Machines now call the tune. Are we ready to dance?

March 6, 2018

As guests mingled among the appetizers and food at Accenture’s Technology Vision event last month in San Francisco, California, jazz music played in the background. The band improvised a number of classic standards, which was noteworthy because one of the players was Shimon, a robot, and it was playing a mean marimba.The presence of a jazz-playing robot was fitting because the theme of the evening was the intersection of human and machine, highlighting the release of Accenture PLC’s “Technology Vision 2018” report. It documented the need for enterprises to fully understand emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and cloud computing

Companies start to embrace VR and AR, but will the tech be effective?

February 21, 2018

The name of the game in modern-day communications is proximity. How close can users easily get to what they want to experience? First there was the TV screen across the room. Then there was the computer screen less than a foot away, followed by the smartphone that moved content even closer. And now, thanks to virtual reality, there is no distance. Users are completely immersed in their own virtual environment, interacting in a 360-degree space with objects in a fully digitized world.The rise of reality-changing technologies — virtual, augmented or mixed — is what Accenture PLC is calling “extended reality” in its recently released report, “Technology Vision 2018

VR gains wider interest decades after sci-fi movie raked in the green

February 15, 2018

When movie director Brett Leonard made “Lawnmower Man” in 1992, the premise of the science-fiction film was quite a stretch on the believability scale. A simple-minded gardener develops telekinetic powers and controls the world’s most powerful computer systems after participating in virtual reality games.Made for an absurdly low budget of $5 million, the film went on to make $250 million and was the top independent movie of the year. And Leonard continues to remain interested in VR, decades after his film gave the technology a popular cultural platform

These five technologies will drive enterprises in 2018 – if they can handle them

February 14, 2018

The classic problem of companies that make or use technology is that they focus on the technology more than the people who use it. That needs to change quickly, according to a new report released early Wednesday by Accenture PLC.The management consulting and professional services company said key technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing and virtual and augmented reality, will enable companies to weave themselves more intimately into how their customers live and work. Think Amazon.com Inc. and its Alexa, which in some cases allows businesses to enter their homes for deliveries using the digital assistant

Machines now call the tune. Are we ready to dance?

March 6, 2018

As guests mingled among the appetizers and food at Accenture’s Technology Vision event last month in San Francisco, California, jazz music played in the background. The band improvised a number of c

Social responsibility drives 2018 tech companies, Accenture report reveals

February 16, 2018

Assessing the current state of affairs for the technology industry, the “Accenture Technology Vision 2018” report just released by Accenture PLC surveyed more than 6,300 businesses and information technology executives. Among the key vectors of innovation — such as extended reality or data veracity — a critical component to the way technology companies do business moving forward is centered around social responsibility and building trust with the general population, the report concluded.“Now companies are really starting to take a bigger look at how they’re changing their industry, how they’re embedding themselves into people’s lives

Human plus machine equals the intelligent enterprise unleashed: Accenture’s Vision report

February 15, 2018

Accenture PLC released its “Technology Vision 2018” report on Wednesday, predicting key technology trends that will disrupt business over the coming three years. Not surprisingly, artificial intelligence is expected to play a major role. The report also documented how rapid advancements in areas such as the cloud and analytics are changing not only the ways in which companies interact with customers, but how we work and live as well.“Technology isn’t just a peripheral or something that people use,” said Paul Daugherty (pictured), chief technology and innovation officer at Accenture. “Technology is core to the human experience

VR gains wider interest decades after sci-fi movie raked in the green

February 15, 2018

When movie director Brett Leonard made "Lawnmower Man" in 1992, the premise of the science-fiction film was quite a stretch on the believability scale. A simple-minded gardener develops telekinetic po

Social responsibility drives 2018 tech companies, Accenture report reveals

February 16, 2018

Assessing the current state of affairs for the technology industry, the "Accenture Technology Vision 2018" report just released by Accenture PLC surveyed more than 6,300 businesses and information te

Companies start to embrace VR and AR, but will the tech be effective?

February 21, 2018

The name of the game in modern-day communications is proximity. How close can users easily get to what they want to experience? First there was the TV screen across the room. Then there was the comput

Danger: High-voltage AI tech needs ethics and safety regulations, expert warns

February 21, 2018

Artificial intelligence is so loudly hyped by software vendors and the tech media nowadays, one would think its powers could make human brain cells obsolete. Venture capitalists poured $10.8 billio

Philosophy professor to tech giants: Become ethical or society suffers

February 16, 2018

Artificial intelligence, cloud computing and virtual and augmented reality thechnologies are allowing businesses unprecedented access to their customer’s personal wants, needs and desires, but as for-profit companies ask us to share ever more intimate details, recent breaches have exposed weaknesses in security and caused fear in consumers. After all, if giant companies such as Facebook Inc. and Equifax Inc. can be compromised, whom can we trust?“Data is like jet fuel,” said Dr. Shannon Vallor (pictured), the William J. Rewak S.J. professor of philosophy at Santa Clara University

Danger: High-voltage AI tech needs ethics and safety regulations, expert warns

February 21, 2018

Artificial intelligence is so loudly hyped by software vendors and the tech media nowadays, one would think its powers could make human brain cells obsolete. Venture capitalists poured $10.8 billion into artificial intelligence and machine learning technology companies in 2017, according to PitchBook Data Inc. But many thought leaders are saying that without human oversight and ethical constraints, AI could do serious damage to the individuals and businesses it’s supposed to help.“What I like to say is, AI is not ready for solo flight,” said Dr. Shannon Vallor (pictured), professor of philosophy at Santa Clara University

‘Extended reality’ is moving beyond the test-and-learn phase

February 15, 2018

At the Accenture Technology Vision event this week in San Francisco, an annual report on the current state of technology was the topic of conversation. One of the key trends examined in the report was extended reality, which is seeing increased adoption from enterprises with more pilot programs and major deployments rolling out. Companies are even releasing requests for products designed for specific applications, indicating that the technology is starting to move past the test-and-learn phase.“We’ve seen a shift now where it’s the business starting to push the agenda

Extended reality, ‘internet of thinking’ enable new ways to work

February 16, 2018

Automation enables a personal connection between a work environment and communities, but it can also bring isolation. How technology is shaping society and how people are changing to adapt to that s

Extended reality, ‘internet of thinking’ enable new ways to work

February 16, 2018

Automation enables a personal connection between a work environment and communities, but it can also bring isolation. How technology is shaping society and how people are changing to adapt to that situation was recently explored by Accenture PLC in a recent report in which the professional-services giant identified five emerging technology trends that will provide both challenges and opportunities for companies.“We see companies that have to build a social contract with these people,” said Marc Carrel-Billiard, global senior managing director of Accenture Labs. “It’s a two-way street now: You build a lot of technology, and the people adopt this technology and bring back feedback