From Tech-clash to Building Trust

Companies Must Put People at the Center of Their Interests

Being a leader in the next decade requires redefining the role of technology and people. People's expectations in the post-digital era are constantly growing, and not everyone can meet them. New solutions will be built to a much greater extent on the principle of collaboration and engagement of customers, employees, partners, and the public.

Tech-clash Instead of Tech-lash

People use technology more often than ever before. According to the Accenture Technology Vision Survey, 52% of consumers believe that technology plays a significant role in virtually every aspect of their daily tasks. 19% believe that technology is so woven into their lives that it becomes an inseparable part of it. Globally, people spend an average of more than 6.4 hours a day online.

While some call today's environment "tech-lash" or a "revolt against technology," we are actually dealing with "tech-clash" – a collision of business and technology models that are incompatible with people's needs and expectations.

Closed ecosystems cause user disappointment. Artificial intelligence supporting decision-making without transparency, pushes people to the margins, not giving them a chance to consciously decide about their own affairs. Concerns about security, data confidentiality, and their ethical use make people suspicious of technology. The key to the success of future services and products will be the ability to leverage human experiences. Users expect not only full transparency but also want to be increasingly co-creators of the products they use. The report shows technology trends that will help meet these expectations – comments Jacek Borek, Managing Director, Accenture Technology in Poland.

Among more than 6,000 business and technology executives worldwide
interviewed by Accenture for the Technology Vision report, 83% admit that technology has become an inseparable part of human experiences. As part of this year's research, Accenture also conducted a survey among 2,000 consumers – 70% of them expect that within the next three years their relationship with technology will become even more pronounced.

The Technology Vision report identifies five key trends that companies must address within the next three years to solve the "tech-clash" problem:

Personalized Experiences

People Want Control and Partnership

Organizations will need to design individualized experiences that empower the individual, giving them broader choice. In this way, passive recipients become active participants, transforming one-way experiences – which can make people feel a lack of control and influence over their surrounding reality – into true collaboration. Five out of six business and IT managers surveyed (85%) believe that effectively competing in the new decade requires organizations to elevate customer relationships to a partnership level.

Humans and AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) should be an additional factor influencing the way people do their work, rather than a foundation for automation. As AI's potential grows, enterprises must rethink their operating model to make artificial intelligence part of the process grounded in trust and transparency. Currently, only 37% of organizations say they use inclusive design or human-centered design principles to support human-machine collaboration.

Tech Clash: How to Avoid a Collision Between Technology and People's Expectations

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The Dilemma of Constantly Changing Products

Products in a State of Forever Beta

Assumptions about product ownership are being challenged in a world entering a state of "forever beta." Because products are subject to continuous updates, maintaining positive customer experiences becomes a challenge. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of executives admit that within the next three years, products and services connected to the internet will be updated more intensively or more frequently.

Robots in the Natural Environment

Robots are no longer confined to warehouses or production halls. Thanks to the development of 5G networks, every enterprise must rethink its future through the prism of robotics. Executives are divided in their views on how their employees will approach the issue of robotization: 45% say their employees will have difficulty collaborating with robots, while 55% express confidence that their workforce will easily handle this challenge.

DNA of Innovation

Enterprises have access to an unprecedented number of breakthrough technologies, such as blockchain, AI, augmented reality, and quantum computing. To manage all of this – and grow at the pace currently demanded by the market – organizations will need to create their own unique DNA of innovation. Three-quarters (76%) of executives believe that innovation has never been more important, so adopting the "right" approach will require new ways of introducing innovation in collaboration with ecosystem partners and external organizations.

For 20 years, Accenture has been analyzing the technology ecosystem in which enterprises operate to identify significant technology trends with the greatest potential for the functioning of entire enterprises and industries.

See the Accenture Technology Vision 2020 report

Summary

The Accenture Technology Vision 2020 report reveals that 83% of executives consider technology an inseparable part of human experiences, and 70% of consumers expect their relationship with technology to deepen further. The key to success is avoiding "tech-clash" by putting people at the center and building trust. Experts point to five trends: from personalized experiences, through human-AI collaboration, to creating an individual DNA of innovation. Interestingly, only 37% of organizations today apply human-centered design principles in the context of AI, which opens the field for improvement.