AI-generated summary
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, augmented reality (AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) are significant drivers of entrepreneurship and economic growth. AI, forecasted by the European Court of Auditors to grow annually by 15.8% until 2030 reaching a market value of €680 billion, is seen as a critical investment for the EU due to its ability to analyze, learn, and adapt. Blockchain technology is expected to grow by 52% by 2025, particularly in security and digital currency, with many micro-enterprises already allocating substantial investments to it for developing new business models. AR and IoT, as digital enabling technologies, offer transformative potential across industries by enhancing user experiences and enabling connected devices to exchange data efficiently.
These technologies are reshaping various sectors profoundly. In education, generative AI helps create customized training content, improving learning outcomes, while AI combined with virtual reality supports training for technical and high-risk professions. AR is increasingly used in healthcare, aiding surgeons with 3D visualizations during operations and supporting pain treatment, rehabilitation, and social skills development for individuals with autism. Blockchain enhances financial markets by enabling secure, transparent, and decentralized transactions beyond cryptocurrencies, also promoting sustainability in renewable energy trading. Collectively, these technologies empower the creation of scalable, efficient businesses, with tools like the Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s Startup Observatory providing valuable insights for investment decisions aligned with the evolving entrepreneurial landscape.
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of new technologies to boost their projects and provide them with greater potential for growth and success
Constantly evolving tools, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, augmented reality or the Internet of Things (IoT) are real motivations for entrepreneurship.
AI has been a revolution of a scope yet to be discovered. The European Court of Auditors’ special report 8/2024 forecasts that the global AI market will grow annually by 15.8% until 2030, when it is expected to reach 680,000 million euros. The EU understands that efficient investment in these intelligent systems, capable of analysing and understanding the environment, learning and acting accordingly, will be key in the coming years for economic growth.
The global blockchain technology market, on the other hand, forecasts a 52% growth by 2025, especially in security and digital currency. 60% of micro-enterprises in Spain already invest more than half of their investment in these blockchains, especially to create new business models.
Augmented reality, which offers the user an experience in simulated environments, superimposed on their real environment, and the Internet of Things (IoT), everyday devices capable of connecting to the network and exchanging data and information on it, are considered, among others, as digital enabling technologies (RHTs), with a great impact and capacity to disrupt the business fabric.
An absolute influence
These technologies are applied in virtually any industry. Generative AI has burst onto the scene in the education sector with particular force, as reflected in Adigital’s Digital Economy Report. The fact that they can create training content of all kinds, such as quizzes, summaries or videos, allows teachers to better customize their methods to achieve learning objectives more efficiently. What’s more, the combination of AI and virtual reality facilitates the training of professionals in technical or high-risk positions.
The versatile nature of augmented reality has also reached the health field. A surgeon can now have more information about the operation to be performed through 3D representations, and even operate while the image of the organ or area to be treated is superimposed.
The treatment of pain, the most appropriate rehabilitation depending on the patient or the improvement of the social skills of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also make use of this tool.
Nor is the current financial market fully understood without the presence of blockchain technology. It goes beyond cryptocurrencies. As it lacks a central authority and, therefore, any information must be verified and stored in a network of nodes, blockchain systems streamline transactions, reduce costs and propose an inclusive, secure and democratic horizon.
Its application does not end there. It also promotes transparency and sustainability in the management and sale of renewable energies in decentralized markets (known as peer-to-peer).
All these technologies thus have the power to turn business ideas into viable, more efficient and scalable businesses. It is equally important to make appropriate decisions, aligned with the current entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s Startup Observatory, for example, allows you to consult all investment operations in startups and analyse the latest movements with up-to-date data.
