Digitally enhanced worlds, realities and business models are changing the way the world works, according to a new report from Accenture.
According to the report, 70 percent of surveyed consumers agree that they are spending substantially more time online. In the UAE, this number is even higher – at 84 percent, in comparison to pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, in the UAE – 97 percent of sampled executives (98 percent globally) agree that emerging technologies are enabling their organisation to have a broader and more ambitious vision.
“The next generation of the internet is unfolding and will drive a new wave of digital transformation far greater than what we’ve seen to date, transforming the way we all live and work,” said Paul Daugherty, group chief executive technology and chief technology officer at Accenture. “Our vision of the metaverse as a continuum challenges prevailing, narrower views and highlights why organisations must act today, or find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else.”
As part of the report, Accenture surveyed more than 4,600 business and technology leaders across 23 industries in 35 countries including the UAE. At this early stage, 71 percent of executives believe the metaverse will have a positive impact on their organisation and 42 percent believe it will be breakthrough or transformational.
“As the line between people’s physical and digital lives further blurs, organisations have the opportunity and obligation now to build a responsible metaverse — addressing issues like trust, sustainability, personal safety, privacy, responsible access and use, diversity and more. The actions and choices they make today will set the stage for the future.”
The Technology Vision 2022 report identifies four key trends that companies will need to address:
WebMe: Putting the me in metaverse
Enterprise strategies are built for the internet of today, a digital world where platforms often lack interoperability and data portability. Metaverse and Web3 are poised to reshape the internet; rather than it being a disparate collection of sites and apps, looking ahead, the metaverse will lead to a persistent 3D environment in which moving from one “place” to another will be as simple as walking from one room to another. Ninety-seven percent of UAE executives, compared to 95 percent globally believe that future digital platforms need to offer unified experiences, enabling interoperability of customers’ data across different platforms and spaces.
Programmable world: Our planet, personalised
As emerging technologies such as 5G, ambient computing, augmented reality and smart materials advance, digital environments will be increasingly woven into the fabric of our physical world. These environments will reshape not just how people engage with worlds, but also redefine everything built in it, how people sense and interact and the control they have over it. Tellingly, 92 percent of executives – 100 percent of UAE executives, agree that leading organisations will push the boundaries of the virtual world to make it more real, increasing the need for persistence and seamless navigation between the digital and physical worlds.
