To help businesses navigate the ‘metaverse’, Accenture has created a new unit called Accenture Metaverse Continuum.
It will be led by Paul Daugherty, group chief executive of technology and CTO at Accenture, and David Droga, CEO and creative chairman of Accenture Interactive.
Accenture defines ‘metaverse continuum’ as a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities and business models that is redefining how the world works, operates and interacts.
According to Accenture Technology Vision 2022 report, "Meet Me in the Metaverse: The Continuum of Technology and Experience Reshaping Business”,
organisations are speeding toward a future that looks nothing like the one they were designed to operate in, as technologies such as extended reality, blockchain, digital twins and edge computing are converging to reshape our experiences.
“Our vision of the metaverse as a continuum challenges prevailing, narrower views and highlights why organisations must act today, or find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else,” says Daugherty.
As part of the report, Accenture surveyed more than 4 600 business and technology leaders across 23 industries in 35 countries – including SA. At this stage, 63% of local executives say they believe the metaverse will positively impact their organisation, and 43% think it will be ‘’breakthrough or transformational.’
Responsible metaverse
Accenture also has its own metaverse called the Nth floor, where its staff members participate in immersive learning, or meet and socialise as teams. This fiscal year, the company says it expects 150 000 or more new hires will work in the metaverse on their first day.
Daugherty added, "As the line between people's physical and digital lives further blurs, organisations have the opportunity and obligation now, to build a responsible metaverse — addressing issues like trust, sustainability, personal safety, privacy, responsible access and use, diversity and more. The actions and choices they make today will set the stage for the future."
Four trends to address
The report identified four key trends that companies will need to address:
1. Putting the ‘Me’ in metaverse
“Enterprise strategies are built for the internet of today, a digital world where platforms often lack interoperability and data portability. Metaverse and Web3 are poised to reshape the internet; rather than it being a disparate collection of sites and apps, looking ahead, the metaverse will lead to a persistent 3D environment in which moving from one “place” to another will be as simple as walking from one room to another.”
2. Programmable world
“As emerging technologies such as 5G, ambient computing, augmented reality and smart materials advance, digital environments will be increasingly woven into the fabric of our physical world… The programmable world will enable new ways to augment, customize, automate, alter and otherwise “program” our physical environments
3. Making synthetic, authentic
“Businesses and environments are increasingly supported by AI-generated data that convincingly reflects the physical world. More than ever before, AI is top-of-mind for businesses, as companies and consumers alike shift away from considering what is real versus fake, to what is authentic — not just in terms of a company’s content and algorithms but its entire brand.’’
4. Computing the Impossible: New Machines, New Possibilities
“The emergence of a new class of machines [is empowering organisations across industries to stretch the boundaries of what computers can solve. Tools like quantum computing and biology-inspired computing are allowing businesses to solve problems that may be too expensive, inefficient, or flat out impossible for traditional computing.”
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