Description
Book SynopsisPrepares leaders for the 2020san accessible guide to the key technologies that will reshape business in the coming decade Most businesses identify six key digital technologiesartificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledgers and blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous machines, virtual and augmented reality, and 5G communicationas critical to their relevance and growth over the coming ten years. These new disruptive technologies present significant opportunity for businesses in every industry. The first businesses to understand automation and these transformative technologies will be the ones to reap the greatest rewards in the marketplace. The Innovation Ultimatum helps leaders understand the key technologies poised to reshape business in the next decade and prepare their organizations for technology-enabled change. Using straightforward, jargon-free language, this important resource provides a set of strategic questions every leader will need to ask and answer in order to prepare for the impending changes to the business landscape. Author Steve Brown shares his insights to help leaders take full advantage of the next wave of digital transformation and describes compelling examples of how businesses are already embracing new technologies to optimize operations, create new value, and serve customers in new ways. Written for anyone that wants to understand how automation and new technology will fundamentally restructure business, this book enables readers to: Understand the implications of technology-driven change across industrial sectorsApply important insights to their own businessGain competitive advantage by implementing new technologiesPrepare for the future of work and understand the skills needed to thrive in a post-automation economyAdopt critical digital technologies in any organization Providing invaluable cutting-edge content, The Innovation Ultimatum is a much-needed source of guidance and inspiration for business leaders, board members, C-suite executives, and senior managers who need to prepare their businesses for the future.
Table of ContentsForeword: Don’t Fear the Future . . . Prepare for it xiii
Introduction: To Survive, Every Company Must Become a Tech Company xv
The Innovation Ultimatum xv
The Innovator’s Palette xvi
Should I Be Afraid or Excited? xix
Getting the Most Out of This Book xx
Don’t Panic; Don’t Wait; Get Help xxi
Part I: Six Technologies That Will Reshape Business in the Next Decade 1
1 Artificial Intelligence 3
What is it and Why is it Important? 3
What Can You Do with It? 6
How AI Works 22
Beyond Deep Learning: The Future of Artificial Intelligence 27
Narrow, General, and Super Intelligence 30
Strategies to Get You Started 31
2 Sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) 37
Cheap, Tiny Computers and 100 Trillion Sensors Make Everything Smart and Connected 38
What Can You Do with It? 40
Strategies to Get Eyes on Your Business and Act on Events in Real Time 55
3 Autonomous Machines—Robots, Cobots, Drones, and Self-Driving Vehicles 57
What are they and Why are they Important? 57
What Can They Do? 58
Strategies for Success 65
4 Distributed Ledgers and Blockchains 67
Beyond Cryptocurrencies: Why Blockchain is a Big Deal 67
Blockchain 101 69
Cryptocurrencies, Tokens, Smart Contracts, and dApps 71
Establishing Truth in a Trustless World 74
Shifting Incentives with Token Economics 75
Key Applications for Blockchain Technology 76
The Future of Blockchain 87
Strategies to Get You Started with Blockchain 89
5 Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality 93
What are they and Why are they Important? 93
What Can You Do with Them? 96
Strategies for Success 101
6 Connecting Everything and Everyone: 5G Networks and Satellite Constellations 105
5G—A Lot More Than Just Faster Phones 106
Connected Factories, Hospitals, Cities, Vehicles, and People 109
The Structure of 5G Networks 111
Connected Planet: Reaching the Next 4 Billion People 114
Part II: Key Concepts to Help Your Business Adapt and Thrive 119
7 Align Your Automation Strategy with Your Corporate Purpose 121
Automation is Inevitable: Make Sure You Get it Right 122
Raise Your Aim: Solve a Higher Class of Business Problems with the Intimacy of IoT 126
Build Human/Machine Partnerships to Boost Productivity, Improve Quality, and Increase Employee Engagement 130
The Importance of a Thoughtful Approach to Automation 136
