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IBM’s 2019 “5 in 5” Predictions Point To A New Era Of Innovation
Every year, IBM publishes its list of five innovations that will change the world in five years. There aren’t just predictions, but represent grand challenges that the company intends to take on. As IBM’s Chief Innovation Officer Bernie Meyerson once put it to me, “What we’re really aiming for isn’t to predict the future, but to change the future.”
Last year, for example, the “5 in 5” included combining crypto-anchors with blockchain to secure the world’s supply chain and IBM formed a joint venture with Maersk to help bring that about. It also included a new form of encryption, called lattice-based cryptography and more transparent AI algorithms, all things its scientists are actively working on.
This year’s “5 in 5” is different in several ways. First, rather than a horizontal overview, it focuses on one industrial vertical: the food supply chain. Second, rather than focusing exclusively on information technology, it foresees an intense collaboration between the computer industry and other fields. Third, it marks a break from business as usual to a new era of innovation.
Rising To New Challenges
The shift in emphasis in this year’s “5 in 5” is no accident, but points to a larger change in the role of information technology itself…
