Ask HN: What's a promising area to work on?

Article summary

The article asks for a promising area to work on, similar to social networks in 2004 or mobile apps in 2010. The author is looking for an area with lots of users but few producers, and it can be online and not necessarily involve programming. The author is introverted and prefers online work. The goal is to find an up-and-coming area to focus on.

Main themes

• Emerging technologies
• Machine learning
• Online opportunities
• Gaming and graphics
• Health and medicine

What commenters say

• Machine learning is a currently promising area to work on, with applications in various fields.
• Experimental design and rigorous testing are crucial for achieving reliable results in machine learning.
• Some commentators believe that real-time raytracing and cloud gaming are up-and-coming areas, while others think they are overcrowded or not yet viable.
• The health industry, particularly psychedelics as medicine and gut/microbiome research, is seen as a promising area by some commentators.
• Others argue that these health areas are either hard to monetize or overly hyped, with too much focus on correlations rather than meaningful research.
• Some commentators suggest that areas like non-invasive medical imaging, surgical robots, and AI-assisted patient triage are also promising.
• It is argued that taking a long-term view is necessary to identify emerging trends before they become popular.