Whilst companies continually look to improve productivity and drive greater efficiency, the use of new technologies continues to play an increasingly important role in shaping tomorrow’s businesses. Whilst much has been made in the media about the “high risk” of millions of jobs effectively being lost to technologies such as automation and robots by 2030, Read more about Digital Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce[…]
At our previous Sphere Network discussion on the topic of the Future of Work, we focused predominantly on the extent to which human redundancy, ‘any time, any place’ working and participation in the gig economy are becoming the norm. We also spent time looking at PwC’s ‘four worlds of work in 2030’. Considerations of where Read more about Digital Transformation: a multi-headed monster[…]
There is a theory that any innovation follows a lifecycle that is shaped like an S-curve and goes through a number of distinct stages: ferment, takeoff, maturity, and discontinuity. There is another stage that comes between fermentation and takeoff, when the fence-sitters are still in the majority, and really aren’t that sure whether the innovation Read more about Blockchain and the Real World[…]
There was a full house at Newcastle Arts Centre on a sunny but cold May evening where Sphere Network members were treated to a real insight into the present-day sci fi of augmented and virtual reality. We started with a bit of jargon busting from Hedgehog Lab‘s Shaun Allen, who explained that the term ‘XR’, Read more about What’s bubbling in Augmented and Virtual Reality?[…]
When a passenger recently tweeted @My_Metro to ask abut a service delay, the operator was concerned. “Have there been no announcements?” they asked. “I don’t know,” came the response. “I’ve got my headphones on.” The expectations of consumers increasingly involve spontaneous technical solutions, not simply in communication but in all aspects of travel. Our connected Read more about Travel and transport in a connected world[…]
This event was the first in a series of sessions the Sphere Network will be holding to discuss the growth of IoT and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). Facilitated by Charles Sellers, and hosted by Northumbria University, the event was a sell out and we had a full house in lecture room A110 in the Read more about Internet of Things – Opportunity or Threat?[…]
With a very diverse audience with expertise in many different sectors we gathered to look at different perspectives on the future of work and to explore our own vision & preferences for our future work too. The plan was to explore four perspectives: research and evidence being collected now; how these results correlate with how Read more about Exploring the Future of Work[…]
Cybersecurity was the hot topic on a cold night in Sunderland. Sphere Network was delighted to co-host this event with BCS North East, bringing a group of Masters students together with businesses to examine the challenges and opportunities of the increasingly fraught arena of cybercrime. The cybersecurity landscape is complex, and while the threats have Read more about Meeting the challenges of cybersecurity[…]
The Opportunity of Ageing The challenges of population ageing in a digital age were debated by Sphere Network members at the November round table event, hosted by the Northern Design Centre at Baltimore House. Attendees were drawn from multiple sectors, with representatives from the National Innovation Centre for Ageing; the Institute for Ageing; the Future Read more about The Opportunity of Ageing[…]
What is Artificial Intelligence? Attendees at October’s Sphere Network event addressed this question, and pooled their collective knowledge of machine learning, advanced analytics, AI applications, and ethics. This blog is an attempt to distill the broad and fascinating discussion into a few hundred words from many pages of comprehensive notes. First, definitions. “Artificial intelligence is Read more about Decoding Artificial Intelligence[…]