Previously, we have told many stories about entrepreneurs, investors and foreign innovative companies. In fact, if you are careful, you may have discovered that these big names or companies are all in the same place. Things are very consistent, that is, the future development of technology.
From the perspective of large foreign companies, whether through mergers and acquisitions or independent research and development, they are actively expanding the field of science and technology, combining the original traditional business methods with high and new technologies, or improving Upgrading the original technology system; the performance of small start-ups is more obvious. Most foreign start-ups choose to use technological innovation as the pillar of development, and innovative technologies have also become the basis for them to face challenges from traditional large enterprises. The most important weight for survival.
In recent days, gold medal consultants have also carefully studied Pwc's technology report and sorted it out. So today, let us take you to take a look at the future technology development trends from Pwc's report.
1. Eight Major Technological Trends in the Future
Pwc’s report summarized and analyzed the eight major technological trends in the future. Let us take a look at them first:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Software algorithms can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and intelligent language translation. Here is a piece of news. It is said that Google’s latest Artificial intelligence translation, that is, neural network translation system, is developed based on the way of imitating human neural thinking. At present, its translation benchmark is comparable to that of real-person translation. How about, if you don't work hard to learn English, the machine will surpass you.
Okay, let’s get back to the point. According to the Pwc report, artificial intelligence is an “umbrella” concept that consists of multiple subfields, such as machine learning that focuses on program development. When acquiring a specific amount of new data , the program initiates self-learning, understanding, reasoning, planning, and action.
2. Augmented reality technology (AR)
By superimposing images or audio, it supplements real-world information or vision, thereby enhancing the user’s experience of tasks or products. "Augmentation" of the real world is the presentation of the above information through assistive devices. AR is completely different from virtual reality (VR), which is designed and used to recreate reality in a restricted experience environment.
3. Blockchain
A distributed electronic ledger that uses software algorithms to record and confirm transactions, making it reliable and anonymous. Transaction records are shared by multiple parties. Once the information enters the blockchain, it cannot be modified, and the downstream chain consolidates the upstream transactions.
4. Drones
Equipment and vehicles in the air or water, such as unmanned aircraft (UAV), do not require humans to fly or move on board. The drone can be operated automatically on a preset route through an onboard computer, or it can be controlled remotely.
5. Internet of things (Internet of things referred to as IoT)
The network of items (such as equipment, vehicles, etc.) is combined with sensors, software, network connectivity and computing power to collect and exchange information on the Internet data. The Internet of Things enables items to be connected to each other and remotely monitored or controlled. The term Internet of Things now refers to any device that can be "connected" to each other and gain access through the Internet. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a branch of the Internet of Things and the application of the Internet of Things in manufacturing and industry.
6. Robot
An electromechanical device or virtual agent that operates, enhances or assists human activities autonomously or in accordance with preset instructions (usually a computer program). It should be noted here that drones are actually a category of robots, but Pwc's report temporarily lists them as different categories for specific breakdown.
7. Virtual reality technology (VR)
Computer-generated simulated three-dimensional images or complete scenes, the space of which is subject to certain limitations (this is different from AR), the audience can simulate it in a realistic way way to interact with it. Virtual reality is an immersive experience that typically requires wearing a device, most commonly a helmet/headset. Virtual reality technology has penetrated deeply into people's lives, and it can be seen everywhere from business operations and strategy formulation to the life and entertainment upgrades of the general public.
8. 3D printing
An additive manufacturing technology that is based on digital models and creates three-dimensional objects by slicing them and printing them layer by layer. 3D printing relies on innovative "ink" and its printing raw materials include plastics, metals, and more recently, glass and wood.
2. Why has the development of science and technology become a leading factor in the development of society and enterprises?
So, what are the reasons that make advanced technology become a trend and become a leader in enterprise development? Probably when everyone first hears this topic, their reaction will be: "Because society is developing and progressing."
"But this answer is a bit general, so next, let's take a look at several major reasons summarized in the Pwc report:
1. The cost of acquiring technology is lower
Nowadays , the prices of the three basic technologies of computing, storage and connectivity have been significantly reduced compared to decades ago, while the performance has been greatly improved. The Internet, mobile technology and cloud computing are developing rapidly, source code is open, and financing channels are increasing. It has lowered the threshold for entrepreneurs and non-traditional competitors, helping them to grow rapidly and even gradually become disruptors in various industries.
2. Globalization of technology
Today's developed countries. Creating, collaborating, communicating and consuming on similar technology platforms with developing countries has stimulated global innovation. People often talk about economic globalization, but in fact, what is more worthy of attention now is technological globalization. According to the Wall Street Journal. Of the 146 "tech unicorn" companies tracked and reported, 27% are from the Asia-Pacific region, an increase from 20% five years ago. These high-valuation, fast-growing new companies are located around the world and are committed to research and development. The application of innovative platforms in multiple fields (such as finance, O2O services and the sharing economy)
3. Technology dependence continues to increase
As people move forward in their lives and work. Gradually relying on the use of the Internet, laptops, mobile devices, collaboration tools and other technologies, our social operating model is also quietly being affected by people's new habits. It is generally believed that the development of society is prompting people to continue to be exposed to new things. High-end technology, but in fact people's new needs and new experience upgrades are also driving the development and progress of social technology to a large extent. Now, business users also expect the technology they come into contact with in the workplace to be like their own personal devices. Convenient, efficient, and advanced, this promotes the "technization" of modern offices and reflects the strong influence of consumer technology.
