However, the pandemic has also given rise to new identification and surveillance needs, spurring further investments in biometric AI algorithm design, which will give a boost to the face recognition technologies market going forward.
The RC143 app allows contact tracing using the geo-location and sensory capabilities of smartphones. The app will also enable its users to get information on their likely levels of exposure to the virus.
Overall spending on devices including PCs and phones will be down significantly this year and is the main drag on total IT spending with the economic fallout likely to disrupt upgrade cycles for smartphones, which were expected to be boosted by the launch of premium 5G devices.
The drop comes as no surprise as Q1 marked the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the peak of the lockdowns in China, which extended to the rest of the world by the end of the quarter.
In Asia, the survey found that since the coronavirus restrictions began in many countries, interest in messaging clients increased as many as five times.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic furthered the decline of the worldwide tablet market as global shipments fell to 24.6 million units, down 18.1% year over year during the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20), according to research firm IDC.
Wearables have become another weapon to track, monitor, and fight the progression of Covid-19 and its symptoms worldwide, according to tech market advisory firm ABI Research.
Hospitality and tourism-heavy industries like transportation and personal and consumer services are expected to be the most negatively impacted markets with IT spending expected to decline by 5% or more.
The coronavirus outbreak has proven that healthcare institutions can no longer ignore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily workflow.
