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Prepares leaders for the 2020s-an accessible guide to the key technologies that will reshape business in the coming decade


Most businesses identify six key digital technologies-artificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledgers and blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous machines, virtual and augmented reality, and 5G communication-as critical to their relevance and growth over the coming ten years. These new disruptive technologies present significant opportunity for businesses in every industry. The first businesses to understand automation and these transformative technologies will be the ones to reap the greatest rewards in the marketplace. The Innovation Ultimatum helps leaders understand the key technologies poised to reshape business in the next decade and prepare their organizations for technology-enabled change.


Using straightforward, jargon-free language, this important resource provides a set of strategic questions every leader will need to ask and answer in order to prepare for the impending changes to the business landscape. Author Steve Brown shares his insights to help leaders take full advantage of the next wave of digital transformation and describes compelling examples of how businesses are already embracing new technologies to optimize operations, create new value, and serve customers in new ways. Written for anyone that wants to understand how automation and new technology will fundamentally restructure business, this book enables readers to:





Understand the implications of technology-driven change across industrial sectors

Apply important insights to their own business

Gain competitive advantage by implementing new technologies

Prepare for the future of work and understand the skills needed to thrive in a post-automation economy

Adopt critical digital technologies in any organization



Providing invaluable cutting-edge content, The Innovation Ultimatum is a much-needed source of guidance and inspiration for business leaders, board members, C-suite executives, and senior managers who need to prepare their businesses for the future.

The Innovation Ultimatum: How six strategic technologies will reshape every business in the 2020s

Foreword: Don't Fear the Future . . . Prepare for it xiii





Introduction: To Survive, Every Company Must Become a Tech Company xv





The Innovation Ultimatum xv





The Innovator's Palette xvi





Should I Be Afraid or Excited? xix





Getting the Most Out of This Book xx





Don't Panic; Don't Wait; Get Help xxi





Part I: Six Technologies That Will Reshape Business in the Next Decade 1





1 Artificial Intelligence 3





What is it and Why is it Important? 3





What Can You Do with It? 6





How AI Works 22





Beyond Deep Learning: The Future of Artificial Intelligence 27





Narrow, General, and Super Intelligence 30





Strategies to Get You Started 31





2 Sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) 37





Cheap, Tiny Computers and 100 Trillion Sensors Make Everything Smart and Connected 38





What Can You Do with It? 40





Strategies to Get Eyes on Your Business and Act on Events in Real Time 55





3 Autonomous Machines-Robots, Cobots, Drones, and Self-Driving Vehicles 57





What are they and Why are they Important? 57





What Can They Do? 58





Strategies for Success 65





4 Distributed Ledgers and Blockchains 67





Beyond Cryptocurrencies: Why Blockchain is a Big Deal 67





Blockchain 101 69





Cryptocurrencies, Tokens, Smart Contracts, and dApps 71





Establishing Truth in a Trustless World 74





Shifting Incentives with Token Economics 75





Key Applications for Blockchain Technology 76





The Future of Blockchain 87





Strategies to Get You Started with Blockchain 89





5 Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality 93





What are they and Why are they Important? 93





What Can You Do with Them? 96





Strategies for Success 101





6 Connecting Everything and Everyone: 5G Networks and Satellite Constellations 105





5G-A Lot More Than Just Faster Phones 106





Connected Factories, Hospitals, Cities, Vehicles, and People 109





The Structure of 5G Networks 111





Connected Planet: Reaching the Next 4 Billion People 114





Part II: Key Concepts to Help Your Business Adapt and Thrive 119





7 Align Your Automation Strategy with Your Corporate Purpose 121





Automation is Inevitable: Make Sure You Get it Right 122





Raise Your Aim: Solve a Higher Class of Business Problems with the Intimacy of IoT 126





Build Human/Machine Partnerships to Boost Productivity, Improve Quality, and Increase Employee Engagement 130





The Importance of a Thoughtful Approach to Automation 136





8 The Data Ultimatum: Data as Fuel for Business Innovation 139





The Strategic Importance of Data: Data-Driven Decisions, Hungry AI, and Frictionless Experiences 139





Create New Value with Data 144





Elevate Your Offering: Products to Services to Experiences to Transformations 145





