It is fascinating to think about what the future will bring as technology keeps changing the way we live our daily lives. As time goes on, we rely less and less on traditional methods. For instance, in the past when students wrote research papers they had to go through library books to get the information they needed. Now, they can use the internet to find any type of information in a matter of seconds.
We talked with Sidd Pagidipati, an entrepreneur that founded a number of global brands including Freedom Health, Inventcorp, and Talent.me, about how technology has transformed the way people live.
Q: How has technology changed the workplace?
Sidd Pagidipati: Back in the days, heavy expenses had to be made in order to reach the clients, everyone had to be present in a room in order to have a meeting and there was a lot of paperwork to be dealt with. With massive technological advancements taking over the place in the past decades, all of these operations have been greatly simplified.
Without adding efficiency in their operations, there was no way businesses could survive in the modern world. With technological advancements like tablets, smartphones, cloud storage, high-speed internet and so much more these operations have been facilitated. What helps them do things with great precision and in a shorter amount of time is the access to these technologies.
Communication has also reached another level, where clients are easily reached, meetings are held through video conferences, and emails are being exchanged on the go. Collaboration between people who work together has improved hugely, and distances have become irrelevant.
In the past, businesses were very vulnerable to threats. Nowadays, critical information can stay safe thanks to appropriate security channels that every business has implemented. To make sure that the employees don’t engage in some practices that may be harmful to the interests of the company, the owner can check up on the employees’ communications and digital activities. Corporate espionage and stealing critical information might have been easy in the past, but now it is significantly decreasing due to the high chance of the people getting caught.
Q: How has technology influenced the small businesses?
Sidd Pagidipati: Technology is used by small business owners in reducing business costs. Many back-office functions like payroll, accounting, and record-keeping can be automated with basic enterprise software. Small businesses can improve their communication with consumers through apps, websites, texting, and emails. They can easily saturate the economic market with the message they are trying to send by using different kinds of communication methods. Reducing the amount of human labor in business functions can be done through technology, which will result in reducing labor costs.
With technology, small businesses can reach international markets rather than selling products and services on the local market. The most common way that businesses sell products in new economic markets is through retail websites. Websites are an option that is low-cost and consumers can access it 24/7 when they need something.
Q: What’s the influence technology has on our lives?
Sidd Pagidipati: New apps, platforms, and websites are revolutionizing the way we leave our lives. Online shopping is an incredibly easy way to buy what you need without leaving the comfort of your home. You won’t need to make several trips to different stores, instead, you’re just a couple of clicks away from getting the products you need. Everything can be delivered in front of your doorsteps in case you don’t have the time to run to the store. Most of the items you own in your home are automated, which makes your life much safer, organized, and easier. Our homes are now more secure than ever thanks to security cameras and automated door locks.
There are huge amounts of information available on the internet like audio, videos, images, and books that will allow you to educate yourself endlessly. Right now, online courses are on the rise and most of them cost nothing. Access to education has expanded thanks to technology. Learning in classrooms is made much more fun, convenient and effective through presentations and visual lessons.
The driving force behind the enormous improvements in healthcare is definitely technology. The mistakes made by doctors and significantly reduced due to the fact that the majority of the hospitals nowadays implemented new technology in surgical rooms and hospitals. You can easily monitor your heart rate, weight or other health properties via mobile and desktop apps.
Technology has also made it possible for individuals to travel long distances without any problems. Nowadays, airplanes, buses, trains, and cards as a means of transport have become a basic human need.
Q: What can we expect in the future?
Sidd Pagidipati: CRISPR is a technology that is capable of removing sections of DNA that are mutated. Once the mutated section is removed, it can be replaced with non-mutated variants. We hope that in the future, genetic diseases can be eliminated with the help of CRISPR, because this technology has already been used in some patients, and its early results show the possibility of curing genetically caused blindness among other things.
Doctors are also producing body parts that are made to order. They scour cells of the body part and grow them in a petri dish until the body part is strong enough to be implanted inside the patients. Companies are also developing 3D printers that are capable of printing body parts. Once this technology becomes functional, patients will be provided organ replacements that could potentially be lifesaving.
AI has the power to singlehandedly change almost every industry out there starting from farming to the medical world. Artificial intelligence is getting smarter and better at performing complex tasks than its human creators. AI will change the way we create and work.
Technology has put useful information at our fingertips by creating amazing tools and resources. There will be profound changes in the future through technology revolutions that will surface in the years to come. Embrace technology and discover how it can better your life and become an essential part of it.