What are the emerging and evolving digital technologies, and how are they used?
Describe emerging and evolving digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, and explain their uses and impacts.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on emerging technologies, covering artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, and their uses and impacts.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
WJEC asks you to describe the new and developing digital technologies that are changing society, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and virtual and augmented reality, and to explain how they are used and their impacts. The exam form is "describe technology X and give a use, a benefit and a risk", so you need a clear definition of each and balanced points about its effects.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
AI lets computers do things that once needed people.
AI is used in voice assistants, recommendation systems, medical diagnosis, fraud detection and self-driving vehicles. Benefits include speed, accuracy and automation; concerns include job losses, biased or wrong decisions if trained on poor data, and accountability when it makes mistakes.
The Internet of Things
Everyday objects are increasingly connected.
Virtual and augmented reality
These technologies change how we see and interact with content.
Evaluating an emerging technology
The exam rewards balanced points applied to a use.
Why this matters
Emerging technologies are driving the next wave of the digital shift, so understanding them explains where work, business and daily life are heading, exactly the forward-looking evaluation the impact topic rewards. They link to the rest of the course: IoT relies on networks and the internet, AI raises ethical questions covered in the next dot point, and connected devices expand the attack surface discussed in cyber security. Being able to define each technology and weigh its benefits against its risks, rather than treating it as simply "good" or "bad", is the key skill.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC-style4 marksDescribe what is meant by the Internet of Things (IoT) and give two examples of how it is used, with one benefit and one risk.Show worked answer →
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to everyday devices and objects that are connected to the internet so they can collect data and communicate, such as smart home devices.
Examples include a smart thermostat that adjusts heating based on sensors and can be controlled from a phone, and a smart doorbell that sends video alerts to the owner.
A benefit is greater convenience and automation, for example heating that adjusts itself to save energy. A risk is security and privacy: connected devices can be hacked or can collect personal data about the household.
Markers award one mark for defining IoT (connected everyday devices that collect and share data), one for valid examples, one for a benefit, and one for a risk, up to four marks.
WJEC-style3 marksExplain what artificial intelligence is and give one beneficial use and one concern about its use.Show worked answer →
Artificial intelligence (AI) is software that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as recognising speech or images, making decisions or learning from data (machine learning).
A beneficial use is in healthcare, where AI can help analyse medical scans quickly and accurately to support diagnosis.
A concern is that AI may replace some human jobs, can make biased or wrong decisions if trained on poor data, and raises questions about accountability when it makes a mistake.
Markers award one mark for what AI is (performing tasks needing human intelligence / learning from data), one for a beneficial use, and one for a concern, up to three marks.
Related dot points
- Describe how digital technology has changed the way people work and how organisations trade and make money, including new business and monetisation models.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on the digital shift, covering how technology has changed work patterns, how businesses trade online, and new monetisation models such as subscriptions and advertising.
- Describe the ethical, social and environmental impacts of digital technology, including privacy, the digital divide, e-waste and energy use.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on the ethical, social and environmental impacts of digital technology, covering privacy, the digital divide, health and society, electronic waste and energy consumption.
- Describe the main cyber threats (malware, phishing, social engineering, hacking, denial-of-service) and the vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on cyber threats, covering malware, phishing, social engineering, hacking and denial-of-service attacks, and the vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.
- Describe how digital systems interact through input and output devices, and how devices connect to each other to share data and services.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on interaction and connection, covering input, processing, output and storage, embedded systems and how devices connect to share data.
- Explain what the internet is, how it differs from the World Wide Web, and the roles of IP addresses, DNS and the client-server model.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology content on the internet, covering the internet versus the World Wide Web, IP addresses, the Domain Name System and the client-server model.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Digital Technology specification — WJEC (2021)
- WJEC GCSE Digital Technology Unit 1 guide — WJEC (2020)