Data Spirals: Create Increasing Levels of Value Using Moore's Law of Data 146





9 The Future of Work: What to Expect and How to Make Yourself "Robot-Proof" 149





The History of Work: From the Physical to the Knowledge Era 149





The Next Era of Work: Augmented Work 150





Automation Armageddon: Plan a "Robot-Proof " Career 152





New Technology Creates New Types of Work 160





Keeping the World Spinning in the Postautomation Economy 161





Part III: Lessons from Industry, Sector by Sector 165





10 Keeping Healthcare Healthy: What Every Business Can Learn from Healthcare Tech 167





The Challenge: Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population 168





Artificial Intelligence Improves Patient Interactions and Outcomes 169





Healthcare Gets Personal with Precision Medicine 174





Drones Save Lives 175





The Remote-Monitored Patient: Sensors and Wearables Flip the Model 177





Blockchain-Based Medical Records Reward Healthy Behavior and Take Us Beyond Accidental Wellness 178





Augmented Reality and 5G Transform Telesurgery and Telemedicine 180





11 Transforming Human Mobility: What Every Business Can Learn from Transport Tech 183





The Challenge: Climate, Traffic, and Moving Deathtraps 183





The Next Revolution in Human Mobility: Horseless, Driverless Carriages 185





Vehicles Morph from Products to Services 186





Autonomous Platforms Bring Services to Your Door 189





Autonomous Trucks Transform Haulage 190





Going 3-D: Tunnels, Gondolas, and Passenger Drones 191





Decarbonizing: Electric Cars, Trucks, Trains, Ships, and Planes 194





12 Surviving the Retail Apocalypse: What Every Business Can Learn from Retail Tech 199





The Challenge: E-Commerce and the Retail Apocalypse 200





Digital, Frictionless, and Unstaffed Stores 201





Shopping with Smart Shelves, Chatbots, and Robots 204





AI Transforms the Shopper Journey 206





Home Shopping with Voice, Gesture, and Augmented Reality 209





13 Cheap, On-Time, Safe, and Genuine: What Every Business Needs to Know about Future SupplyChains 211





The Challenge: Shifting Expectations and Widespread Fraud 211





Streamlined Logistics with IoT, Autonomous Vehicles, Robots, and Drones 216





Blockchain Speeds Audits, Builds Provenance, Aligns Incentives, and Fights Fraud 219





How to Build a Brand-Centric Supply Chain 221





14 Smart Factories and Augmented Factory Workers: What Every Business Can Learn fromManufacturing Tech 225





The Challenge: Mass Customization and Globalization 226





Generative Design Melds Human Creativity and Machine Intelligence 227





Robots and Cobots Boost Productivity and Reduce Worker's Comp Claims 228





Digital Dexterity: Next-Generation Robots Learn to Manipulate Objects as Humans Do 230





Exoskeletons Turn Factory Workers into Ellen Ripley 231





Augmented Workers Improve Training, Aid Compliance, and Reduce Liability 232





Your Next QA May Be an AI 233





Distributed Manufacturing and the Mega Corporation with One Employee 234





Industry 4.0/5.0 and the Sentient Factory 239





15 Removing Chaos from Construction and Intermediaries from Transactions: What Every BusinessCan Learn from Real Estate Tech 243





The Challenge: Mistakes, Margins, and Glacial Transactions 243





Generative Design Transforms Architecture 245





From 2-D Plans to 3-D Augmented Reality Models 246





Robot Construction Workers, Drones, and 3-D-Printed Structures 247





AI Aids Real Estate 249





Blockchains Speed Transactions, Limit Fraud, and Create New Funding Models 250





Tokenized Assets Democratize Property Investment 252





Crowdfunded Mortgages Compete with Banks 253





16 Preparing Our Population for the Post-Automation Economy: Lessons for the Future of Education 255





The Challenge: A System Designed for a Bygone Era 255





How Technology is Transforming the Sector 258





Stagnant Sectors Will Experience the Same Pressures as Education 262





17 Embracing Technology in the Service of People 265





Strategies Lie at the Intersection of Possibility and Purpose 265





Honor Individuality, Elevate Human Work, and Create Frictionless Experiences 267





Key Strategic Discussions You Must Drive to Determine Next Steps 270





Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Tomorrow's Leaders 275





Acknowledgments 277





About the Author 281





Index 283