8 The Data Ultimatum: Data as Fuel for Business Innovation 139
The Strategic Importance of Data: Data-Driven Decisions, Hungry AI, and Frictionless Experiences 139
Create New Value with Data 144
Elevate Your Offering: Products to Services to Experiences to Transformations 145
Data Spirals: Create Increasing Levels of Value Using Moore’s Law of Data 146
9 The Future of Work: What to Expect and How to Make Yourself “Robot-Proof” 149
The History of Work: From the Physical to the Knowledge Era 149
The Next Era of Work: Augmented Work 150
Automation Armageddon: Plan a “Robot-Proof ” Career 152
New Technology Creates New Types of Work 160
Keeping the World Spinning in the Postautomation Economy 161
Part III: Lessons from Industry, Sector by Sector 165
10 Keeping Healthcare Healthy: What Every Business Can Learn from Healthcare Tech 167
The Challenge: Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population 168
Artificial Intelligence Improves Patient Interactions and Outcomes 169
Healthcare Gets Personal with Precision Medicine 174
Drones Save Lives 175
The Remote-Monitored Patient: Sensors and Wearables Flip the Model 177
Blockchain-Based Medical Records Reward Healthy Behavior and Take Us Beyond Accidental Wellness 178
Augmented Reality and 5G Transform Telesurgery and Telemedicine 180
11 Transforming Human Mobility: What Every Business Can Learn from Transport Tech 183
The Challenge: Climate, Traffic, and Moving Deathtraps 183
The Next Revolution in Human Mobility: Horseless, Driverless Carriages 185
Vehicles Morph from Products to Services 186
Autonomous Platforms Bring Services to Your Door 189
Autonomous Trucks Transform Haulage 190
Going 3-D: Tunnels, Gondolas, and Passenger Drones 191
Decarbonizing: Electric Cars, Trucks, Trains, Ships, and Planes 194
12 Surviving the Retail Apocalypse: What Every Business Can Learn from Retail Tech 199
The Challenge: E-Commerce and the Retail Apocalypse 200
Digital, Frictionless, and Unstaffed Stores 201
Shopping with Smart Shelves, Chatbots, and Robots 204
AI Transforms the Shopper Journey 206
Home Shopping with Voice, Gesture, and Augmented Reality 209
13 Cheap, On-Time, Safe, and Genuine: What Every Business Needs to Know about Future SupplyChains 211
The Challenge: Shifting Expectations and Widespread Fraud 211
Streamlined Logistics with IoT, Autonomous Vehicles, Robots, and Drones 216
Blockchain Speeds Audits, Builds Provenance, Aligns Incentives, and Fights Fraud 219
How to Build a Brand-Centric Supply Chain 221
14 Smart Factories and Augmented Factory Workers: What Every Business Can Learn fromManufacturing Tech 225
The Challenge: Mass Customization and Globalization 226
Generative Design Melds Human Creativity and Machine Intelligence 227
Robots and Cobots Boost Productivity and Reduce Worker’s Comp Claims 228
Digital Dexterity: Next-Generation Robots Learn to Manipulate Objects as Humans Do 230
Exoskeletons Turn Factory Workers into Ellen Ripley 231
Augmented Workers Improve Training, Aid Compliance, and Reduce Liability 232
Your Next QA May Be an AI 233
Distributed Manufacturing and the Mega Corporation with One Employee 234
Industry 4.0/5.0 and the Sentient Factory 239
15 Removing Chaos from Construction and Intermediaries from Transactions: What Every BusinessCan Learn from Real Estate Tech 243
The Challenge: Mistakes, Margins, and Glacial Transactions 243
Generative Design Transforms Architecture 245
From 2-D Plans to 3-D Augmented Reality Models 246
Robot Construction Workers, Drones, and 3-D-Printed Structures 247
AI Aids Real Estate 249
Blockchains Speed Transactions, Limit Fraud, and Create New Funding Models 250
Tokenized Assets Democratize Property Investment 252
Crowdfunded Mortgages Compete with Banks 253
16 Preparing Our Population for the Post-Automation Economy: Lessons for the Future of Education 255
The Challenge: A System Designed for a Bygone Era 255
How Technology is Transforming the Sector 258
Stagnant Sectors Will Experience the Same Pressures as Education 262
17 Embracing Technology in the Service of People 265
Strategies Lie at the Intersection of Possibility and Purpose 265
Honor Individuality, Elevate Human Work, and Create Frictionless Experiences 267
Key Strategic Discussions You Must Drive to Determine Next Steps 270
Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Tomorrow’s Leaders 275
Acknowledgments 277
About the Author 281
Index 283
