Microsoft Word Turns 41: What Does the Future Hold for the World’s Favorite Word Processor?
If you’ve used a computer, it’s almost certain that you’ve used Microsoft Word.
The aptly named word processor is one of the most influential computer programs in history. From schools to businesses, it has become a daily part of life for millions of users around the world.
Word became ubiquitous worldwide because it offered something unique. It was the first word processing software to embody what Microsoft described as the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) design philosophy.
The idea that what you see on the screen is what you get when you press print is taken for granted in the modern world. But it was a game changer at the time. Within ten years of its official release, Microsoft Word captured a 90 percent share of the word processing market, officially marking itself as one of the most successful software products of all time.
Last week, on October 25, 2024, Microsoft Word turned 41 years old. It’s been a long time since it changed the world by delivering WYSIWYG. So what does the future hold for the world’s most popular processor?
Processing a milestone
Change is on the horizon for Word. But that’s not because we don’t need word processing software anymore.
Digital documents form the basis of the daily work of approximately 1.2 billion people. Knowledge workers – professionals who generate value for their organizations through expertise, critical thinking and interpersonal skills – use documents every day. The majority need some form of business document to translate the work they do into deliverable value.
So what’s changing?
People still need processors like Word. But in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, word processors no longer require humans as they did before. The practitioners (us) are being disrupted, not the processors. And this is a good thing.
Knowledge is power
Large companies are the product of many small processes. But small processes can take a big toll on people.
Repetitive tasks not only negatively impact a business by taking up hours of experts’ time, but also reduce employee happiness and productivity. And this is why there is so much buzz about AI and Generative AI (GenAI) for businesses. AI could add £119 billion to the UK economy in workplace productivity alone by saving professionals up to 2.9 hours a day, new research shows
AI and generative AI (GenAI) are extremely powerful. But it is nowhere near able to do what knowledge workers do – which requires human nuance, understanding and a deep sense of context. Knowledge workers solve unique problems every day. AI is only effective if it is provided with large amounts of accurate information and context.
However, there are areas where AI and automation excel.
Manually managing knowledge and driving value through processors like Word is a time-consuming, yet critical, daily task for professionals around the world. New technology platforms are filling the gap between AI and human knowledge work by automating document generation.
The impact of this is twofold. First, by increasing the efficiency with which employees can perform small tasks, experts can get on with the things that deliver real value. Second, companies themselves reduce the potential risk caused by human error, saving money and protecting reputation.
For example, banks are built on documents. Every financial institution has vast libraries of documents, sales sheets, applications and more. There’s a lot of information – and no room for error. As a result, UK banks and fintechs spend £21.4k per hour fighting financial crime and fraud, bringing Britain’s annual compliance bill to £38.3 billion.
We are entering the second wave of AI innovation. (Which may not be as exciting or flashy as the first). But in this era, it’s clearer where exactly AI and automation can have the biggest impact: enabling knowledge workers to focus on the things that drive value – and enabling companies to become more efficient and secure.
Organize your documents
Knowledge workers – whether they work at a bank, a law firm or a consulting firm – are forced to become masters of tools like Microsoft Word. In order to construct a building, an engineer would first have to lay the foundation with documents.
But this is no longer necessary.
Microsoft Word is turning 41 and is not in danger of becoming defunct. But his future looks very different from his past. Document work is automated. And this means that we, the users, are set free. Or perhaps it is the Word that is delivered from us. Documents are here to stay. But documenting is not.
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