What technology trends will—and should—lead business agendas in 2022?

March 2, 2022 | Interactive

We asked leaders in industry, academia, and at McKinsey to share their perspectives on the technology trends likely to headline business agendas this year, the ones that could—but shouldn’t—slip through the cracks, and what executives should think about when considering new technologies. Here is what they told us.

Metaverse. Web3. Crypto. 5G.

These are just a few of the technologies grabbing headlines at the start of 2022. But what technology trends truly sit atop business agendas this year? Which might be under executives’ radars but should be surfaced? And what should business leaders keep in mind as they consider these trends?

We asked some members of the McKinsey Technology Council, a group of global experts convened to assess, track, and debate real emerging trends in business and technology, for their perspectives on these questions. Specifically, we asked the following:

  • What technology trend do you predict will headline business agendas for the remainder of 2022 and why?
  • What technology trend do you think is under businesses’ radars but merits more of executives’ attention?
  • What’s one piece of advice you would give to business leaders as they consider incorporating new technologies into their business?

Their answers might surprise you. While some leaders keyed in on bleeding-edge technologies such as quantum computing, others focused on bringing more rigor and operationalization to technologies that have been around for several years, such as machine learning. And their advice to business leaders often indicates that some age-old issues, such as breaking down organizational silos and reskilling the workforce, remain pertinent.

Explore their responses and share those that most resonate with you—we’ve made it easy to share each one individually. Also feel free to let us know what technology trends and questions are on your mind by emailing us at [email protected].

Acknowledgments

This interactive experience was written and led by McKinsey Digital’s David DeLallo and Nadine Mansour and developed by McKinsey Global Publishing’s Sean Conrad, Zachary Enco, Matt Jennings, and Duane Tomaszewski. And a special thanks to Susan Moore for her help.

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