- Technology can be a stabilizing factor in a changing world, enhancing business resiliency.
- Chief digital officers should scale use of data and artificial intelligence, while investing on emerging technologies, such as quantum computing.
- The roadmap to meeting the 2030 SDGs rests on competitive and responsible development of technology by business.
Against a backdrop of global shocks, fragmented systems and an uncertain business environment, we asked chief digital officers from diverse industries about their priorities for technology leadership in 2023. They highlighted the need to double down on digital innovation that creates meaningful and responsible outcomes for people and the planet.
Global net zero commitments from businesses and governments are projected to decrease GHG emissions by 7.5% by 2030 – we need 55% to meet global goals. Filling this gap will require rewiring high emitting sectors around efficiency, circularity, and sustainability.
Research from the World Economic Forum’s Digital and Climate Network and Accenture estimates that digital technologies, if scaled, can deliver up to 20% of the reductions we need by 2050 in high emission industries: Energy, Materials, Mobility and Buildings. Depending on how quickly digital technologies are adopted, these industries can realize between 4 and 10% emissions reduction by 2030.
To inspire more adoption and collaboration, the Forum recently launched a Digital Solutions Explorer of 30+ high-impact digital solutions with “getting started” guidance to enable companies to progress outcomes in efficiency, circularity and scope 3 transparency.
The Forum is also curating an inventory of leading lighthouse examples from partner companies that have implemented digital technologies to reduce their carbon footprint and deliver economic growth.
To achieve scale and the industry transformation needed to reach net zero goals, companies need to work together to replicate these digital solutions and tackle shared challenges to scaling. To learn more and get involved in the Forum’s Digital and Climate Network, visit our website.
To enhance consumer experience, business resilience and competitiveness, leaders must continue to scale the use of technologies of today, such as data, cloud and artificial intelligence, while also investing in frontier technologies such as metaverse, quantum computing and synthetic biology to open up a new era of discovery.
‘Innovate with cloud, AI and metaverse’
Paul Daugherty, Accenture
In an uncertain world, technology innovation is the one certainty that you can rely upon to tackle seemingly intractable challenges and accelerate business and societal progress.
Cloud, artificial intelligence and metaverse are the defining technology trends that will shape our future. Leading companies are turning to these technologies to foster resilience, accelerate growth, optimize operations and reinvent their capacity for innovation – setting the stage for top-line growth through and beyond a period of economic uncertainty.
In an uncertain world, technology innovation is the one certainty that you can rely upon to tackle seemingly intractable challenges
—Paul Daugherty, Accenture
‘Start with the customers’
Parag Parekh, IKEA Retail (Ingka Group)
Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder once said: “What is good for our customers is also, in the long run, good for us”, and these words
