Building On Innovation

The workplace is changing as machines and new inventions play larger roles

- Andre Sharpe

Technology is causing disruption on an unprecedented scale – not just to jobs but to work itself.

Buildings will repair themselves

The miniaturisation of microchips combined with a reduction in cost means it’s now easy for items to be connected to the internet. The Internet of Things (IoT) includes everything from smart toothbrushes to door locks that are controlled remotely.

In the office, the IoT will help employees to adapt spaces to their individual requirements – from lighting to temperature and air quality. These systems will be fully automated within the next three years. In older buildings, businesses will add sensors allowing staff customisation. There’ll be a radical reduction in energy consumption as a result.

In the future, spaces will become smart enough to manage themselves: buildings will request their own maintenance and oversee their own health by embedding IoT sensors into the walls of new constructions.

AI will answer your query

Recently, there’s been a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) and its sub field – machine learning (ML). Computers are now able to analyse large data sets, images and videos to interpret what’s in them and come to conclusions.

This is going to turn customer support on its head. While customers today work with an agent, soon these things will be automated by AI and ML. Gone will be the traditional call centre. In its place will be integrated AI systems that answer customer queries efficiently and quickly. Tech support will quickly follow.