What Is a Moonshot? 

The term moonshot is often referred to as a ‘long shot’. It’s the pursuit of a lofty goal, often one that’s never been tried (or accomplished) before. It originated in the 1960s, when NASA aimed for the moon — and pushed the boundaries of technology and human innovation to get there. 

Since then, moonshot has been adapted in business to describe an ambitious, cutting-edge project. 

What is a moonshot used for? 

For tech companies, moonshot thinking encourages thinking outside the box. It refers to a groundbreaking pursuit that tends to be risky. But why is it risky? Because often, these exploratory missions haven’t fully investigated the potential benefits or risks. 

While you can’t anticipate every possible problem, blasting into the far reaches of space with no sight of your target doesn’t seem great. 

So… why is moonshot thinking important? 

In technology, advancement is rapidly evolving. Moonshot thinking encourages a mindset of development, experimentation and big ideas. Without it, our society wouldn’t be where it is today. 

Are there advantages to moonshot thinking? 

Moonshot thinking encourages us to take a huge, seemingly insurmountable problem and look for a solution. There are no small steps in moonshot thinking — only big leaps. 

Why is Automation Moonshot Technology Important? 

By incorporating a digital workforce, moonshot thinking can offer enterprises the ability to not only survive, but thrive in a world with a growing population, labor and skills shortages, and changing industry regulations. 

Automation can revolutionize the workforce by tackling productivity, human well-being and fostering an ecosystem of innovation and adaptability. 

Intelligent automation (IA) incorporates robotic process automation (RPA) with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to deploy an intelligent digital workforce that automates processes, improves workflows and enhances operational efficiency. IA is well-suited for forward-thinking organizations set on improvement. 

5 benefits of moonshot thinking with intelligent automation 

Understandably, organizations working with older, legacy systems have concerns about new technologies; and their implementation of a digital workforce may, indeed, seem like a desperate attempt to shoot for the moon.  

But IA can work within legacy systems to provide a digital workforce with transformative and protective benefits, including: 

1. Modifying the human labor model to respond to fluctuating circumstances. 
2. Improving responsiveness to an increasing end-customer population with heightened demands. 
3. Reducing risk and helping manage increased regulation compliance. 
4. Competing more effectively with well-equipped and new businesses that are redefining how they work. 
5. Positioning the human workforce to innovate rather than manage procedural tasks of lesser value. 

With the right IA solutions and operating model, implementing a digital workforce isn’t a no-win scenario as some business leaders fear. It’s an opportunity to take flight. 

The Next Frontier of the Blended Workforce 

The future workforce will blend human and digital workers to reach more efficient outcomes. Well-integrated automation software and a governance model are crucial to maximizing business results.  

Business process management (BPM) along with a governance model acts as the HR function for managing the digital labor pool and sets the rules of engagement between digital and human workers. As digital workers gain more advanced capabilities, they’re governed under this mechanism.  

Moonshot’s impact on operational models 

Current organizational designs are aging out to make space for new ways of working. Most operational models aren’t nimble or robust enough to accommodate the introduction and governance of an effective digital transformation, yet most executives want to see their organizations adapt to the changing environment. 

The SS&C | Blue Prism® Robotic Operating Model (ROM™), now evolved into its next iteration as the ROM2, ensures a successful digital workforce. It’s this important (and often overlooked) aspect of deploying and monitoring a digital labor platform that organizations should use if they want to: 

• Innovate to avoid becoming irrelevant. 
• Scale their operations as customer demand increases. 
• Remain operational during crises. 
• Deliver at the speed and ease people expect. 

The ROM2 is a step-by-step guide to continuous improvement and innovation within your IA program. It meets your organization where you are in your automation journey, whether that’s on the blueprints, on the launchpad or halfway to the moon. 

How the Digital Labor Moonshot is a Disruptive Technology (In a Good Way) 

The digital labor moonshot revolutionizes work by introducing a non-human labor element, similar to the U.S. space program in the 1960s. NASA's approach to harmonizing systems with human workers showcased the power of technological integration.  

Today, organizations must embrace digital workforce technology to thrive in this — the fifth industrial revolution.  

Examples of Moonshot Technology Projects 

Moonshot projects often seem unreachable — until they’re not. We’ve seen it with the smartphone, the self-driving car and now, with generative AI. It’s all about shooting moon and seeing what you discover along the way.

What are we aiming for? 

The only limit is our imaginations and humans are good at thinking up advancements in technology.

Holograms 

Holograms are considered a next-generation media that will likely bring together virtual and augmented reality (AR) with smartphones. While we can’t say exactly how these will come about, it seems more and more possible that this moonshot idea is on our doorstep (or in our living room). 

Immortality 

Thanks to advances in biotech and genetic engineering, it might be possible to extend human life beyond the scope of 100, 200 or even a thousand years. And what about human consciousness? 

Cyborgs 

What if we could enhance our capabilities by combining engineering and biology? Or interface our brains with machine intelligence to cognitively connect directly to the internet. Human and robot integration once seemed like a science fiction narrative, but now, who knows? 

Next-gen batteries 

Increasingly, resources are in short supply, and energy and power usage are reaching dangerous levels for our planet. But what if we could drastically increase our capacity to store energy and charge batteries faster? This technology would go beyond electric vehicles to permeate almost every aspect of how real-world industries function today.  

6G 

You’ve heard of 4G. You’ve heard of 5G. But when’s the next iteration coming? With one terabyte per second download, the global data capacity will soon go beyond 5G and offer even higher speeds and bandwidth. 

How Can I Take My Moonshot? 

Originally associated with NASA’s pursuit of landing on the moon, moonshot thinking encourages us to drive advancements that will reshape society by challenging our current boundaries. 

An intelligent digital workforce could be the evolution your organization needs to take that next step, to think bigger and to strive for those lofty goals you once thought impossible. 

If you want to take your next steps and go boundless with intelligent automation, contact us.