From Digital Dawn to Morning

The Economic Times     9th February 2021     Save    

Context: Digital transformation has occurred all around us. It impacted every business, reducing economic growth immensely.

Impact of Digital Transformation in different dimensions:

  • In foreign policy: There would be one policy for the physical world and another for the digital one involving matters like data-sharing, digital currency and the virtual world.
  • On elections and governance: 
    • Democratised or conservative data-sharing will feature in election manifestos.
    • Decisions like national Bills will be augmented via algorithms and use of data.
  • In the health sector: 
    • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) base predictions will reduce false health alarms, lead to better-personalised treatment, and lower insurance and healthcare per-capita costs.
    • Telemedicine will transform care and reduce hospitalisation, increasing life expectancy.
    • AI-enabled medical devices: Wearables will, one day, become like tattoos, also being able to record health data like diabetes readings, cardiac health and body temperature.
    • Blockchain electronic health records.
  • Helps people with disabilities: Augmented Humans (AH) which was matured from Augmented Reality (AR) with the ease of 3D printing bionic limbs will help people with disabilities 
  • Reformed ‘traditional’ industries to smart industries: e.g.
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI), car automation, mattress industry (where mattresses can make themselves warm or cold based on the ambient temperature).
  • Radical changes to the business world.
    • ‘Digital twin’ technology — generation or collection of digital data representing a physical object — is, for instance, revolutionary.
    • Delivery of financial products: WhatsApp has announced plans to launch micro insurance and pension products.
    • Increase in digital innovations will create healthy competition and will bring down digital cost and increase usage.
          Conclusion: Government should build digital infrastructure based on the requirements of the public sector to increase its innovation outputs and improving public services.