2023: The year of all things VR, AI + EVs: With a new year inevitably comes the promise of tech advancements to make our lives easier and more entertaining. 2023 is no different: This year will see advances in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and electric vehicles, the New York Times predicts.

Last year was rough for tech: Drama at Twitter stole headlines after Tesla boss Elon Musk’s takeover and the many questionable changes he made to the once beloved platform, while Facebook’s rebrand as Meta Platforms fell flat. And the trouble in tech was felt by more than just the Musks and the Zuckerbergs, as tighter monetary conditions and risk-off sentiment saw a new focus on profitability drive job cuts in an industry once seen as recession-proof.

This year, we could see AR and VR Appleified: iPhone maker Apple could step into the virtual and augmented worlds this year with the anticipated release of its AR/VR headset, sources familiar with the matter previously told Bloomberg. The headset was initially scheduled for a 2022 unveiling, but software and hardware complications reportedly forced the tech giant to push the release date. Leaks suggest that customers willing to drop the rumored USD 3k price tag could get their hands on the headset as soon as 3Q 2023, with the announcement coming sometime during the first half of the year.

Apple believes that so-called ‘mixed reality’ is the future: “You’ll wonder how you lived your life without augmented reality, just like today you wonder, ‘How did people like me grow up without the internet?’” CEO Tim Cook said last year (watch, runtime: 42:00).

Just don’t call it the metaverse: Apple execs have said they will never refer to the world they’re building with these products as ‘the metaverse,’ a term Mark Zuckerberg sought to claim as his own with the rebranding of Facebook to Meta. The metaverse markets itself as an all-in-one platform where we can work, live, connect and collaborate, but any initial buzz seems to have turned hostile as skeptics voice their misgivings. “Video games and social media already encourage the sort of mental overinvestment that makes the more explicit, embodied immersion of the metaverse seem gimmicky and redundant. The immersive internet is already here, in Web 2.0,” the Ringer wrote.

We are also expecting major AI strides: Last year was a significant year for AI as its commercial uses became more apparent. We saw AI selfies, AI art, and AI essays, and this year we can expect AI to make itself more present in our daily lives. We already have OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which can answer questions and write essays if given a prompt. The New York Times is predicting that this year we could see chatbots replace research assistants, purportedly helping researchers save their time and energy.

AI can also help already established online platforms up their game: Widely-used word processors Google Docs and Microsoft Word and spreadsheet programs Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel could soon embed AI tools to help users finish up their tasks at a quicker pace, the New York Times predicts. Word processors have already integrated some aspects of AI into their operations, with Google Docs allowing users to turn on smart compose, which uses machine learning to predict what the user might type next. Google’s Gmail also offers smart replies, which, using machine learning, recommends a reply to emails, suggesting responses like “Confirmed” or “Thanks.”

2023 could also be the year we see more electric vehicles on the market. Luxury EV brand Tesla had previously dominated the EV market, but this year the likes of Ford, Kia, and Audi are set to ramp up the competition. This comes as the green movement continues to pick up, with projections that EVs will make up over 45% of new vehicle sales globally in 2030.