Accenture Federal Services

The Federal Catalyst

The Federal Catalyst with Accenture Federal Services is a podcast series addressing critical management and technology issues for federal leaders.

Can government master the metaverse?

Episode 1: Can government master the metaverse? – Federal Technology Vision

The Accenture Federal Technology Vision is our annual big picture look at the top technology trends poised to disrupt government over the next three years. This year’s report examines an emerging technology landscape created following the compressed transformation enterprises pursued in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Technologies, including extended reality, blockchain, 5G, the internet of things, quantum computing, synthetic data, and smart materials, are converging into the Metaverse Continuum. What’s surprising to some is how the federal government is leading this charge in many cases.

In this episode, Accenture Federal Services’ Terrianne Lord speaks with Chief Technology Officer Chris Copeland and Chief Innovation Officer Kyle Michl about the Accenture Federal Technology Vision 2022: Government Enters the Metaverse. They are the lead authors for this year’s research, and Lord is a contributor to Trend 1: WebMe report.

Episode 1: Government Enters the Metaverse, Chris Copeland, Kyle Michl and Terrianne Lord

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Web3 puts me in the metaverse

Episode 2: Web3 puts me in the metaverse, Kyle Michl, E.J. Dougherty and Dave Dalling

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Episode 2: WebMe: Putting the me in metaverse – Federal Technology Vision

The Accenture Federal Technology Vision 2022: Government Enters the Metaverse looks at four technology trends poised to disrupt government over the next three years.  Trend 1: WebMe – Putting the Me in the Metaverse examines how today’s internet is being reimagined.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a long-standing trend where individuals invest more time and energy into their digital lives. The emerging metaverse aspires to make these environments and interactions more lifelike, while Web3 technologies give individuals greater agency in these new worlds.

In this episode, Kyle Michl, chief innovation officer for Accenture Federal Services, talks with two of the report’s coauthors, E.J. Dougherty and Dave Dalling. In this wide-ranging discussion, they share how they define the metaverse, what to consider when designing virtual worlds, and what gaming can teach us.

Personalizing our physical world

Episode 3: Personalizing our physical world – Federal Technology Vision

The Accenture Federal Technology Vision 2022: Government Enters the Metaverse looks at four technology trends poised to disrupt government over the next three years. Trend 2: Programmable World – Our Planet, Personalized considers how we can bring the best of our digital lives to the material world.

This trend is driven by the convergence of 5G, ambient computing, augmented reality, smart materials, and other technologies infusing unprecedented control, automation, and personalization into our physical environment.

Joining Chris Copeland, Accenture Federal Services CTO, for this episode are Jessica Bannasch and Rick Driggers, coauthors of the Trend 2 report. They discuss the importance of 5G in delivering the interactivity users expect, how federal agencies are employing digital twins, and managing the security risks created by a fabric of sensors.

The Federal Catalyst - Episode 3: Personalizing our physical world, Chris Copeland, Jessica Bannasch and Rick Driggers

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AI’s synthetic data paradox

Episode 4: AI’s synthetic data paradox, Kyle Michl, Marc Bosch-Ruiz, PhD. and Shauna Revay, PhD.,

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Episode 4: AI’s synthetic data paradox – Federal Technology Vision

The Accenture Federal Technology Vision 2022: Government Enters the Metaverse looks at four technology trends poised to disrupt government over the next three years. Trend 3: The Unreal – Making Synthetic, Authentic examines the paradox that synthetic data presents for AI.

Artificial intelligence requires data, with computer-generated data filling significant voids like privacy concerns to fuel continued innovation. However, this synthetic data can also be used to create deepfakes, bots and other forms of disinformation that erode trust in AI. As AI-generated data and synthetic content convincingly mimic what is “real,” authenticity is emerging as the new north star.

Kyle Michl explores this with Marc Bosch-Ruiz, PhD. and Shauna Revay, PhD., co-authors of the Trend 3 report. They share examples of how federal agencies fuel innovation with synthetic data and a new framework for authenticity in defining data.

What comes after Moore’s law?

Episode 5: What comes after Moore’s law? – Federal Technology Vision

The Accenture Federal Technology Vision 2022: Government Enters the Metaverse looks at four technology trends poised to disrupt government over the next three years. Trend 4: Computing the Impossible – New Machines, New Possibilities explores where computing goes once Moore’s Law reaches its physical limits.

Quantum, biologically inspired, and high-performance computers are each asserting their unique strengths, allowing federal agencies to tackle grand challenges that are at the core of their mission. As these technologies move into the mainstream, government leaders must reimagine core assumptions about their organization.

Chris Copeland joins Garland Garris and Mary Lou Hall for this conversation. As co-authors for Trend 4: Computing the Impossible, Garris and Hall share how federal agencies can prepare for this disruption, such as the need for post-quantum cryptography to protect national secrets.

Episode 5: What comes after Moore’s law? – Federal Technology Vision, Chris Copeland, Garland Garris and Mary Lou Hall

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Keep listening with the Federal Innovator podcast

The Federal Innovator podcast is a program for and about the innovators taking on the biggest challenges in the federal government. Join co-hosts Accenture’s Tim Irvine and the Atlantic Council’s Stephanie Wander as they talk with the change agents that are disrupting how the federal government operates.