Technology for People, by People

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By Marc Carrel-Billiard

The nature of technology as we know it is changing: People are no longer adapting to technology. Instead, people now have the power to shape technology so that it adapts to us.

This shift is ushering in an age of human empowerment in which technology is designed for people, by people. Personalized experiences anticipate our wants and needs, putting us firmly in control—whether it’s a music service that customizes a playlist based on individual preferences, or a freelance labor platform that enables a parent to conduct work based on the schedule that best suits his or her family.

We’re shaping technology to fit our wants and needs, and businesses are enabling people via technology to build on opportunities that are both grand and granular. The forces of disruption are still in full effect, but humans are now putting technology to work to disrupt ourselves.

By taking a “technology for people” approach, we are seeing leading organizations embed humanity into the very core of technology. As a result, digital tools are now adapting to us by interacting in more human ways, using elements such as touch displays, mixed reality and natural-language processing interfaces.

Meanwhile, technology is being made to “think” more like humans, through machine learning, contextual analysis and image recognition. This people-first approach to technology is enabling us to shape our lives, our industries and our societies to fit our needs.

In the just-released “Accenture Technology Vision 2017” report, our annual forecast of global technology trends, we’ve identified five emerging trends that are shaping this shift to human-centric technology. Tomorrow’s leaders are already taking these trends on board and executing strategies to secure a clear digital advantage.

AI Is the New UI

Artificial Intelligence is moving beyond a backend enterprise tool to take on larger roles in every technology interface. AI’s mainstream breakthrough is reflective of the natural and simple interactions it brings to consumers and enterprises to drive faster, wider adoption of technology and better outcomes for people.

AI is set to become the enterprise’s digital spokesperson by acting as the face of the digital brand and a key differentiator in interactions with customers. In doing so, it will become a core competency demanding of C-level investment and strategy.

Ecosystems’ Power Plays

As more companies join the “platform revolution,” the way leaders choose to build their portfolio of digital partners is more important than ever. Today’s forward-thinking enterprises across industries are integrating mission-critical activities with digital platforms.

This is resulting in core business functions that rely heavily on third parties and their platforms. As a result, they are designing future value chains that will transform their businesses, products and the market itself, unlocking new waves of strategic growth.

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