The world today is in an era of huge and wide disruptions, in our daily life from our profession/work to our leisure/daily living. How prepared is the human race in such a current highly disruptive environment and for the future? Have we embraced it? Are we still think we are coping and adapting nicely? Or have we dropped off and fallen off from this highly disruptive environment?
Dell Technologies recently published and shared a research report that examines the future of human-machine partnerships and reveals that business leaders are divided regarding the future. As the article title says “A Divided Vision of the Future”, it is worth reading, understanding and analysing the technology, innovation and human-machines relationship in the coming years.
Let me bring you through some of the key and interesting findings from the Dell Technologies research:
We’re entering the next era of human-machine partnerships with a divided vision of the future, according to global research now available from Dell Technologies. 58% of Singapore business leaders forecast that automated systems will free up their time. Similarly, 58% believe that smart machines will work as admins that connect individuals to highly personalised goods and services, while 42% disagree. The findings reveal that a reliance on machines will lead to greater efficiency, unity and possibility than ever before.
Singapore business leaders (45%) predict this will impact their ability to compete over the next decade. However, they are less prepared compared to their global counterparts – citing a lack of digital vision and strategy as a top barrier. Singapore business leaders are not progressing quickly or deep enough and only 21% of those surveyed say digital is ingrained in all they do, compared to the global average of 27%.
The quantitative research conducted by Vanson Bourne follows Dell Technologies’ seminal story, “Realizing 2030: The Next Era of Human-Machine Partnerships.” That study forecasted that by 2030, emerging technologies will forge human partnerships with machines that are richer and more immersive than ever before, helping us surpass our limitations. Business leaders in the APJ region agree: 80% of respondents expect humans and machines will work as integrated teams within their organisation inside of five years.
But Singapore business leaders are also split by whether the future represents an opportunity or a threat, and torn by the need to mitigate these risks.1 For instance:
- 52% say the more we depend upon technology, the more we’ll have to lose in the event of a cyber-attack; 48% disagree
- 57% of business leaders are calling for clear protocols in the event that autonomous machines fail; 43% abstained
- 59% say computers will need to decipher between good and bad commands; 41% disagree
“You can understand why the business community is so polarised,” comments Jeremy Burton, chief marketing officer, Dell Technologies. “There tends to be two extreme perspectives about the future: the anxiety-driven issue of human obsolescence or the optimistic view that technology will solve our greatest social problems. These differing viewpoints could make it difficult for organisations to prepare for a future that’s in flux and would certainly hamper leaders’ efforts to push through necessary change.”
Eric Goh, Managing Director and Vice President, Singapore Enterprise Business, Dell EMC commented: “We’re on the cusp of immense change, fuelled by emerging technologies like AI and IoT, that are opening up new frontiers in Singapore and on a global level. While there are differing views in the way leaders forecast the future, Singapore remains ahead of the global curve with more respondents believing in the transformative impact of technology in overcoming the digital barriers ahead.”
The findings also revealed Singapore business leaders’ attitude to the future of skills. 71% believe that schools will need to teach students how to learn rather than what to learn to prepare them for jobs that don’t exist yet, compared to the global average of 56%.
Beset by barriers
Furthermore, many businesses aren’t moving fast enough, and going deep enough, to overcome common barriers to operating as a successful digital business. Only 21% of Singapore businesses believe they are leading the way, ingraining digital in all they do. 45% don’t know whether they’ll be able to compete over the next decade, and the 53% of businesses are struggling to keep-up with the pace of change.
Main barriers to becoming a successful digital business in 2030 and beyond in Singapore:
- Lack of a digital vision and strategy: 72%
- Lack of workforce readiness: 66%
- Technology constraints: 48%
- Time and money constraints: 45%
- Law and regulations: 22%
Unified by the need to transform
Leaders may be divided in their view of the future and facing barriers to change, but they’re united in the need to transform. In fact, the vast majority of businesses believe they’ll be well on their way to transforming within five years, despite the challenges they face.
Likely to achieve within five years in Singapore:
- Have effective cybersecurity defences in place: 94%
- Deliver their product offering as a service: 93%
- Complete their transition to a software-defined business: 92%
- R&D will drive their organization forward: 85%
- Delivering hyper-connected customer experiences with virtual reality (VR): 78%
- Using AI to pre-empt customer demands: 83%
Burton adds, “We’re entering an era of monumental change. Although business leaders harbour contrasting views of the future, they share common ground on the need to transform. Based on the many conversations I have with customers, I believe we’re reaching a pivotal moment in time. Businesses can either grasp the mantle, transform their IT, workforce and security and play a defining role in the future or be left behind.”
Personal Thoughts and Views
After reading, understanding and analysing the reports and findings from Dell Technologies research, it is a good thing that businesses and society recognise the impacts and changes of this technological disruption, improvements with technology and machines. It is not a good thing that we are not adapting and changing faster than society/businesses should and could do.
Through this sharing of Dell Technologies research, I hope everybody from the individuals in the society, to the businesses (from the Small Medium Enterprises to big companies), takes a good and serious look into how we can adapt, adopt and change with such technological advancements, IoT, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Innovation and human-machines relationships.
Technology, innovation and machines can be disruptive, yet they can be beneficial to the human race, in their daily life, work and businesses. All these can help us live and work better for the future, it’s how we learn, change, adapt, embrace and adopt technology, innovation and disruptions.
Additional Information and Resources
For more information on the quantitative research report, executive summary and infographic, please visit www.delltechnologies.com/realizing2030
- Additional information on Dell Technologies Realizing 2030 initiative can be found, www.delltechnologies.com/realizing2030
- Find out more about how Dell Technologies is collaboratively solving customers’ biggest challenges by visiting Dell Technologies’ Annual Report to Customers
- Connect with Dell Technologies on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn
* Information courtesy of Dell Technologies and Cohn & Wolfe *