This is not a ‘more of the same’ moment in history. It is a watershed moment. For the first time ever, machines don’t just do work; they can think about how to do that work more efficiently. We’re heading into the Age of the Augmented Human, where physical processes and procedures can be replicated in a digital world running simulations based on real-time data from the real world. Enter the Digital Twin.
When our Director of Strategic Partnerships Mike Rolfes attended a session last year, he knew AGILE needed to tackle artificial intelligence. He connected WTCI’s Chief Innovation Officer Susan Aplin with our VP of Innovation & Strategy Tim Kulp, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Bad News: Businesses are drowning in distributed data. There’s so much to know and – thanks to cloud computing and IoT – it’s so far-flung that a data warehouse could never contain it and static reporting could never convey it. Good News: There are now more tech tools and capabilities than ever before to save our data-saturated souls. Artificial intelligence (AI) is teaming up with business intelligence (BI) to help people manage and effectively use all the data at our disposal.
The Richmond Fed invited us to take part in an industry round-table to present on technology trends impacting the economy. “When we call on Tom and [VP of Innovation & Strategy] Tim Kulp, we know we aren’t going to get program code and industry jargon,” says Vice President and Regional Executive Andy Bauer. “Mind Over Machines helps us understand the latest in technology and how it is being used to transform the way businesses operate as well as the opportunities and challenges of technological change for the workforce.”
Over the years, sales has lost a lot of its control over the sales cycle, especially with the advent of internet, cloud, social, and mobile technologies — in both good and challenging ways. Now buyers are in far more control of their own “buying journey,” no longer hostage to a company’s sales processes. They are able to find pricing online. They can compare competitive products and services with ease. And they can see who else is using your product and read real-time reviews on sites like Gartner Peer Insights.
Nowadays, every company wants to service its customers more effectively. And customers expect no less from the companies with which they do business. They see one company, and they expect all employees to respond to them in a consistent, cohesive manner.
