Exploring the trend of science and technology from Pwc PwC report

Before, we told many stories about entrepreneurs, investors and foreign innovative enterprises. In fact, you may have found that these big coffees or enterprises are very consistent in one thing, that is, the future development of science and technology.

From the perspective of large foreign enterprises, whether they adopt merger, acquisition or independent research and development, they are actively expanding the field of science and technology, combining the original traditional business methods with high technology, or improving and upgrading the original technology system; Small start-ups are more obvious. Most foreign start-ups choose technological innovation as their development pillar, and innovative technology has become the most important weight for them to survive when facing the challenges of traditional large enterprises.

In recent days, the gold medal consultants have carefully studied the scientific and technological reports of Pwc, and sorted them out. So today, let's take a look at the future development trend of science and technology from Pwc's reports.

I. Eight Trends of Future Science and Technology

Pwc's report summarizes and analyzes the eight trends of future science and technology. Let's take a look at them first:

1. Artificial intelligence (AI)

Software algorithms can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making and intelligent language translation. Here is a message. It is said that Google's latest artificial intelligence translation, namely the neural network translation system, is based on the way of imitating human neural thinking. At present, the benchmark of its translation can be comparable to that of real translation. Anyway, if you don't study English hard, the machine will surpass you.

well, let's get down to business. according to the Pwc report, artificial intelligence is an "umbrella" concept, which consists of several sub-domains, such as machine learning, which focuses on program development. When acquiring a certain amount of new data, the program starts self-learning, understanding, reasoning, planning and action.

2. augmented reality technology (AR)

by superimposing images or audio, information or vision in the real world can be supplemented, thus enhancing the user's experience of tasks or products. The "enhancement" of the real world is to demonstrate the above information through auxiliary equipment. AR is completely different from virtual reality (VR), whose design and use concept is to recreate reality in a limited experience environment.

3. Blockchain

Distributed electronic account book, which uses software algorithms to record and confirm transactions, is reliable and anonymous. Transaction records are shared by multiple parties, and once the information enters the blockchain, it cannot be modified, and the downstream chain consolidates the upstream transactions.

4. UAV

Equipment and vehicles in the air or water, such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), do not need human beings to fly or move on board. The UAV can be operated automatically on the preset route through the onboard computer or remotely controlled.

5. Internetofthings (IoT for short)

The network of goods (such as equipment and vehicles) is combined with sensors, software, network connectivity and computing power to collect and exchange data on the Internet. The Internet of Things enables items to be interconnected, monitored or controlled remotely. The term Internet of Things now stands for any device that can be "connected" and gain access through networking. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a branch of the Internet of Things, and it is the application of the Internet of Things in manufacturing and industry.

6. Robots

Electromechanical devices or virtual agents operate, strengthen or assist human activities autonomously or automatically according to preset instructions (usually computer programs). It should be explained here that drones actually belong to the category of robots, but they are temporarily classified into different categories for specific subdivision in Pwc's report.

7. Virtual Reality Technology (VR)

Computer generated simulated three-dimensional images or complete scenes, whose space is limited (which is different from AR), and the audience can interact with them in a realistic way. Virtual reality is an immersive experience, which usually requires wearing equipment, the most commonly used is a helmet/headset. Virtual reality technology has penetrated into people's lives, and it can be seen everywhere from enterprise management and strategy formulation to the upgrading of ordinary people's life and entertainment.

8.3D printing

An additive manufacturing technology, which is based on a digital model, creates a three-dimensional object by slicing the object and printing it layer by layer. 3D printing relies on innovative "ink", and its printing raw materials include plastic, metal and recently glass and wood.

second, why does the development of science and technology become a leading factor in the development of society and enterprises

So, what are the reasons that make advanced science and technology become a trend and a leader in the development of enterprises? On hearing this topic, everyone's reaction will be: "Because society is developing and progressing." However, this answer is somewhat general. Then, let's take a look at the main reasons summarized in the Pwc report:

1. The cost of acquiring technology is lower

Nowadays, the prices of the three basic technologies of computing, storage and connectivity have been greatly reduced compared with those of decades ago, but the performance has been greatly improved. The rapid development of Internet, mobile technology and cloud computing, with open source code and increasing financing channels, has lowered the threshold for entrepreneurs and non-traditional competitors, helped them to develop rapidly and even gradually become subversive in various industries.

2. Globalization of technology

Nowadays, developed countries and developing countries create, cooperate, communicate and consume on similar technology platforms, which stimulates global innovation. People often talk about economic globalization, but in fact, what is more worthy of attention now is technological globalization. Among the 146 "technology unicorn" enterprises tracked and reported by The Wall Street Journal, 27% are from the Asia-Pacific region, which is an increase from 2% five years ago. These new companies with high valuation and rapid development are spread all over the world, and they are working on the application of innovative platforms in many fields, such as finance, O2O services and * * * enjoyment economy.

3. Increasing dependence on technology

As people rely on the Internet, laptops, mobile devices, collaboration tools and other technologies in their lives and work, our social operation mode is also quietly influenced by people's new habits. It is generally believed that the development of society is prompting people to keep in touch with new things and high-end technologies, but in fact, people's new needs and experiences are also promoting the development and progress of social science and technology to a great extent. Now, business users also expect the technology they come into contact with in the workplace to be as convenient, efficient and advanced as their own private equipment, which promotes the "technicalization" of modern office and reflects the powerful influence of consumer technology.

