Grid of five headshots of 2023-2024 Fellows

2023-2024 Accenture Fellows advance technology at the crossroads of business and society

The MIT and Accenture Convergence Initiative for Industry and Technology announces new graduate fellows.

The MIT and Accenture Convergence Initiative for Industry and Technology has selected five new research fellows for 2023-24. Now in its third year, the initiative underscores the ways in which industry and research can collaborate to spur technological innovation.

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Side-by-side headshots of Jessika Trancik, Anette Hosoi, and Thomas Malone

Supporting sustainability, digital health, and the future of work

The MIT and Accenture Convergence Initiative for Industry and Technology selects three new research projects to support.

The MIT and Accenture Convergence Initiative for Industry and Technology has selected three new research projects that will receive support from the initiative. The research projects aim to accelerate progress in meeting complex societal needs through new business convergence insights in technology and innovation.

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Stephanie Jamison and Gita Rao

A human-centric approach to adopting AI

AI-enabled robots can augment rather than replace human capabilities across manufacturing, health care, and space exploration, says Accenture’s Lan Guan and MIT’s Julie Shah.

From traditional manufacturing companies using AI in robots to build smart factories to tech startups developing automated customer service and chatbots, AI is becoming pervasive across industries.

“AI is no longer just in assistant mode, but is now playing autonomous roles in robotics, driving, knowledge generation, simulating our hands, feet, and brains,” says Lan Guan, global lead for data and AI at Accenture.

This episode is part of our “Building the future” podcast series. It’s a multi-episode series focusing on how organizations, researchers, and innovators are meeting our evolving global challenges. We understand the importance of inclusive conversations and have chosen to highlight the work of women on the cutting edge of technological innovation, and business excellence.

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Accenture’s Lan Guan and MIT’s Julie Shah

Seizing “a watershed moment” for enterprise sustainability efforts

Building the future by focusing on sustainability could improve innovation, business performance, and meet ESG goals.

Commitments toward sustainability have become a greater priority in recent years as enterprises look to comply with environmental, social, and governance standards. However, many enterprises are finding that meeting sustainability goals not only aligns with compliance but also offers opportunities to drive new value, growth, and revenue streams. “Just as the digital revolution transformed how we live and work, so now will sustainability. It will drive new value, new growth, and eventually, and I hope very soon, it's going to permeate everything that we do in business and in government,” says Stephanie Jamison, global resources industry practices chair at Accenture.

This episode is part of our “Building the future” podcast series. It’s a multi-episode series focusing on how organizations, researchers, and innovators are meeting our evolving global challenges. We understand the importance of inclusive conversations and have chosen to highlight the work of women on the cutting edge of technological innovation, and business excellence.

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Photo: Taylor and Zheng

Enabling the next iteration of the internet: The metaverse

By MIT Technology Review Insights

Building the future by adopting emerging technologies will help enterprises meet customer needs and improve employee experience.

As real and virtual worlds continue to overlap, customers are drawn in by the metaverse and its potential of highly functional and immersive environments. Conceptions of the metaverse may seem fanciful, but the metaverse promises to be the next revolution of the internet, says Denise Zheng, managing director for the Metaverse Continuum Business Group and the lead for Responsible Metaverse at Accenture.

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Photo: Rus and O'Reilly

Technology and industry convergence: A historic opportunity

By MIT Technology Review Insights

Purposeful sustainability, insightful AI, and a meaningful metaverse can be had by merging industries and innovations, says MIT professor and CSAIL director Daniela Rus and Accenture’s Kathleen O’Reilly.


Headshots of five graduate students, arranged in two rows, three photos on top and two on bottom.

Meet the 2022-23 Accenture Fellows

This year's fellows will work across research areas including telemonitoring, human-computer interactions, operations research, AI-mediated socialization, and chemical transformations.


Photo: 2021-22 Accenture Fellows

Meet the 2021-22 Accenture Fellows

The 2021-22 Accenture Fellows are bolstering research and igniting ideas to help transform global business.


Photo: Industry And Technology Convergence

Industry and Technology Convergence: The Next Frontier

The secret to convergence on the larger scale is to view technology not as an end in itself, but as a set of tools that can be combined again and again in flexible ways to solve different problems.

In today’s world where change is constant, businesses must think big to thrive and survive. One interesting solution has emerged: convergence.

Convergence occurs when the products and services of two or more separate industries are viewed by consumers as complementary. Thanks to advances in technology, convergence is now primed to play a much bigger role in enabling transformational change.

For instance, United Airlines recently expanded its existing digital platform capabilities to help customers easily find a local Covid-19 testing provider, book appointments and receive confirmation whether their test results complied with their destination’s requirements directly from the United app and website. By adding in helpful healthcare services, the airline is elevating customer care and improving the overall customer experience.

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