Looking Glass report identifies strategic opportunities in secure and responsible AI solutions

Thoughtworks (NASDAQ:TWKS), a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation, publishes the fourth edition of Looking Glass. This annual report helps companies make technology choices in a changing market and identify new opportunities. The Looking Glass report consists of five chapters, called lenses, each focusing on one of the key technology trends. The accompanying analysis aims to uncover concrete opportunities and provide actionable advice to organisations.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is being integrated into almost all areas of business as the technology becomes more widely available, accessible and applicable to many people. But taking advantage of these opportunities requires a solid data strategy and clear goals. For GenAI (or AI in general), it does not matter exactly what it accelerates, regardless of whether it is good or bad. As a result, wrong decisions can be made even faster than without AI. Companies that want to protect themselves from this kind of risk should therefore focus on making their data discoverable, accessible, reliable, interoperable and reusable, all in a highly secure and privacy-conscious way. Data platforms with a product-centric mindset provide the best foundation to do this successfully.

"Data platforms enable companies to gather insights from data, build reliable AI systems and manage risk. They can also be a key component in creating, managing and enforcing data governance. The latter is one of the biggest challenges facing many organisations," says Rachel Laycock, chief technology officer at Thoughtworks. "But it doesn't stop there. Having control over the direction and output of AI systems is part of responsible technology use, and it is essential in preventing unintended consequences."

The five lenses in the Looking Glass 2024 report are:
Everywhere AI: The future success of companies will be determined by their ability to effectively integrate AI into business operations, enabling people to work more effectively. They will need to make informed choices about which technologies offer the most benefits and how they will deploy them.
Realising value from data and AI platforms: A data platform is crucial for an effective AI strategy. But reliable access to trusted, up-to-date data is additionally vital for all companies, even if they do not plan to develop GenAI applications anytime soon.
Evolving interactions: From voice interfaces to Extended Reality (XR), all these technologies are becoming more immersive and user-friendly. Organisations need to rethink how they interact with stakeholders, learn from them and make them happy.
Accelerated fusion of physical and digital worlds: Software is now a core part of everything from vehicles to household appliances. It is not only organisations connected to the physical environment that need to bridge the gap between the real and the virtual. It is expected to affect any organisation that does not operate purely digitally.
Responsible technology - a critical consideration: laws and regulations around privacy, security and sustainability need to be firmly embedded in an organisation's technology approach.
Thoughtworks' Looking Glass report is updated annually to keep abreast of ongoing shifts in technology capabilities and business priorities.