Tech Vision 2020:

Technology Trends to Watch

The new models that organizations must build to overcome tech-clash share one thing: they are based on collaboration. Successful business leaders will invite customers, employees, partners and the public to build their new course for the future together. We see five tech trends that exemplify this:

The I in

Experience

Leading businesses are working with customers to create digital experiences. People still want the many benefits of customization, but they are skeptical of the non-transparent methods that companies use to deliver it. They want more ownership of their data and of the experience itself. The rise of 5G and augmented reality (AR) put more pressure on leaders to make this a reality.

AI and

Me

The full potential of AI has moved beyond being a mere automation of simple tasks to being a powerful collaboration tool between human employees and machines. Successful businesses will understand the importance of context in human-machine interaction and take advantage of advances that help them collaborate on a larger scale. This will position companies to reimagine all aspects of their entire business from the ground up.

The Dilemma

of Smart Things

The very notion of product ownership is radically changing. When people buy products, they are in many cases no longer purchasing physical, finished items but conduits for evolving experiences. Companies must recognize this new “co-ownership” paradigm with customers and work to design their products and ecosystems to accommodate ongoing change.

Robots in

the Wild

Robots are moving out of the warehouse and factory, into the larger world – helped along by falling hardware costs and the rise of 5G networks. As robotic capabilities extend beyond controlled environments, companies will face challenges around talent, questions of human-computer interaction and a testbed that consists of the entire world.

Innovation

DNA

Businesses can transform how they innovate by focusing on three key building blocks of their company’s innovation DNA. Maturing digital technologies, scientific advancements, and emerging DARQ technologies (distributed ledger tech (DLT), artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR) and quantum computing) can constantly inject new skills, tech and ideas to the organization. Leaders are weaving these technological building blocks together to set a course for their company’s future.