Emerging technologies set to advance the next stage of creativity

“Disruptive moments have people questioning what sense of control they have over their own lives. As they inevitably adapt and get a handle on things, the decisions made to exercise more control will affect the brands and organisations they interact with,” said Mark Curtis of Accenture Song. “These new power dynamics will create opportunities for businesses to develop fresh and modern ways to engage and build customer relationships.”

Among the key ‘global macro movements’ identified by the study for 2023:

We are in a permacrisis (extended period of instability and insecurity) but will adapt

The world is moving from one global catastrophe to the next. But, as humanity has for millennia, people are adapting to instability by switching between four responses: fight, flight, focus and freeze. These responses will affect what they buy and how they view brands and their employers – and companies need to be ready.

In Africa, change and instability are constant. People are used to adapting and finding creative ways to move forward. Accenture’s research has found that people in emerging markets have more experience in dealing with uncertainty. Their ability and willingness to adapt outstrips that of people used to living in mature markets. Africans also use their resilience to force change: in 2022, the Kenyan political uprisings helped lead parliament to review policies, and climate protests in South Africa challenged oil companies to stop surveying the coast for resources.

“Every problem is an opportunity in disguise. In this state of ‘permacrisis’, we recommend that brands, businesses, and organisations in the continent act by partnering with unconventional channels and media for increased reach and relevance while managing the accompanying risks,” said Emma Carpenter, Studio Director and Design Capability Lead for Accenture Song in Africa.

AI is becoming people’s co-pilot for creativity

Artificial Intelligence is now in the hands of the everyday user and is a new tool for the creative process. Suddenly, neural networks have been made widely available to create language, images and music with little effort or skill. 

Developments within AI are also hitting the market at an astonishing speed. At scale, this is an incredible breakthrough for creativity. Companies need to consider how they will stand out in the sea of AI-generated content and how they use AI to enhance the speed and originality of innovation.

Many Africans are excited about the potential of creative AI and others see it as a threat that will take away jobs and Africa’s authenticity. While both sides have their arguments, it’s not straightforward – the impacts of AI technologies will be multifaceted. 

The business case for AI in Africa has been bright, with experts from the State of AI in Africa Report 2022 noting exponential growth and attracting significant funding. AI for Good highlights the Tunisian AI startup InstaDeep receiving US$100-million funding earlier in 2022, for example.

“Until recently, AI has mostly been used to help solve Africa’s most pressing problems in health, finance, education and agriculture. Now, with the sudden emergence of AI that makes art, music and writes stories – once thought to be uniquely human talents – we will begin to see a disruption to the creative industries. Getting started with creative AI technologies has a low barrier to entry. An internet connection and a smartphone are all that is needed to start — making it viable for mass adoption in Africa,” said Carpenter.

You can read more about the Accenture Life Trends 2023 report here.