Accenture's 2020 Vision warns of a 'tech-clash' in a post-digital society
Accenture released its Technology Vision 2020 report with a call for corporations to build trust as they develop new services for a "post-digital" population that has moved beyond the wow-factor with new technologies and understands the dystopian possibilities in an unplanned future.
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It's not a total backlash against tech but a love/hate relationship that Accenture dubs a "tech-clash."
Companies are urged to build trust through better behavior and better protection of data privacy as they reorganize to build new types of highly personalized services driven by AI and possibly utilizing drones and robots.
Accenture's CEO Julie Sweet and Paul Daugherty, chief technology and innovation officer, begin the report -- called We, the post-digital people: Can your enterprise survive the tech-clash? -- with a warning:
"Enterprises that ignore this message will face an existential tech-clash, in which today's models are incongruous with people's needs and expectations. To avoid this impending crisis, companies must reexamine their fundamental business and technology models in a responsible way -- to create a new basis for competition and growth. Trust and accountability are the new litmus tests for businesses in a world where digital is everywhere."
This is the 20th report in the Vision series. Each year, Accenture identifies five tech trends that will impact its client companies over the next three to five years.
Here are the five Visions for 2020 as described by Accenture:
The I in experience: "Helping people choose their own adventure. Redesign digital experiences with new models that amplify personal agency."
AI and me: "Move beyond deploying AI for automation alone and push into the new frontier of co-creation between people and machines."
The dilemma of smart things: "Overcome the 'beta burden.' Address the new reality of product ownership in the era of 'forever beta.'"
Robots in the wild: "Build new models of interaction and impact as robotics move beyond the walls of the enterprise. Companies in every industry will unlock new opportunities by introducing robots to the next frontier: the open world."
Innovation DNA: "Create an engine for continuous innovation. Tap into the unprecedented scale of disruptive technology available today."