What Will IT Look Like in 20 Years?

Technology is advancing at an exponential rate, which makes it quite challenging to gaze into the IT crystal ball and determine what the future holds. However, by studying current trends in technology it starts to become clear what will have the biggest impact on the future, and currently, automation and AI are playing a substantial role in shaping IT’s future. As automation and AI increase their presence in the workplace, employees will be working with machines that are smarter than ever before.

Automation will more than likely handle all mundane tasks such as data input and processing, while complex problem-solving, and entrepreneurial creativity will remain in the hands of humans. To view this in a positive light is to see it as an opportunity to rid ourselves of day-to-day mundane tasks, in order to focus on bigger-picture issues and decisions.

Can AI be Your Boss?

To many, the thought of being managed by artificial intelligence might seem unappealing. However, this concept is already being utilized by organizations like Uber and Lyft, whose drivers are supplied with ride requests that already include pricing, the pickup/drop-off location, and the best route to take based on several variables. There has already been a change of role for line managers due to the rise of automation within the realm of logistics and supply chain management. The same will likely become true for middle managers in other industries as technology continues to advance.

The Inherent Value of Humans

Despite the inevitable fact that technology will remove the need for workers tasked with data processing/input, middle management, and other areas of low-cognitive work, humans will still have a critical role to play in the workplace.

The emotional pieces of management including motivation, support processes, and the relaying of complex ideas will continue to require human workers. Machines don’t possess the emotional intelligence required to carry out these tasks. Additionally, feedback, critiques, and compliments coming from a human are far more meaningful than those coming from a machine.

For example, OpenAI software has created DALL-E 2, which uses deep learning models and AI to generate digital images and art. You can create any style of art of your choosing and it’s free. We decided to give it a try and had DALL-E 2 generated the images below.