Organizational shifts we saw in 2023 were progressive changes in the pervasive systems and structures that continue to transform organizations for the digital age and support the transition of workers and the workplace.
We observed changes in leadership, policy, work practices, digital-human work advances, the augmented worker, employee wellbeing commitments, new organizational structures, and AI affecting the workplace.
Our Year in Review explores the challenges and opportunities of this movement from extraction to creation. Read on for what we collectively learned this year and to find out how these insights inform new priorities for digital leadership.
AI-augmented development became more pervasive in aiding software engineers in designing, coding, and testing applications. This improved developer productivity and enabled development teams to address the increasing demand for software to run the business. These AI-infused development tools allowed software engineers to spend less time writing code, so they could spend more time on strategic activities such as designing and composing compelling business applications.
Many companies have adopted “digital twins,” or a virtual representation of a physical object, person, or place created using real-time data and advanced simulation models to provide a comprehensive, digital view of a real-world process. Digital twins allow designers to make more informed and accelerated decisions for machine layout, train virtual robots, and test facility designs before they commit to them in the physical world. Soon enough, most of us will find ourselves operating within virtual worlds, designing digital twins, and providing services in expansive Web3 environments.
Generative AI became democratized by the confluence of massively pre-trained models, cloud computing, and open source, making these models accessible to workers worldwide. GenAI applications can make vast sources of internal and external information accessible to business users, which will significantly democratize knowledge and skills in the enterprise. Large language models let enterprises connect their workers with knowledge in a conversational style with rich semantic understanding.
Intelligent applications were increasingly used as a means of learned adaptation to respond appropriately and autonomously to better augment or automate work. As a foundational capability, intelligence in applications comprises various AI-based services, such as machine learning, vector stores, and connected data. Consequently, intelligent applications delivered experiences that are dynamically adapted to the user.
Carriers prepared for major 5G technology and performance upgrades, and even purpose-built devices, such as purpose-built mobile devices and software solutions designed to help customers simplify processes for their frontline workers in transportation and logistics, retail, manufacturing, and other industries.
The use of AI to spot threat patterns helped to protect business investments using a systemic approach that allowed organizations to evaluate the accessibility, exposure, and exploitability of an enterprise’s digital and physical assets continually and consistently.
Self-service internal development platforms were built and operated using layers that were created and maintained by dedicated product teams. These were designed to optimize productivity, improve the user experience, and accelerate the delivery of business value by interfacing with tools and processes that utilize IoT, sensors, and data sources within that environment.
As the line between real and fake blurred further, organizations doubled down on marketing activities associated with the media in a bid to ensure that they were seen as reliable and trusted sources of information.
A combination of computer vision, augmented reality, and especially behind-the-scenes GenAI augmented customer service capabilities. For example, augmented agents answered questions faster and better, and resolved more problems on first contact.
AI and the Rise of Digital-Human Work: 10 Trends that Dominated the Enterprise Landscape in 2023