4. Technological transformation
According to a Pwc report. It was found that companies with technological leadership in the industry are twice as likely to achieve rapid growth in revenue and profits as lagging companies. Initially, technological competitive advantage was regarded as a "sharp tool" to improve corporate efficiency and help companies achieve higher quality. But now, technological innovation has become the fastest way to open up new sources of income and realize the transformation of traditional industries. To a certain extent, this means that technology is no longer a simple advantage maker, but a manufacturer of advantages. It has become an essential factor to keep up with the development of the times.
5. The multiplier effect of technology
Today’s science and technology no longer exist as a single entity. Under such circumstances, individual technologies will build on each other and expand their influence on each other, creating conditions for the so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution." In a recent technology seminar held by PwC, participants noted that, The emerging technology of artificial intelligence is actually the driving force behind robotics (another growing technology), and the application of this technology is extending from factories to various enterprises or public places.
3. Application of advanced technology and human resources issues
After talking about the trends in technological development and its underlying reasons, let’s learn about the current impact of these technologies from Pwc’s report Let’s look at the most obvious cases of enterprise development and possible problems.
The first is customer interaction. The eight core technologies summarized above have reshaped the interaction between companies and customers in almost every aspect, whether it is sales and marketing, billing, or after-sales service. Take artificial intelligence as an example. It is applied to machine learning and can help process large amounts of customer behavior data and identify patterns. Enterprises can use this pattern to improve customer interaction. To give an example, Nao is a customer service pilot robot launched by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest bank. Its visual and auditory "perception" is connected with advanced artificial intelligence to help it "see" customers and identify customers and their identities. sound. As a result, Nao is able to interact with customers and greet them in their native language (Nao understands and speaks 19 languages). Its ability to assist human staff during busy periods or special events has attracted more foreign customers to the bank. At this point, we have to admit that intelligent robots spend far more time and energy than real people in learning a language, so robot services have unique advantages.
The second is operational application. Artificial intelligence, robots, drones and 3D printing can all improve operational efficiency and bring obvious competitive advantages to enterprises. According to the survey analysis of the Pwc report, in the hotel industry, service robots can reduce delivery costs by 10 to 100 times. Therefore, when we see robots being continuously adopted in various business fields, the reasons are obvious. In addition, the role of AR technology in corporate operations is also very significant. At Boeing, the factory decisively abandoned PDF guides for trainers during personnel training and replaced them with AR-dynamic guides on tablets. , this move increased the speed of assembling the simulated wing by 30% and the accuracy by 90%.
At the same time, DHL has also equipped warehouse employees with smart glasses with AR functions. AR smart glasses can provide employees with picking instructions and help complete orders, thereby reducing error rates and increasing work efficiency by 25%.
But despite the benefits, it is not without its problems. Another most obvious impact of modern technology on enterprises is the impact on personnel and talents. These eight core technologies will create new types of jobs, but what is worrying is that they will also slow down the rate of job growth. According to Pwc’s survey on CEO tendencies: About 56% of CEOs around the world hope to reduce the number of employees through the widespread application of robots in the next five years. A recent Citibank report shows that due to the application of technologies such as AI and blockchain, The banking industry will reduce its workforce by approximately 30% over the next decade. At the same time, new technologies are spawning new companies (Google, only 18 years old, already has more than 61,000 employees) and new job types, so employers have to find a balance between people and machines. They have to decide how to hire and retain and discover needed talents. After all, human employees still need to be able to "peacefully coexist" with artificial intelligence machines.
4. Issues that enterprises need to consider in view of the current situation
In view of the current technological trends and enterprise development prospects, enterprises also face some issues that must be paid attention to. The first point is how to Develop innovative strategies and processes that are sustainable and repeatable? This requires consideration of the following aspects, all of which are crucial:
Funding: How do we fund innovation driven by emerging technologies? Will there be a separate investment pool? Will businesses be free to seek investment according to the guidance? If there is a separate investment pool, will existing profit centers be taxed? Will taxes be considered part of business expenses?
Product Type Match: How will the emerging technologies used match the overall product and service types? Will Emerging Technologies be a stand-alone unit or an overlay unit? Will there be a technology incubation department within the current corporate structure? Implementing innovation activities according to standard operating procedures often leads to failure, so companies need to try new development methods and market-oriented operating procedures. What is best for us? How can we reduce risk? How do we turn successful experiments into mainstream products and services?
The second point is whether the company has quantified the impact of new technologies? If not, how should the quantitative work be done - and how long will it take to complete it? The third point is whether the company has an emerging technology development plan? If so, does the plan keep up with current trends? The distinctive feature of the digital age is that it is rapidly changing and full of disruption, so no technical plan can be achieved overnight. The correct approach is to be good at observation and summary, and adjust strategies in real time. The era of pursuing immutable five-year development plans is over, and now it can be said that the only constant is change itself. Therefore, wise business managers need to tailor-make strategic plans suitable for the development of the company's products and services and operate them effectively. method; this requires the leadership to proceed from reality and cut out the types of products and services that are of little use. In this complex process, the company should involve all business departments and maintain smooth communication among all departments.
Internship compiler: Li Zihan