Information Technology • New and Emerging Technologies

Emerging Tech Debates

Emerging Tech Debates — Explanation

New and emerging technologies change how people live, work and learn. The exam asks you to describe them, explain their uses, and evaluate them: weigh up their benefits and drawbacks in a particular situation and reach a justified conclusion.

How to use it

Writing an evaluation

Common exam mistakes: describing the technology when the question asks you to evaluate it; one-sided answers; vague points such as "it is faster" without saying who gains or why it matters; points that aren't about the situation in the question; and a conclusion that just repeats the points without a judgement.

Objective: Cambridge International A Level Information Technology (9626), new and emerging technologies: artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, 3D printing, drones, quantum computing, biometrics, wearable technology and the Internet of Things; their uses and their impact on individuals, organisations and society.

Where this fits

  • Cambridge: Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417); Cambridge A Level Information Technology (9626) Goes beyond Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417): 0417 names only AI and extended reality; the other eight technologies and the extended evaluation go beyond it. Goes beyond Cambridge A Level Information Technology (9626): Drones, quantum computing and biometrics aren't named in 9626 topic 13.
  • IB: IB Digital Society HL; IB Digital Society SL
  • Pearson Edexcel International: Edexcel International A Level Information Technology Goes beyond Edexcel International A Level Information Technology: The IAL names machine learning, VR/AR and the IoT; drones, 3D printing, quantum computing, biometrics and robotics go beyond it.

Emerging Tech Debates — Key Terms

Key concepts in English, with te reo Māori, Chinese (Simplified) and Korean.

EnglishTe reo Māori中文(简体)한국어What it means on this page
Artificial Intelligence (AI)no attested term人工智能 (réngōng zhìnéng)인공지능 (ingongjineung)Computer systems that do tasks that normally need human intelligence, such as recognising images and speech, predicting and generating text.
Machine Learningno attested term机器学习 (jīqì xuéxí)기계 학습 (gigye hakseup)A kind of AI in which a system learns patterns from example data rather than following rules written by a programmer.
Virtual Reality (VR)no attested term虚拟现实 (xūnǐ xiànshí)가상 현실 (gasang hyeonsil)A computer-generated 3D world the user is immersed in, usually through a headset that shuts out the real world.
Augmented Reality (AR)no attested term增强现实 (zēngqiáng xiànshí)증강 현실 (jeunggang hyeonsil)Computer-generated images and information laid over a live view of the real world.
Roboticsno attested term机器人技术 (jīqìrén jìshù)로봇 공학 (robot gonghak)Designing and using robots: machines that sense, process and carry out physical tasks automatically.
3D Printingno attested term3D打印 (3D dǎyìn)3D 프린팅 (3D peurinting)Making a solid object from a 3D computer model by building it up layer by layer (additive manufacturing).
Droneno attested term无人机 (wúrénjī)드론 (deuron)An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV): an aircraft with no pilot on board, flown remotely or automatically.
Quantum Computingno attested term量子计算 (liàngzǐ jìsuàn)양자 컴퓨팅 (yangja keompyuting)Computing with qubits, which can be 0 and 1 at once; for some problems it could be far faster than ordinary computers.
Biometricsno attested term生物识别 (shēngwù shíbié)생체 인식 (saengche insik)Authentication using a unique part of the body, such as a fingerprint, face, iris or voice.
Wearable Technologyno attested term可穿戴技术 (kě chuāndài jìshù)웨어러블 기술 (weeoreobeul gisul)Smart devices worn on the body, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, that collect data with sensors.
Internet of Things (IoT)no attested term物联网 (wùliánwǎng)사물 인터넷 (samul inteonet)Everyday objects with sensors and a network connection, so they can send data and be controlled remotely.
Stakeholderno attested term利益相关者 (lìyì xiāngguānzhě)이해관계자 (ihaegwangyeja)A person or group affected by a decision or a technology: individuals, organisations or society.
Evaluateno attested term评估 (pínggū)평가하다 (pyeonggahada)In an exam: weigh up the benefits and drawbacks, in the situation given, and reach a justified conclusion.

On the te reo Māori column. Terms marked as gaps have no attested equivalent in the sources checked — Karaitiana Taiuru's Dictionary of Māori Computer and Social Media Terms, Paekupu, the Reserve Bank's te reo financial glossary, NZQA and Te Aka. No coinage is printed as though it were established; where a class needs one, commission it from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and credit the translator. Te reo Māori is not italicised and takes no plural "s".