart algorithms to analyse voice pitch and tone. Chatbots use natural interaction due to emotional intelligence Affective computing  is the study and development of systems and devices that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate human affects. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning  computer  science, psychology, and cognitive science.   AI and the need for individuals to want support at all hours will drive the need for effective computing into the future.  We should be able to determine the user's moods, and identities and understand current attitudes to questions.

  Advanced construction materials Mass Timber. Humans have been building with wood since they first moved out of caves, but in modern times, materials like  cement  and steel have all but supplanted it for tall buildings. ... Self-Healing Materials. ... Air Cleaning Bricks. ... Strand Rods. ... Passive Cooling Ceramics. ... Trash. Having advanced construction materials will make structures last longer, be sustainable, and be self-managing.