Summit Week - Day One Recap
Escaping the Algorithm: The Importance of Humans
The first-ever Think Global Forum Summit Week got off to a great start with an opening address from Vistatec’s CEO Thomas Murray, who reminded us of the importance of staying connected and positive in a most unusual year. “We must act in each other’s best interests,” Thomas said, “With challenges come opportunities for change.” This idea of finding utility in crisis – of making diamonds from pressure – has been especially resonant for digitally mature companies with a clear globalization strategy. The push towards digital has been tremendously accelerated by dueling health and financial crises, but Thomas doesn’t think we have yet reached the ‘digital or dead’ moment for businesses. In fact, he stresses the importance of the human element in any successful digital strategy. Having an ‘if you build it, they will come’ view of digitalization isn’t enough to compete in the new climate; companies need to focus on creating a cohesive ecosystem where digitalization plays a part, but humans are prioritized.
Indeed, technological transformation has driven many of the bigger business stories of 2021, but perhaps just as importantly, we are living in a time of people transformation. As Thomas astutely pointed out, digital channels have amplified a business’ voice, and in turn, its ethos. It has never been more important for businesses to connect with their customers by promoting their values, providing inspiration, and steering their ship in a positive direction. We’re all in this together was the mantra of the past year, and that collective empowerment can carry us to exciting new places. To sum up the importance of socially aware leadership, Thomas points to a moving and commanding speech by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, that tackles misogyny head-on.
Imagination and the art of the possible
The human element fuelling Thomas Murray’s new normal is also key for Mel McVeigh, VP of Product Commerce & Consumer Brands at Condé Nast. Mel followed up Murray’s remarks with a wholly original keynote that inspired viewers to nurture collaborative thinking, think creatively, and re-frame challenges in new ways. Mel highlighted the importance of imagination and inspiration, using Zaha Hadid’s design of the Morpheus Hotel in Macau as an example of foregoing functionality in order to smash paradigms and create new ways of seeing the world.
One of the most interesting points Mel made, out of many, is that it’s important to break free from the algorithms that are increasingly controlling our world. The serendipitous moments that inspire, surprise, and change our beliefs are quickly disappearing, as big data is now creating carefully considered blueprints for our daily lives. For Mel, disrupting these algorithms can be as simple as sharing music playlists with friends, so that streaming services might suggest a wider variety of genres and artists in the future. Algorithms are based on past behavior, after all, so how can people evolve if everything they’re shown revolves around the past? If you’ve ever made an online purchase, only to be chased by ads for that same exact product across different channels for weeks, you can probably relate.
Mel also stresses the importance of data blindness, or not losing your ability to think critically or instinctually in the face of data. While this could potentially be considered counter-programming to the messaging of the current climate – that data is the best way to navigate choppy waters – Mel isn’t discounting the importance of information, only highlighting the importance of humans. Computers and algorithms can learn the rules, after all, but they can’t break them like an artist.
To learn more about the event and the Think Global Forum, follow us on #ThinkGlobalForumSummitWeek and visit https://www.thinkglobalforum.org.