Top Trends In Digital Transformation (And How They Put People First)
Digital transformation is usually thought of as adopting technology to streamline, support and improve a company’s internal and customer-facing processes. However, the true goal is to empower people—giving professionals more time and tools to dig into meaningful, fulfilling work; better serve customers; and connect, collaborate and create in new and powerful ways.
Centering innovation on people ensures less resistance to change, tech enhancements that truly serve users and businesses that are better able to carry out their mission and vision. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council detail emerging trends in digital transformation that put people first—and why it’s so important to do so.
1. Self-Service Tools
A key trend is self-service everything—self-service agents, business intelligence, forecasts and more. Every information asset becomes something employees can mold. This shift empowers individuals to innovate directly, speeding up decisions, reducing bottlenecks and putting people at the heart of digital transformation through hands-on, intuitive access to data and tools. – Florian Douetteau, Dataiku
2. Leveraging AI To Fulfill Customers’ Wants
Too much focus on AI in digital transformation misses the point. The real priority isn’t AI itself—it’s understanding what the customer truly wants. Organizations must step into their customers’ shoes, identify their needs and then let AI handle execution. AI isn’t the goal; it’s the tool that brings seamless, intuitive experiences to life when used with the right focus. – Satish Natarajan, Dispatchtrack
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
3. Product Engineering And ‘Vibe Coding’
In this new intersection of product and engineering roles, professionals will need to focus on what to build and why (that is, determine what the customer needs and what will impact the business). Then, they can leverage AI to build the product itself (for coding, design and so on). It is an interesting trend that will free up people’s time to focus on defining the “what” and “why.” – Carlos Lau, Kurios
4. AI As A Decision-Making Co-Pilot
One emerging trend in digital transformation that puts people at the center of innovation is AI-augmented decision-making. Instead of replacing humans, AI acts as a savvy co-pilot, providing insights, predictions and recommendations while leaving final decisions to people. This enhances expertise, reduces errors and empowers professionals in multiple fields, ensuring smarter, human-driven outcomes. – Yuriy Gnatyuk, Kindgeek
5. Hyper-Personalization
An emerging trend in digital transformation that prioritizes people is hyper-personalization. This approach leverages AI, machine learning and real-time analytics to create tailored experiences based on individual behaviors, preferences and needs. – Swati Tyagi
6. Open APIs
Digital transformation isn’t just about new technology; it’s also about smarter connections. Open APIs enable seamless interoperability, allowing businesses to integrate the tools that work best for them. This flexibility fosters innovation, efficiency and scalability, which can lead to less administrative work, better customer care and a future where technology works for people, not the other way around. – Eric Giesecke, Planet DDS
7. Human-In-The-Loop AI Strategies
One of the biggest challenges with AI is still hallucination. Incorporating a human-in-the-loop approach—where human oversight is gradually reduced as confidence and safeguards improve—sets you up for long-term success. This iterative process ensures reliability while leveraging AI’s full potential. – Naga Vadrevu, Wonderschool inc.
8. Citizen Developer Programs
Putting people at the center of innovation includes initiatives like Citizen Developer Programs, which empower individuals to contribute to digital solutions and ensure that technology meets the needs of the entire community. These initiatives not only drive technological advancement, but also prioritize people’s well-being and active participation in the innovation process. – Sreekanth Narayan, LTIMindtree
9. Collaborative Ecosystems
An emerging trend in digital transformation is the creation of collaborative ecosystems. These digital platforms enable companies, customers and partners to co-create solutions together, placing people at the heart of the innovation process. By fostering collaboration and shared value, businesses can develop more inclusive, user-driven innovations. – Darko Pavic, Fiscal Solutions
10. Technology Co-Creation With Customers
Technology companies are increasingly involving their customers directly in development by using feedback loops, conducting user testing and promoting collaborative design. This approach prioritizes individuals, ensuring that innovations align more closely with real needs and improve the user experience. – Paresh Sagar, Excellent Webworld
11. ‘Intuitively Human’ Technology
The “experience economy” meets AI—it’s less about features and more about feelings. Technology now aims to create personalized journeys, not just efficient ones. Imagine interfaces that learn your preferences, anticipate your needs and adapt in real time. It’s about tech that’s intuitively human. – Jay Shah, Caldo Restaurant Technologies
12. Low- And No-Code Platforms
The rise of low-code and no-code platforms empowers nontechnical employees to build and deploy applications, putting their domain expertise directly into the innovation process. For example, a marketing team can build a customer survey tool without needing extensive coding knowledge, directly addressing their specific needs and iterating quickly. – Nikhil Jathar, AvanSaber Technologies
13. Developer Experience
A focus on the developer experience is an emerging digital transformation trend. It is essentially a set of tools, practices and workflows designed to make the life of a software developer easier, more productive and more enjoyable. DX aligns well with the broader trend of people-centric innovation, whether it’s focused on customers or employees. This creates a seamless, engaging experience that can lead to better outcomes. – John Anand Lourdusamy, Capital One
14. Identity-Centric AI
An emerging trend in digital transformation is identity-centric AI, which personalizes user experiences while maintaining strict access governance. By leveraging dynamic identity graphs and adaptive authentication, organizations can tailor workflows to individual needs without compromising security. This approach enhances trust, reduces friction and ensures that people—not just systems—drive innovation. – Craig Davies, Gathid
15. Vision-Language Models
Vision-language models are redefining accessibility by giving individuals who are blind a virtual lens to experience the world. By automating complex visual tasks like scene interpretation and object recognition, these models enable people to focus on living more independently and confidently—proving that technology can truly empower human potential in ways we once only imagined. – Shrikant Nagori, Socratic
16. Neuro-Inclusive Design
A neuro-inclusive design approach is an emerging but overlooked trend in digital transformation. By integrating adaptive interfaces, cognitive load management and a sensory-friendly UX, businesses create digital experiences that support neurodivergent users. This enhances accessibility, unlocks untapped talent and fosters innovation that benefits all users, driving a more inclusive digital future. – Sai Sandeep Ogety, ogetysaisandeep.org
17. Cross-Functional Strategy And Design Teams
More and more organizations are creating cross-functional teams, where people from different disciplines and backgrounds come together to solve problems. From strategy to product design, this makes innovation a team sport rather than something done “upstream” by a particular department. It helps create more and stronger ideas that have input from different perspectives. – Tobin Harris, Pocketworks
18. Human-Centric Cybersecurity
Human-centric cybersecurity is an emerging trend in digital transformation. Organizations are integrating user behavior analytics, zero-trust models and AI-driven security to enhance protection without disrupting productivity. By focusing on seamless user experiences and adaptive security, businesses ensure innovation while safeguarding critical assets and data. – Srikanth Bellamkonda