No Mr Bond, I expect you to AI-how will 007 adapt to the tech era?
Does your employer care about your wellbeing? Are you happy with your retirement and pension options? Do you feel that your accomplishments are recognised?
All standard questions for a ‘best workplace’ award. And if James Bond were answering, MI6’s results would make for grim reading. That being said – when it comes to equipping agents for success, the organisation has consistently ranked 10/10.
007 has been blessed with a never-ending conveyor belt of gadgets and gizmos. Whether it was Desmond Llewelyn or Ben Whishaw – Q’s commitment to innovation has never wavered.
Who could forget the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, equipped with ejector seats and machine guns hidden in the headlights? What about Tomorrow Never Dies’ dual-purpose mobile phone – allowing Bond to take calls one moment and deliver 20,000 volts the next?
Even Daniel Craig’s iteration, arguably the most grounded character since Sean Connery’s, saw his Walther PPK brought kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. Apparently Touch ID is now a standard feature for guns – who knew?
It’s been three years since we last saw Bond grace the silver screen. How our lives have changed. AI was still more fiction than fact. Yes, the character has always had a penchant for cutting-edge technology, but even Bond couldn’t have forecasted the rapid transformation we’re seeing – in business and in life.
For a brief moment, it looked like Aaron Taylor-Johnson would be the latest actor to take on the 007 mantle. Whilst he has since ruled himself out of the running, it did raise an interesting question…
How will Bond operate in this new digitally-driven age?
For a start, he, like many of us, will have to say goodbye to a jet-setting lifestyle. The golden sands of Thunderball’s Paradise Beach is now more likely to be his Zoom background than reality.
And as the drumbeat of sustainability grows ever louder, can MI6 even justify chartering expensive private jets on a daily basis? Do they have an environmental policy in place that covers carbon offsetting? If the next Bond is going to continue this trend, he better get used to sitting in economy (and asking Q for some noise cancelling headphones wouldn’t go amiss).
Of course, this is contingent on Bond remaining a full-time field agent. With the UK being labelled Europe’s work-from-home capital, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him request a switch to hybrid working like most of the modern business world. I suggest taking a leaf out of Blofeld’s book if he does – provided his high-backed leather chair has enough lumbar support.
All of this would mean saying goodbye to the high-octane brawls on train roofs. Instead, audiences will get to see Bond’s avatar going toe-to-toe with minions in the metaverse. Whilst this may not sound quite as exciting, at least he will still look suave and sophisticated: it’s only 99p for the tuxedo skin.
Should Bond trade in his old lifestyle, it might be time for a slightly different company car. Forget missiles and tire shredders – the only specifications he should care about is the range of his new EV (Bond’s not immune to the charging infrastructure issues). Thankfully, Aston Martin can still be his ride of choice. The hybrid Valhalla would be an apt substitute as he joins modern-day business leaders in acting more sustainably.
That doesn’t mean Q can’t work his magic. It won’t take long for the tech whizz to get to grips with AI. Maybe the Valhalla will offer autonomous steering, allowing Bond to scroll through his TikTok ‘For You’ page. ‘Hands-free’ will take on a whole new meaning, with AI-powered voice search ensuring he can get his theme tune playing without a click of a button.
As we often state to business leaders, it’s worth pointing out that not all technology has to be groundbreaking. Yes, fancy gadgets elicit oohs and aahs, but practicality trumps thrills and spills. No longer will M have to put together briefing forms for Bond – they can simply put the instructions through ChatGPT, saving time that would be better spent sipping a Martini.
Whoever is privileged enough to be cast as the next Bond certainly has some big shoes to fill – and no, we’re not talking about the dagger shoes from Die Another Day. However, they can take a modicum of comfort in the fact that there is no real comparison to be made to the past.
As most of the clients we work with, he will be operating in a realm full of technological unknowns and learning as he goes. Which makes for an exciting new chapter that even Ian Fleming could not have predicted.
