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I was invited to speak about ‘Digital Trends’ at Edgile - a WFH networking and mentoring session by Women’s Own Network (WoN). In this blog, I’ll try and capture five people-centric trends based on Gartner’s strategic technology trends for 2020.

The human-digital relationship has transcended the boundaries of mere online transactions. It is now an integral part of our life. Emerging, interactive, and intuitive technologies are revolutionizing the way we communicate, creating new experiences, and augmenting simple everyday tasks with enhancements for a better quality of life.

Gartner’s people-centric strategic technology trends seem relevant now more than ever. These five technology trends are anticipated to accelerate innovation strategies and create new avenues for businesses.

Hyperautomation

Automation used for rule-based operational tasks will be extended to knowledge work that requires analysis, thinking, and decision making. Advanced automation tools, Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and packaged software will hyperautomate even complex cognitive tasks, improving business outcomes. Intelligent business process management suites (iBPMSs), which support the entire lifecycle of a business process, will be integrated into traditional workflows along with Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

Multiexperience

Businesses will leverage the parallel digital universe that has become ubiquitous for customers. There will be a shift in the model from the current one focused on technology-literate people to an advanced one focused on people-literate technology. Simply put, technology will evolve to understand people. Digital touchpoints like apps, websites, social media, and other digital channels bolstered with immersive experiences using AR/VR/MR will provide seamless customer experience. Multiexperience will leverage the modalities of voice, touch, text, and communicate with users across senses to provide an impactful experience.

Democratization

Low-code or no-code models will facilitate easy access to technical and business domain expertise. There will be a surge in citizen developers and citizen data scientists - non-professionals who will use AI-driven tools to develop their own solutions without extensive training or assistance from data scientists. Gartner predicts democratization in areas of application development, data and analytics, design, and knowledge.

Human Augmentation

Emerging technologies have helped humans augment physical and cognitive capabilities. Bionics has helped injured humans regain lost mobility and wearables have increased workforce productivity and improved workplace safety. Digital transformation through human transformation will become common in the future. While it might be too soon for radical enhancements, Gartner predicts that over the next 10 years, there will be an increase in the number of people seeking personal enhancements for better performance.

Transparency and Traceability

The rapid evolution of technology coupled with increased awareness has increased the need for better data regulation. AI capabilities of making autonomous decisions must be equipped to do so in an ethical and unbiased manner. Gartner predicts that there will be a growing focus on ethics, integrity, openness, accountability, competence, and consistency.

I have merely scratched the surface, but these technologies have proven to transform businesses for better outcomes. It is time to enhance existing processes, relook at existing architecture, and equip them to meet the demands of the future.