Death, taxes...and the requirement for Compliance.

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History has demonstrated there are limited guarantees in life, though the above are generally consistent.
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Whilst increasing levels of emerging tech innovation do and will eventually converge, the laws governing digital and data are going in the opposite direction by fragmenting.
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With volatile geopolitics, where your organisation operates will affect how this translates to the future - directly affecting profit (or loss).
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Rather than cohesion or commonality for companies, we are seeing markets and jurisdictions fall into three broad regulatory camps over the next 3-5 years.
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Think of it, simply, as a little like the tale of Goldilocks.
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Taking what may be perceived as the "Too Hot" approach will be regions such as the European Union, continuing to act as the ambitious regulatory frontrunner for acts controlling digital tech.
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What could turn out to be "Too Cold" is the United States, given the seemingly "laissez-faire" intentions of the new administration.
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Charting a course somewhere in the middle, broadly, will be many countries in Asia who seek "Just Right" - keen to provide fuel for domestic growth whilst ensuring that citizens are not taken advantage of (too much).
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Between these three there shall be, more by luck that by design, a salad bowl of regulations where firms can take advantage of compliance norms across spaces - though wins here will be largely temporary.
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Regulation cannot take the place of a moral compass; nor can any tech.
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Overall, good news for compliance personnel, lawyers, risk professionals, and litigators - but a dynamically challenging and ever-shifting landscape of threats for senior business leaders to navigate.
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Not every industry will be impacted in the same way nor at the same time, of course, yet prudence suggests that businesses look at the longer game when considering investing in and taking on emerging technologies.
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Early vision unlocks early decision.
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Contact us to discuss how a bespoke, independent, outside-in perspective using strategic foresight delivers valuable insight to de-risk the decisions you make both today, and tomorrow.

Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Chrome, Android... Autonomous Military Robots.

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The last one may be the next "killer app" - literally - from Google.
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The parent company of Google - Alphabet - has dropped its guidance pledge on Artificial Intelligence (AI) use for weapons.
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Its AI Principles, first published in 2018, previously ruled out uses that were "likely to cause harm".
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A blog post has confirmed it has rewritten the guardrails for its use of AI, dumping a section which promised that it would not use AI for purposes such as developing weapons and surveillance tools.

The firm now says: "...we believe that companies, governments, and organizations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security."
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Let's call it what it is: another Big Tech firm genuflecting in front of the new US administration in pursuit of commercial gain.
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At the beginning, the founders of Google explicitly stated the motto for the firm was "don't be evil".
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When the company was subsequently restructured in 2015 it switched to "do the right thing".
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A video recently went viral on Chinese social media (screenshot attached) as it shows a flying drone and robot dog dueling each other while dodging shots fired from attached fireworks.
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Not directly related to Google, but it is absolutely demonstrative of the future of armed conflict; one which is evolving quickly and - in some cases - already present.
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The Ministry of Defence of Ukrainian recently confirmed that its armed forces used more than 1.2 million drones in 2024 during the ongoing war.
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The direction of travel and increased momentum indicate that the use of AI when it comes to surveillance, defence, security, military, robotics, and ultimately autonomous systems will shortly become the norm globally.
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If you're interested in a more detailed briefing on the implications of this and other emerging technologies for the future of your business, drop us a line.

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)".

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Lyrics from the classic 1987 song of the same name by rock band R.E.M.
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More and more of the content that we consume is being generated autonomously by algorithms.
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French music streaming service Deezer has announced that 10,000 tracks generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are submitted to the platform daily.
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Found by its AI music detection tool, this accounts for around 10% of all its music uploads.

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A November 2024 AI strategy study by CISAC (the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers), highlighted that nearly 25% (or €4 billion) of artists revenues will be at risk by 2028.
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No wonder that music legend Sir Paul McCartney has come out against changes to copyright legislation being mooted by UK authorities.
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Ministers are considering an overhaul of the law that would allow AI developers to use creators' content on the internet to help develop their models - unless the rights holders opt-out.
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Though the UK government aims to deliver legal certainty through a copyright regime that provided creators with real control and transparency, it could be another practical barrier to both creativity and - ultimately - the ability for musicians to make a living.
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Almost all other forms of creative artistic expression - writing, painting, voice-overs, sculpture, acting - are at risk to some degree from being undercut by cheaply produced algorithmic "AI Slop" content.
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AI Slop was previously explained here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/futurehorizonco_future-innovation-strategy-activity-7208430537458290688-uvFV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop​

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As more firms furiously work to provide enhanced agents (Amazon aims to turn Alexa into an AI concierge), are we actively or even consciously questioning whether the content we consume is real, and whether we want it to be?
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Seemingly not.
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There is nothing wrong with using digital tools as an accelerant or amplifier for human creativity (such as the picture accompanying this piece).
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That said, if we do not wish to have the majority of our future content being developed by digital algorithms then we need transparency about the source in order to make informed decisions about what to select and who - or what - to support with our eyes, ears, and precious time.