When I was a student in England in the 1990s, I often gave lectures on the rise of the Internet, which was still a new and relatively misunderstood concept. At the time, the idea that this could fundamentally reshape the way we live, work and do business seemed far-fetched to many.
One remarkable story concerns a small family biscuit-making business in Whitby, England called Botham of Whitby. (Interestingly, Whitby is the same port from which Captain James Cook sailed to map previously uncharted lands.) This family was an early adopter of e-commerce, I said to my audience, explaining how this traditional business was taking advantage of new e-commerce. digital world to reach customers far beyond the Yorkshire region.
I remember the skeptical laughter from the audience. The idea of buying baked goods online seemed absurd to people. “Who would order cookies on the Internet? »
But the cookie maker saw the future, recognizing the potential of the Internet long before it became mainstream. And while others laughed, she was launching a business model that would change the world.
Technology waves are rolling in quickly
As Mark Twain said, “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” The technological waves we have been through – the shift from analog to digital, the rise of the Internet, the migration to the cloud, etc. – can inform and enlighten us as we prepare to unlock the full potential of AI, quantum and other technologies.
The challenge is that technological waves are breaking more quickly these days. And waiting or taking a break is not an option.
We have entered an era where the speed of change is exponential, with each innovation building on previous ones. If it took 16 years for the rise of the Internet to fully permeate businesses and society, we no longer have the luxury of a long-term adoption and experimentation phase. Each new wave not only introduces new tools; this creates new business models, giving everyone the opportunity to seize the opportunity.
For example, in just a few years, cloud computing has completely changed the way we work. Suddenly you could build a website from a laptop in a coffee shop, paying only for the computing power used. And entire industries have been transformed. This democratization of access has allowed small startups to compete with established giants.
The release of the iPhone caused another seismic shift. Suddenly, with social media apps and the web literally at their fingertips, individuals can connect, share and influence audiences anytime, anywhere.
Businesses had a new way to reach their customers, making marketing more accessible, targeted and measurable than ever before.
And now, with AI at the forefront and technological advancements occurring at an unprecedented pace, how can businesses keep up? How can we effectively harness AI and integrate it into our business models to avoid being overwhelmed by the impending wave of change?
In his book, Thanks for being lateThomas Friedman highlights the importance of pausing and reflecting in a time of rapid acceleration, rather than reacting impulsively. But in today’s AI era, do businesses still have this luxury?
Thanks to its democratization, AI will become more accessible to a wider audience. But businesses need to start experimenting with AI as soon as possible to implement it effectively. This corresponds less to Friedman than to the Japanese proverb “Fall seven times, get up eight times.” To achieve quick impact, repeat and fail repeatedly. In other words, build the plane while flying it.
To do this, businesses must put collaboration at the forefront and work with partners who understand how to navigate the future and push the boundaries of what AI makes possible.
We see clients take the plunge quickly by starting small, thinking big and demonstrating quick wins.
AI as a central element of strategy
An example is the financial services company Equitable Holdings (Equitable assets (a DXC customer), which created a virtual service agent powered by GenAI that analyzed thousands of documents, enabled customer representatives to respond 80% faster, and allowed them to focus on higher-volume tasks added value.
And we’re seeing banks, airlines, healthcare organizations, automakers and others quickly move from experimenting with AI to making it a core part of their strategy. Helping clients seize every opportunity with the passion of a new entrepreneur paves the way for broader implementation based on the knowledge we learn together.
Just like people know how to swim through ocean waves to avoid getting knocked over, businesses can’t afford to shirk in the future. They need to dive in and start imagining a world in which machines can automate, analyze and even predict the future.
As I reflect on the journey from those early days of skepticism to the cutting-edge AI-based solutions we deploy today, one thing remains clear: embracing the future is not just a choice, it’s a necessity. The pace of technological change is accelerating, and businesses that shy away or cling to the past will be left behind.
And just like Botham’s of Whitby, those who see beyond the present will be ready to move boldly forward.