Blockchain and Seven Technologies That Are Changing The World

I am quite excited to share with you some insights I got from an executive guide I found at the MIT Sloan Management Review website. The guide is called “Seven Technologies Remaking the World” by Albert H. Segards, a Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina.

Let’s quickly review the “what and why” of these seven technologies:

1.      Pervasive Computing – This is about all those microprocessors embedded in everyday home appliances, automobiles, wearables, and all kinds of equipment that can be implanted into living organisms including humans. These computing devices are unseen, everywhere, and always available. Why is this important? All of these devices are redefining how value is created. The more experience these collection of devices acquire, the more valuable they will be.

2.      Wireless Mesh Networks – During the Arab Spring of 2015, the Egyptian government, seeking to stop all communication among the millions of anti-government protestors, shut down the Internet for the entire country. Within less than 24 hours, access to the Internet was available thanks to mesh networking. With this type of network, it only takes just one device to have a connection to the Internet. All other devices can form, disperse, and re-form networks without a centralized top-down inflexible infrastructure. Why does that matter? As soon as you add AI into the mix, now devices themselves can form their own networks off the grid. That is a whole new frontier never seen before.

3.      Biotechnology – Here is where the lines are blurred between living systems and organisms, with genetic engineering technologies like CRISPR-Cas and the creation of entirely new approaches to healthcare, agriculture, and chemicals. Why should you care? Think of the new forms of authentication with enhanced biometrics, bio-markers, and bio-informatics. The new knowledge and types of interactions they will present will redefine value and your own industry value proposition and even business model.

4.      3D Printing – The rapid evolution in the field of the mechanics that use successive layers of materials to translate digital designs is nothing but breathtaking. These printers are mobile and they can print everything from concrete to living cells. They will be able to print at the molecular level, creating new materials and truly personalized medicines. Why is this important? Besides the obvious, if you are part of any supply chain network, you better be prepared to either lead or perish as 3D printing redefines value chains and distribution models.

5.      Artificial Intelligence – This is about using computer programs and algorithms to allow digital devices to access, combine, and share data to learn, explain, and forecast events, processes, and trends. AI is redefining value in cloud computing, mesh networks, IoT, big data, and machine learning. As more data is produced by pervasive computing, bio-informatics, and big data, the only way to make sense of all that information is by leveraging AI. Predictive analytics will be the key source of value going forward when it comes to data, and AI will facilitate the process.

6.      Nanotechnology – This is the realm of engineered atoms and super materials. There are 24.5 million nanometers in one inch. We are talking about small circuits and devices built in the size range of 1 to 100 nanometers. Today, nanotechnology is just scratching the surface with dry-fit clothing, drug-delivery patches, water-repellent shoes, and antibacterial bandages. With nanotechnology, all sorts of media and materials that have had no information processing or delivery capability can become new portals of commerce and communication. Nanotechnology will manipulate the atoms that make up the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the places we dwell, and even the air we breathe.

7.      Robotics – These are those precise, agile, intelligent mechanical systems that are not just reducing industrial costs by automating repetitive tasks. More than that, they are opening new horizons in business innovation. They assist people with a wide range of operational, service, and managerial tasks. The da Vinci Surgical System, for example, allows physicians to translate their hand movements into precise movements of small instruments inside a patient’s body. Robotics offers all the potential benefits of a minimally invasive procedure, including less pain and blood loss.

The most exciting aspect is that all of these technologies have a touchpoint with that powerful triage I have been talking about: blockchain, the Internet-of-things, and artificial intelligence.

The question for you is: what actions are you taking to ensure you, your team, and your organization are best prepared to harness and lock the value of all these technologies? Regardless of the industry we are in or the role we play at our jobs, there are no exceptions when it comes to how influential these technologies are.

The time is now to take a moment to understand the “what” about all these technologies, why they are redefining value, and why our own future as value delivery professionals is on the balance.

Until next time, cheers!

Watch video version of this article here.