Rachel Laycock, Thoughtworks

Looking Glass 2024

Bringing tech-led changes into focus

Typical technology trend reports will identify what they think demand your attention. Looking Glass is different: it’s designed to help you use your attention more effectively. It does this by offering you a way of looking at trends, a way of analyzing and interpreting emerging technologies so you can make informed decisions for your organization.

 

Making those decisions has arguably never been more challenging. Today’s rapid pace of technological change can make it difficult to form a clear view on what’s ahead and where you're likely to see the most value for your investments. While the shockwaves caused by significant technologies like ChatGPT will undeniably shape what the future looks like, the past certainly shouldn’t be read as a manual for what’s next. That’s why we publish Looking Glass.

 

In this 2024 edition, we’ve identified over 100 trends through five lenses that we see as defining the future of technology in business. Some of these trends are already shaping the way organizations operate, while others are somewhere on the horizon, attracting attention and conversation but firmly rooted in the future. As a business leader, it's critical to take a high-level view on the key trends shaping the world's businesses and technologies — regardless of the trends happening now or further in the future. Looking Glass is a tool for doing just that — and the lenses on which it is built offer precisely this all-important high-level view. Ultimately, it ensures your organization is adaptable, resilient and well-primed to weather or leverage the technology changes that are an inevitable part of modern life. 

 

Rachel Laycock, Chief Technology Officer, Thoughtworks

 

Lenses: key trends to help you explore technology’s impact

 

In each lens, we present opportunities for implementing technology in your business and signals to gauge how fast something is approaching. We categorize each of the 100+ trends in two dimensions: the prevalence across enterprises — seeing nowbeginning to see or on the horizon — and our recommended strategic response — adoptanalyze or anticipate

 

You'll find each of Looking Glass 2024's five lenses below. Start exploring to begin formulating your response to the trends that will shape your industry's and your organization's future.

Read previous editions of Looking Glass