Technology Vision 2024

Human by design: How AI unleashes the next level of human potential

It’s time to make technology human by design.

This is a moment for reinvention. In the coming years, businesses will have an increasingly powerful array of technologies at their disposal that will open new pathways to unleash greater human potential, productivity, and creativity. Early adopters and leading businesses have kick-started a race toward a new era of value and capability. And their strategies are underpinned by one common thread – the technology is becoming more human.

It sounds counterintuitive: after all, wasn’t technology built by, and for, humans? Creating tools that expand our physical and cognitive abilities is so unique to humanity that some argue it defines us as a species.

Despite this, the tools we build are often distinctly unhuman, filling gaps by doing and being what we couldn’t, and in the process radically transforming our lives. Automobiles expanded our freedom of mobility. Cranes let us build skyscrapers and bridges. Machines helped us create, distribute, and listen to music.

Technology’s unhuman nature can also be its drawback. Extended use of hand tools can lead to arthritis. Years of looking at screens can accelerate vision problems. We have amazing navigational tools, but they still distract us from driving.  Granted, there have been efforts to create tools that are more ergonomic or easier to use.  But even so, time and again we see and make decisions about our lives based on what is best for a machine rather than optimizing human potential.

Now, for the first time in history, there’s strong evidence to indicate that we are reversing course—not by moving away from technology, but rather by embracing a generation of technology that is more human. Technology that is more intuitive, both in design and its very nature, demonstrates more human-like intelligence, and is easy to integrate across every aspect of our lives.

Generative AI has the potential to impact much more than just the task at hand. It’s also starting to profoundly reshape organizations and markets.

Consider the impact generative AI and transformer models are having on the world around us. What began as chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard has become a driving force in making technology more intuitive, intelligent and accessible to all. Where AI once focused on automation and routine tasks, it’s now shifting to augmentation, changing how people approach work, and is rapidly democratizing the technologies and specialized knowledge work that were once reserved for the highly trained or deep pocketed.

Generative AI has the potential to impact much more than just the task at hand. It’s also starting to profoundly reshape organizations and markets.

Of course, the advent of more human technology isn’t limited to AI: It’s starting to address many of the pain points that exist between us and technology, paving the way for greater human potential.

Technology that is human by design will reach new people and expand access to knowledge, which will enable ongoing innovation. Think of all the people historically alienated by technology who will be able to contribute to the digital revolution. As technology becomes more intuitive, we can tap into these people as new customers and new employees.

Make It Human—the 2024 Trends

A match made in AI

People are asking generative AI chatbots for information – transforming the business of search today, and the futures of software and data-driven enterprises tomorrow.

Meet my agent

AI is taking action, and soon whole ecosystems of AI agents could command major aspects of business. Appropriate human guidance and oversight is critical.

The space we need

The spatial computing technology landscape is rapidly growing, but to successfully capitalize on this new medium, enterprises will need to find its killer apps.

Our bodies electronic

A suite of technologies – from eye-tracking to machine learning to BCI – are starting to understand people more deeply, and in more human-centric ways.

Leaders will face familiar questions: Which products and services are ripe for scaling? What new data is at your disposal? What transformative actions can you take? But they will also be at the center of answering questions they may have never expected: What kind of oversight does AI need? Who will be included in the digital transformation? What responsibilities do we have to the people in our ecosystem?

Human by design is not just a description of features, it’s a mandate for what comes next. As enterprises look to reinvent their digital core, human technology will become central to the success of their efforts. Every business is beginning to see the potential emerging technologies have to reinvent the pillars of their digital efforts. Digital experiences, data and analytics, products, all stand to change as technologies like generative AI, spatial computing, and others mature and scale.

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