As we enter a new decade, we certainly need clear vision about the way forward.
The news last week that Artificial Intelligence(AI) is beating clinical experts in detecting cancer from mammograms is not as astonishing as it may seem. Human beings have great intuition but factual analysis, free from external factors, is the world of the machine. In looking dispassionately at pictures to determine cancerous cells, it seems machines are now gaining the upper hand. I am not sure we should worry so much about that as long as human intuition and learning also plays its part in the determining of the best approach to a cure for any particular human affected by an AI led diagnosis.
Technological achievements are playing a crucial part in human advancement and will help deal with many of the problems facing us in the coming decades. The legal sector faces different pricing pressures than that of the NHS, but ultimately someone has to pay for the service. How long will the customer pay for expensive lawyer dominated services, which could be undertaken more efficiently and at a cheaper price through the use of AI? Disruptors are already entering the market and showing how innovation can reduce the pain and price of legal services. Efficient lawyers can underpin innovation in many parts of our economy but cannot themselves be immune to change.
Society is also changing rapidly and is probably more fragmented now than it has been for many generations. We seem to find it harder to make long term beneficial relationships and the consequences of this are isolation, division and poor health. These problems need innovative solutions too.
Another idea which emerged in a radio programme last week was the development of housing that brought together the generations, rather than keeping them apart. If young families and the elderly were in closer proximity, there could be benefits for everyone; less isolation for the elderly and more help with child care for those with young families. Now that is 20/20 vision and innovative thought that could really make a difference!
As employers, we have the power to create beneficial working environments where people can work more flexibly to suit family and personal needs. We can help develop support networks to look out for each other's mental health and train staff in mental health first aid. We can help train and develop our staff for the job to which they aspire, rather than the one they feel trapped in now. All these are good for business and good for society. These ideas have been developed in our business and are changing people's attitude to work, which not only makes a positive difference to our people, but our clients too.
Above all, we need 20/20 vision to tackle our environmental challenges. The disastrous bush fires in Australia, the worst ever floods in Jakarta and record high temperatures across the globe in 2019 show that climate change is a reality. The consequences for humankind are already evident. Yet, as the recent climate action summits show, world leaders still take some convincing that this is an urgent issue. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, appeared to be one of those leaders wedded to fossil fuels and the economics of the past. He returned from holiday early to find vast swathes of his country on fire. If one has a certain mindset, it is very hard to get the little grey cells to reorder thinking, no matter how strong the evidence may be.
Yet, there are others who see that changing the way we do things, to enable our world to survive, is an economic opportunity. As eclectic propulsion is developed as well as cleaner fuels, new industry is emerging.
New ways of thinking and 20/20 vision has never been more vital for humanity. The 2020s will be a decade of innovation and we had better get used to the change this will bring.