4. technological transformation

according to the Pwc report, it is found that enterprises in the leading position in technology in the industry are twice as likely to achieve rapid growth in revenue and profits as backward enterprises. At first, technological competitive advantage was regarded as a "sharp weapon" to improve the efficiency of enterprises, which can help enterprises complete the same tasks with higher quality and lower cost. But now, technological innovation has become the fastest way to open up new sources of income and realize the transformation of traditional industries. To some extent, this means that technology is no longer a simple advantage maker, but has become an essential factor to keep up with the development of the times.

5. Multiplier effect of technology

Nowadays, science and technology no longer exist as a single individual. In most cases, individual technologies will build on each other and expand their influence, creating conditions for the so-called "fourth industrial revolution". In the recent technical seminar held by PricewaterhouseCoopers, participants noticed that the emerging technology of artificial intelligence is actually the driving force of robot technology (another developing technology), and the application of this technology is extending from factories to various enterprises or public places.

Third, the application of advanced science and technology and the problem of human resources

Having finished the trend of science and technology development and its deep-seated reasons, let's learn about the most obvious cases of these technologies for enterprise development and possible problems from Pwc's report.

the first is customer interaction. the eight core technologies summarized above have reshaped the interaction between enterprises and customers in almost all aspects, whether it is sales and marketing, or billing and after-sales service. Take artificial intelligence as an example. When it is applied to machine learning, it can help to process a large number of customer behavior data and identify its patterns. Enterprises can use this pattern to improve customer interaction. For example, Nao is a customer service pilot robot launched by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest bank. Its visual and auditory "perception" is connected with advanced artificial intelligence, which can help it "see" customers and recognize their voices. Therefore, Nao can interact with customers and say hello to them in their mother tongue (Nao can understand and speak 19 languages). It can help human staff during busy hours or in special events, which attracts more foreign customers for the bank. At this point, we have to admit that intelligent robots spend far more time and energy on acquiring a language than real people, so robot service has a unique advantage.

the second is the operation and application. Artificial intelligence, robots, drones and 3D printing can all improve the operation efficiency and bring obvious competitive advantages to enterprises. According to the investigation and analysis of Pwc report, in the hotel industry, service robots can reduce the delivery cost by 1 to 1 times. Therefore, when we see that robots are constantly being used in various business fields, the reason is obvious. In addition, the role of AR technology in enterprise operation is also remarkable. In Boeing, the factory resolutely abandoned the PDF guide for trainers in personnel training, and replaced it with the AR- dynamic guide on the tablet computer, which increased the speed of assembling the simulated wing by 3% and the accuracy by 9%. At the same time, DHL also equipped smart glasses with AR function for warehouse staff. AR smart glasses can provide picking instructions for employees and help them complete orders, thus reducing the error rate and improving work efficiency by 25%.

but apart from the benefits, it is not without problems. Another most obvious influence of modern technology on enterprises is the influence of personnel and talents. These eight core technologies will create new job types, but worryingly, it will also slow down the employment growth rate. According to Pwc's survey on CEO's inclination, about 56% of CEOs in the world hope to reduce the number of employees through the universal application of robots in the next five years. A recent report by Citibank shows that due to the application of technologies such as AI and blockchain, the banking industry will reduce its workforce by about 3% in the next decade. At the same time, new technologies have spawned new companies (Google, which was founded only 18 years ago and has more than 61, employees) and new job types. Therefore, employers have to find a balance between people and machines, and they have to decide how to hire, retain and explore the talents they need. After all, human employees still have to be able to "get along" with artificial intelligence machines.

IV. Problems that enterprises need to consider in view of the current situation

In view of the current scientific and technological trends and the development prospects of enterprises, enterprises are also faced with some problems that must be paid attention to. The first point is how to formulate sustainable and reusable innovation strategies and processes. This should be considered from the following aspects, all of which are crucial:

Funding: How can we fund innovation activities driven by emerging technologies? Will there be an independent investment pool? Are enterprises free to seek investment according to the guidance notes? If there is an independent investment pool, will the existing profit center pay taxes? Will taxes and fees be used as part of enterprise expenses?

product type matching: how will the emerging technologies used match the overall product and service type? Will emerging technologies be used as independent units or cover units? Will there be a technology incubation department in the current enterprise structure? Implementing innovation activities according to standard operating procedures usually leads to failure, so enterprises need to try new development methods and market-oriented operating processes. What is best for us? How should we reduce the risk? How should we turn successful experiments into mainstream products and services?

the second point is whether the enterprise has quantified the impact of new technology? If not, how to complete the quantification work-how long will it take? The third point is whether the enterprise has a development plan for emerging technologies. If so, does the plan keep up with the current trend? The striking feature of the digital age is rapid change and subversion, so any technical plan can't be accomplished overnight. The correct way is to be good at observing and summarizing and adjust the strategy in real time. The era of pursuing unchangeable five-year development plan is over, but now it can be said that the only constant is change itself, so wise enterprise managers need to tailor strategic plans and effective operation methods suitable for their products and services; This requires the leadership to proceed from reality and cut out the types of products and services that have little effect. In this complicated process, enterprises should involve all business departments and keep smooth communication between them.

Internship Compilation: Li Zihan