Vodafone has released its predictions for the upcoming year, which include attitude to digital transformation, automation and the use of artificial intelligence technology.

Its latest Business and Trends survey report polled enterprises from a number of sectors on priorities and concerns going forward during a period of increased use of automation
Across the board, there seems to be increased customer expectation for businesses to take a “people-centric approach”, which includes ethical use of AI and addressing concerns from employees disrupted by the new technology.

Leaders are recognising the need to create an environment that allows people to thrive, supported by automation and machines, and employees’ expectations of the future of work is changing. The report found that:

• 86% think AI will lead to different jobs; 83% think jobs will be more productive, and 85% agree that humans will be required to work alongside AI systems; and
• 54% think that the use of AI could lead to discrimination, highlighting the unsettled feelings that automation is creating in the workforce.

On a wider level, the research also pointed to enterprise success becoming increasingly tied to a company’s “purpose, ethics and trust”, with 93% of the business leaders surveyed stating they believed companies were now expected to act ethically by customers. An ethical business outlook, 83 per cent said, ultimately generates more revenue.

Vodafone Business CEO Brian Humphries said: “In an era of unprecedented change, the most important factor for businesses is customer centricity. Placing people at the heart of business is the trend we truly identify with and is core to Vodafone Business, running through all of our products and services, from technologies such as IoT and SD-WAN through to our approach to relationships with customers.”

the full report can be seen here: www.vodafone.com/business/news-and-insights/blog/gigabit-thinking/global-trends-barometer-2019

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