2.

On what grounds did you choose one of Deloittes or Accentures trend chapters to
read? Summarize the chapter contents very briefly.
I chose to read the workforce reimagined chapter from Accenture Technology Vision
2015. The decision is based mostly on my interest in cognitive computing and how
technology and human can work together to create a collaborative workforce. The
chapter starts with stating the reasons why the new workforce is a thriving trend:
maturing technology (with advancement in natural language processing, wearable
technology), human-like interaction (voice recognition), lower operation cost, improved
efficiency and usage in special cases such as worker safety. The report indicates that
the new workforce is used and can be used in many different fields such as journalism,
space technology, logistics and customer service. According to Accenture Technology
Vision 2015, the blended workforce will be able to maximize the strengths of both
human and machines to create a safer and more efficient working environment. In other
to achieve the most out of the collaborative workforce, companies should provide
training for both employees as well as machines and also make technology more
approachable for most employees. The chapter ends with questions arising together
with the new workforce that companies need to answer such as how to divide the tasks.
4. Did you think of any ethical issues (e.g. on data privacy) when reading about the
trends?
The fast development of technology has altered our lives in many different ways, mostly
in a positive way, but at the same time, exposed us to more risks than ever. The rise of
social media has raised many questions about privacy and security attacks via social
networks. In addition, the idea of collaborative workforce and making more intelligent
machines calls into question whether robots and machines would dominate human.
6. Were there IT-related terms or concepts that were more difficult to understand?
I have not yet fully understood the concept of cloud computing, API and how business
are using them.