Smarter Technology for All Where Intelligent Transformation Meets Tech for Good

By Sally Eaves

Innovating with purpose is a global imperative and the future of technology goes way beyond speed, feeds and performance guarantees, to the very heart of our communities. It is here that connectivity, device functionality, experience and accessibility can come together to create a transformational difference to everyday lives, from education right through to healthcare. A recent global survey by Lenovo, the world’s largest PC vendor by unit sales and the fourth biggest smartphone maker, reveals that 84% of people believe technology can help address and solve the biggest challenges of our time.

At CES2020 this year and follow-up interactions since, I have been encouraged to see up close the companies’ commitment to collaboration, craftsmanship and innovation – applying technology for cutting edge intelligent transformation whilst advancing social impact at scale. Much attention at and post CES has been afforded to award winning industry firsts such as the rollout of Lenovo’s ‘Yoga 5G’; the world’s first PC capable of connecting to a 5G network, the ‘ThinkBook Plus’ – a laptop you can write on, and the mesmerizing – and nostalgic! Motorola razr  Razr flip, a phone you can literally feel and a testament to the art of design.

However, I have been equally captivated by the technology that can enable a breadth and depth of difference to society too, enabling the democratization of opportunity, and at scale.  This is Lenovo’s vision of ‘Smarter Technology for All’ which visualizes the tech industry leadership role the company commits to playing in the world where technologies including Artificial Intelligence, 5G, VR and AR can be harnessed to address global problems, create new opportunities and transform the way we all live, learn, work and heal.

This is not about doing ‘one good thing’ – it’s about a sustained and embedded commitment that starts with culture and values, and is reflected in the technology that is imagined, designed and ultimately created. This smarter ethos ‘never stands still’ in pursuit of pushing limits and breaking down barriers. And from my experience so far, 4 core pillars have emerged as critical anchors in this journey: Sustainability, Inclusion, Education and Partnership.

Sustainability

To enable Smarter Technology for All, a commitment to sustainability is key and Lenovo has been recognised as a world leader in corporate sustainability for addressing change impacts and supplier engagement. This assessment comes from CDP – an independent non-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impact. Consumers expectations are evolving, from actively asking about compliance, to actual behavioural change around consumption that can involve moving away from products, services and brands that do not embed this as a priority. Lenovo has reduced its greenhouse emissions by 92% through streamlining packaging, cooperating with ethical suppliers, and proactively adhering to environmental regulations before these even become standard. The company’s latest sustainability report can be found here.

Some meaningful projects on climate action are in process too. Scientists and researchers are creating meteorological simulations of unprecedented detail and accuracy on Lenovo supercomputers to predict future weather patterns. This will allow governments and partner organisations the world over to better mitigate the impact of climate change. Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and high end GPU power are also playing vital roles.

In particular, the partnership with North Carolina State University is enabling the extraction of relevant actionable knowledge from datasets to improve water and energy conservation; vital to increase crop productivity as the world becomes increasingly urban and with the population set to reach 10 billion by 2050. These activities are at the heart of creating shared value by sustainable development.

Inclusion

Smarter embraces difference. A digital future that is inclusive of everyone, everywhere is not a nice to have – its a business and a societal imperative. It is also an opportunity to catalyse innovation as multiple studies have shown. And as a truly global company, employing 57,000 people and conducting business in 180 markets, Lenovo is positioned to make a global difference here too.

Lenovo aims to achieve 20% female leadership globally and in the US, 28% of executives to come from underrepresented groups by the end of 2020, with significant milestones already achieved. This is supported by dedicated development programs and active listening across the organisation to help educate and build awareness, address gaps and leverage best practices. But when we talk about inclusion, one community is frequently left out – those with disabilities. It was therefore really encouraging to see this focus take center stage at a recent panel that included Haben Girma, the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School and a global advocate for people with disabilities. Haben also became Lenovo’s first Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor in late 2019.

When we design the breakthrough products and services of the future, we must ensure these are truly accessible and this involves focusing on hiring processes, training and overarching culture to ensure we attract and retain a diversity of talent and a diversity of experience. Further, inclusion is not an initiative – people with disabilities are consumers too and with one billion people, some 15% of the world’s population, experiencing a form of disability, this is possibility the most underexplored business opportunity of our time. It’s time to co-create solutions and change the narrative on inclusion, and especially how people with disabilities are viewed. Let’s come together by doing well and doing good.

Education

Smarter futures can be best fostered through combining education alongside technology. The Lenovo Foundation is a great example. This philanthropic organisation is focused on supporting and empowering marginalized individuals and communities – and on providing Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths (STEM) access and education to under-resourced communities. Already impacting over one million people, it aims to engage, through volunteering, one in three Lenovo employees.

The MeshMinds 2.0 project is one such venture and which offers 20 immersive multi-sensory experiences by a new generation of artists that are ready to tackle the toughest challenges facing our planet, whilst evolving the conversation on sustainability. There are also many exciting and meaningful synergies here with Aspirational Futures focused on STEAM, Tech for Good and Social Impact at scale which it was a pleasure to discuss with Torod Neptune, Chief Communications Officer at Lenovo and a passionate advocate of Tech for Good.

And this focus on education also applies to opening-up awareness and action on issues such as protecting our privacy, especially with the day by day increase in the volume, velocity and variety of data we are experiencing. By 2025, it’s estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be created globally every day. Putting this into practice, Lenovo has developed software to blur your computer screen if someone is watching over your shoulder, providing a discrete alert icon so that the user is aware this has occurred. This automated layer of protection uses eye tracking technology but does not retain any data – enabling security without sacrifice.

Partnership

Bringing the actualization of Smarter Technology for All together is an ethos and openness to partnership to make sustainable change happen and at scale. One example is between Lenovo and Intel working together to modernize the HPC infrastructure at Austria’s most powerful supercomputer, the VSC-4. Supporting scientists from higher education institutions across the country, this will accelerate progress in addressing life-enhancing challenges from quantum chemistry and materials science, to meteorology and genetics.

And there are many community orientated partnerships too, with the Starlight Foundation a wonderfully inspiring example. This organisation aims to ‘deliver happiness’ – what better purpose can there be – and transport hospitalized children to another world using the Lenovo Mirage™ Solo Virtual Reality handset. As well as providing an escape, this has been shown to even reduce pain in these young patients. View aA really moving film of this experience here.

In conclusion, it is clear why research suggests 84% of people believe technology can help address and solve the big global problems of our time. It is critical to go beyond designing and manufacturing great products, but for these products to be relevant, accessible and meaningful, delivering shared value to consumers and society at large. In this way, we can empower intelligent transformation and come together to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges too.

Here's a link for @NHS #volunteering – have signed up & there are lots of roles from #food delivery to phoning on residents to check on #Wellbeing & combating #loneliness https://t.co/jD2OKwDjgR Plus a very visual reminder on #WashYourHands too#COVID19 #21daylockdown #StayHome pic.twitter.com/fYqF6QfPPO

— Dr. Sally Eaves #KindnessMatters #StayHome (@sallyeaves) March 25, 2020

About the Author

Prof. Sally Eaves is a highly experienced Chief Technology Officer, Professor in Advanced Technologies and a Global Strategic Advisor on Digital Transformation specialising in the application of emergent technologies, notably AI, FinTech, Blockchain & 5G disciplines, for business transformation and social impact at scale.

An international Keynote Speaker and Author, Sally was an inaugural recipient of the Frontier Technology and Social Impact award, presented at the United Nations in 2018 and has been described as the ‘torchbearer for ethical tech’ founding Aspirational Futures to enhance inclusion, diversity and belonging in the technology space and beyond.

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