Global accountancy firm PwC has been dabbling in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for awhile now, setting up its own specialist division which saw the creation of an interactive map in 2017 detailing the UK’s VR/AR industry. Today, the company has announced its latest project – built in collaboration with creative agency REWIND – a VR experience that aims to help PwC’s clients explore and better understand the range of potential future disruptions that could impact their organisation.
The companies built an immersive experience of a future city, illustrating how emerging technologies (including megadrones and robotics), as well as various social and climate trends, might impact our future.
PwC has said that more than 100 people have been guided through the experience already as part of its pilot phase, including clients in banking, transport, local government and the public sector. Participants use VR to spot 20 potential disruptions around them in a future city environment and collectively rate their credibility and impact.
Jeremy Dalton, VR lead at PwC, said in a statement: “VR is a unique medium to tell the story of disruption, allowing our clients to experience the potential impact first-hand and bring their challenges to life in a much more immersive way. It enables far more meaningful conversations about the risks faced by each organisation as a result. This tool demonstrates there is far more to VR than gaming – it’s a technology with huge potential across a whole host of sectors, including professional services, with its power to engage people in a new way.”
“Organisations are facing so many potential disruptions today – not only from technological advances, but from the collision of broader megatrends, from ageing populations to income inequality,” adds Leo Johnson, disruption lead partner at PwC. “We’ve established a new team specialising in disruption to help our clients stay one step ahead of these risks and build future-proofed strategies. The challenge is to map out the potential disruptions an organisation could face, separate out the reality from the hype, and then look at strategies to transform risk into opportunity. The value of the VR tool is that it brings the future into the present and allows our clients a first-hand glimpse of how exponential technologies will start to transform the business landscape.”
As businesses continue to use VR in all its forms, VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest developments.