Businesses are racing toward a future that is very different from the one they were designed to operate in even as technologies such as extended reality, blockchain, digital twins, and edge computing are converging to reshape human experiences, according to the latest Accenture Technology Vision 2022 report states.
As part of the report, Accenture surveyed more than 4,600 business and technology leaders across 23 industries in 35 countries including the UAE.
The report shows that 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”.
Paul Daugherty, the group chief executive for Technology and chief technology officer at Accenture, said: “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.
“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.”
Tellingly, 92 percent of executives – including 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.
The Accenture report reveals that 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.
Additionally, in the UAE, 97 percent of sampled executives (and 98 percent globally) agree that emerging technologies are enabling their organisation to have a broader and more ambitious vision.
Emerging technologies such as 5G, ambient computing, augmented reality and smart materials advance, digital environments are already being woven into the fabric of our physical world.
As these technologies converge in virtual and realistic 3D digital environments – like the metaverse – they will reshape not just how people engage with worlds, but also redefine everything built in it – from how people sense and interact to how they control it.
“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,” Daugherty added.
To help organisations build on this opportunity, Accenture is launching its Accenture Metaverse Continuum business group.
The new group will be led by Paul Daugherty and David Droga, the CEO and creative chairman of Accenture Interactive.
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