From Atoms to Bits: The Digitisation of Everything

What does it mean for Society

What does it mean for Business?

What does it mean for you?

Here’s a synopsis of a presentation I gave last December to LHH on the impact of digitisation on our lives.

Synopsis

Digital Technology has radically changed the way we interact with each other as well as with brands. It has given users unprecedented powers of influence, changed the very concept of a product, with instant gratification now expected for our music, movies and books. It has brought together suppliers and consumers in a direct fashion, cutting intermediaries, and has given rise to the “shared economy” (otherwise known as “uberisation”), jumbling the relationship between employer and employee. All of which is raising new, hitherto unheard of questions that the Law is struggling to keep up with, questions around Privacy, Copyright and Trade.

With the inexorable march forward of Big Data (which we personally generate), our increasing “Interconnectedness” (social media, Internet of Things, wearables… generating even more Data), Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (eg self-driving cars), what does this all mean for our Society, for Business, for employment (does a CV really mean anything anymore?). Are we ready for this tornado? How can we prepare? This presentation does not pretend to give all the answers, but hopefully poses the right questions and provokes a debate amongst ourselves on how best to dive into the inevitable – but in a controlled fashion.