The Innovation Ultimatum How six strategic technologies will reshape every business in the 2020s

Prepares leaders for the 2020s—an accessible guide to the key technologies that will reshape business in the coming decade

Most businesses identify six key digital technologies—artificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledgers and blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous machines, virtual and augmented reality, and 5G communication—as 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 sectors
• Apply important insights to their own business
• Gain competitive advantage by implementing new technologies
• Prepare for the future of work and understand the skills needed to thrive in a post-automation economy
• Adopt 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.

STEVE BROWN is the former futurist of Intel Corporation. He now runs Possibility and Purpose, a speaking and consulting business that helps leaders to imagine and build a better future. Steve inspires people to imagine how technology will reshape industries, change how we live, and forever alter the world of work. He promotes a positive future where companies use the latest technologies to create new products and services, optimize operations, empower employees, and delight customers. Steve has been featured on CNN, BBC, Bloomberg TV, and in The Wall Street Journal, Wired magazine, amongst other media outlets. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Foreword: 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

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