"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction." - Bill Gates
The American Public Transportation Association Rail Conference, held in Denver, Colorado, kicked off with a look at how technology is evolving globally and the impact that will have on mobility.
Greg Williams, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, said one of the shifts we’ve seen already is that technology is being designed to adapt to how we behave, instead of being something we have to learn how to use. It’s being designed to enhance our lives with everything connected to the Internet on a personalized basis.
A lot of the innovation is being driven by demand services. One such example referenced was the auto industry, which is being shaped by digitization.
Last year BMW celebrated its centennial and underwent a transformation, stating it was designing vehicles based on ACES – Automated, Connected, Electrified and Shared. The consumer relationship is changed as you will buy a subscription to BMW. You have the option for the mobility you want, when you want it, whether that’s driving alone, riding in an autonomous vehicle, or sharing a ride with others.
BMW now identifies itself as a mobility company, not an automotive company showing consumers want to make purchasing decisions in different ways.
Cars are now an operating system on wheels, Williams said. The business model is changing as cars are something that might not be losing value in a way they used to when driving off the lot. He said Tesla argues, vehicles are more valuable down the line as its owners download new software.
The car companies are looking at how they become platforms and with autonomous vehicles and connected cities, they want to become the platform to run city services. All of this will be creating massive amounts of data about how people around and this will become a battle around data.
With all of this data and connected technology, the value of cybersecurity has soared and enormous strides are being made. For most organizations, the reputation around security will offer the competitive advantage.
Future outlook
While jobs of retail workers or drivers are threatened, there are other areas that will grow in demand. Cognitive, emotional and social skills will be in higher demand as companies look for more customer-related roles. Williams said, “We have to think about how to skill ourselves to stay on top.”
Williams likened the changes of today to that of the early phase of the internal combustion engine. There are big world-changing shifts that will be part of our future in the coming years. It wasn’t about the engine itself, but the engine created an enormous shift in how people lived and moved around and the rise of the suburbs and big box retailers.
He said it isn’t about the technology itself, but we continue to educate, excite and sell through important human connections. “Most of the time we’re living in a world where we get excited about how fast things are moving, but it’s an incremental process,” he said. He shared the quote from Bill Gates, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction."
