Adobe senior strategic development manager Chris Duffey spoke on the panel “Artificial Intelligence Meets Real World Shopping” at CES 2020, held January 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. He shared his insights with eMarketer about the digital landscape heading into 2020.
As CES 2020 kicks off the year in tech, what's at the forefront?
As we enter 2020, we are standing at the edge of our next era. Driven by the internet, social media, AI, VR/AR, IoT … these advancements have transcended technology in of itself and become part of our daily lives. Going forward, our industry has an even greater opportunity and obligation to design technologies, products and experiences that enrich people’s lives beyond benefits just for stockholders but for stakeholders. “Doing good is good business” will be even more important as we enter this new decade.
What have been the biggest surprises for you, positive or negative, since CES 2019? Did your predictions for 2019 come to fruition?
A digital image, email, social post or piece of content can now travel at the speed of light, spreading whatever message the sender intends, whether good or bad. Truth and empathy are allusive things these days. Since Adobe was founded over 30 years ago, creativity and technology has always been core to our business. With that in mind, Adobe is committed to being a responsible innovator. We believe technology plays a huge role in our ethical discussions. And we are committed to bringing this kind of technology to our toolsets. Additionally, there is also a human awareness component. Technology can connect us in meaningful ways, but it also needs thoughtful consideration. And this is why we are proud to be part of CES, we understand the responsibility as it relates to these technologies, and when done right, its contribution to society.
What is the biggest challenge your business faces as you head into a new decade?
We want our and the world’s creative energy to go toward making the human experience better. We believe in serving the creator of an experience, while at the same time respecting the consumer of that experience. Digital is ubiquitous and designing with data and new technologies is our new reality. This is why creativity has never been more important. As we approach this new era of designing innovation, we can collectively enter it with responsibility, ethics and empathy in mind and all commit to finding ways to continue to connect humanity, not divide humanity, both on an industry and individual level.
Now let's focus on this year. What major tech trends are you looking for in 2020?
The Future of Jobs Report by The World Economic Forum predicts in 2020, the top 3 fundamental skills needed in business will be inherently human:
- Complex problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can and will be used to amplify these human skills through a stream of intelligence for previously and seemingly impossible superhuman results. Ultimately, the only sustainable response to technological disruption is to try to lead it.
CES 2020 was packed with keynotes, events, announcements, and products. Which will have the most lasting impact?
There are certainly universal themes and opportunities that stand out for future-proofing success:
- It’s just as much about the innovator mindset as it is about the technology
- If you get it right the first time you’re probably not going far enough/aiming high enough
- Rules and constraints bring certainty
- Finding the balance with the cost of customer acquisition
- Using data to connect the dialogue between body and mind
- AI will make us even more human
- There is no disruption - It’s incremental
- How can we best design systems that drive brand purpose and behavioral change
- New societal interaction with technology will become more anticipatory
- Where do we want forthcoming tools to take us?
If you could pick one thing that should stay in Vegas, forever, what would it be?
CES!
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