Here’s how 5 tech trends will impact DC companies over the next year

As part of a recent survey, 80% of tech executives agree that technology has become an inextricable part of the human experience.

This finding and others were published in global consulting giant Accenture’s annual Technology Vision report. The survey, which is on its 20th edition, helped identify key issues and priorities for tech adoption and investment, per the press release.

This year’s study looked at five trends that will shape tech over the next year in 10 cities across the U.S. More than 6,000 tech executives shared their thoughts on these trends:

• The I in experience
• AI and me
• The dilemma of smart things
• Robots in the wild
• Innovation DNA

Very excited to launch #TechVision2020, our annual roadmap for leaders, showing how to achieve success in a world of rapid change and exponential technology innovation. Read on: https://t.co/dAPEEYZf56

— Paul Daugherty (@pauldaugh) February 12, 2020

“Dazzled by the promise of technology, many organizations created digital products and services just because they could, without fully considering the human, organizational and societal consequences,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer, in a statement. “We must shift our mindset from ‘just because’ to ‘trust because’ — reexamining our fundamental business and technology models and creating a new basis for competition and growth.”

For the D.C. area specifically, Accenture surveyed about 100 local business and IT executives. Overall, Accenture found that 72% of D.C. tech executives said their companies are investing in AI, 54% are investing in 5G, 39% are investing in blockchain and 64% are investing in the Internet of Things/smart sensors.

In the I in experience category, 85% of the D.C. tech executives surveyed said that they believe that to compete in a post-digital world, organizations need to elevate their relationships with customers as partners. Seventy percent also agree that organizations need to change the experiences they offer that bring tech and people together in a more human-centric manner.

Only 17% of D.C. tech executives surveyed said they are preparing their workforces for AI-based systems, but 75% said they believe collaboration between humans and machines will be critical to innovation in the future.

Under the dilemma of smart things category, 71% of D.C. area tech executives surveyed said their organization’s products and services will be updated over the next three years. Eighty-one percent report that their industry is moving toward offering more variety in ownership models for their connected products and services.

In the robots in the wild category, 39% say their employees will be challenged to figure out how to work with robots, compared to 61 percent who believe their employees will easily figure out how to work with robots. Within the next two years, 62% expect their organizations will use robotics in uncontrolled environments. Also, 66% of executives believe robotics will enable the next generation of services in the physical world.

Lastly, on innovation, 42% of executives believe that the advancements in new technologies and scientific innovations will disrupt their industries. Even though 77% agree that the stakes for innovation have never been higher, they said getting it right will require collaboration with ecosystem partners and third-party organizations.

D.C. area tech executives also reported that climate change, sustainability development and energy will be society’s biggest challenges that scientific research and advanced technology should address.