3 Tech Trends That Are Poised to Transform Business in the Next Decade

3 tech trends that are going to change business in the next decade

By Mike and Scott.

Covid-19 didn't create new enterprise technology trends as much as they could have.

Major investments like artificial intelligence, automation, and cloud can be completed in months or even weeks. The result? Many organizations have arrived at their futures ahead of schedule.

The future is still to come. Our successors will be our legacies. To ride tailwinds, dodge headwinds, and minimize interest payments on technical debt, executives must be aware of meaningful advances and capabilities forecast for the decade ahead.

The signal-to-noise ratio is abysmal in most projections of future tech. Our futures research starts with identifying the subset of emerging technology innovations that can create better customer experiences, modernize operations, and drive competitive advantage.

Three classes of emerging tech are poised to transform business in the next decade: quantum technologies, exponential intelligence, and ambient computing. Business leaders can use these field notes from the future to plan for the future.

Quantum Technologies is a company.

"I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics," said Richard Feynman.

To avoid the physics lesson, quantum-powered solutions exploit the quirky properties of subatomic particles to allow us to solve seemingly intractable problems using physics instead of mathematics. As big a leap as digital was over analog, Quantum is.

The race among technology giants, governments, and early-stage startups will quickly find commercial applications as quantum R&D turns the corner from R to D.

There are three areas to watch.

1. Quantum computing can solve complex computational problems by processing enormous data sets in new ways. Quantum computers have demonstrated they can complete specialized tasks in five minutes that would take classical supercomputers thousands of years.
2. Quantum communication is a hardware-based technology that can vastly improve cybersecurity by creating theoretically tamper-proof networks that can detect attempts at interception and eavesdropping. This secure communication will use emerging techniques such as quantum key distribution (QKD): which is a way to more safely exchange encryption keys to transmit data across optical networks.
3. Quantum sensing devices, more responsive and accurate than conventional sensors, offer promising use cases in sectors including energy, transportation, and health care. Quantum sensors may be lighter, more portable, more energy efficient, and less expensive than their predecessors.

The appeal of quantum to techies is clear, but business leaders need to consider its potential to deliver competitive advantages. Those who figure out which problems they need quantum to solve first will get the spoils.

The intelligence is exponential.

Business intelligence solutions used to be descriptive: discovering and uncovering hidden correlations in data sets. The last 15 years have seen the rise of predictive analytics.

Machine intelligence has recently been used to make decisions.

Next- generation intelligence will increasingly access human behavioral data at scale, so that it better understands and emulates human emotion and intent. The age isaffective or emotional.

All data can be used to develop a moreholistic understanding of customers, employees, citizens, and students. Data organizations can use it to develop classes of automated systems that connect the dots between their financial, social, and ethical objectives.

The business cases for these machines are compelling for customer service representatives, caregivers, sales agents, and even stage actors. It's important that leaders understand the importance of committing to trustworthy practices to reduce any risk of bias in the training data, models, and resulting systems. The authors of Technology Futures said that we must teach our digital children well, training them to do as we say, not necessarily as we have done.

The experience is Ambient.

The past 20 years have seen an ever- bigger number of screens. We are literally surrounded by digital information with powerful mobile devices and advanced networks now ubiquitous.

When our interaction with the digital world takes place less through screens than through intuitive, out-of-the-way affordances that more naturally cater to our needs, an Ambient experience envisions a future beyond the glass.

Digital assistants and smart speakers are getting better. When spoken to and responded to, these language interface speak only. Devices will help us based on our understanding of content and context.

An unlimited reality is the other side of the coin. Virtual reality is not new, but enterprises are increasingly using it as a tool instead of a toy to support functions as varied as training, team building, and remote operations truck driving.

The user experience could be simplified with these ambient experiences. As technology develops, a voice, gesture, or glance could signal intent and initiate an exchange of business-critical information. Tomorrow's digital concierges could handle increasingly complex routines in smart homes and cities without any traditional steps.

It's called the 80/20 rule.

The three field notes from the future are not an admonishment to drop today's plans in favor of what's next. They are an encouragement to keep going.

Today's investments in cloud, data, and digital experiences lay the groundwork for opportunities in quantum technologies, exponential intelligence, and ambient experience.

Research shows that leading organizations put 80% of their technology budgets toward existing investments and 20% toward emerging tech. By keeping their eyes on the future and their feet in the present, organizations can start creating tech-forward strategies so they can compete, lead, and advance their businesses tomorrow.

Contact our subject matter experts if you want to read the field notes from the future.

The Chief Futurist is Mike Bechtel.

The Emerging Technology Research Director and Government and Public Services Chief Technology Officer is Scott Buchholz.

Mike Bechtel, Nishita Henry and Khalid Kark are involved in an innovation study.