🔮 Top Strategic Predictions for 2024 and Beyond: Insights from Gartner's Report

Introduction to AI Prediction 2024

Gartner predicts significant changes over the next 3–5 years, which are important for technology and business sectors.

The big ideas fit into three groups:

1. AI makes us better at home and work.

2. Businesses fix old problems with AI's help.

3. New dangers bring new duties.

What is GenAI?

GenAI is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can create new things. Imagine it like a smart robot that can write stories, make pictures, or even come up with new ideas. It's like having a really creative assistant who can help with all sorts of tasks, from making art to solving problems.

GenAI is special because it doesn't just follow instructions; it can actually come up with its own original stuff, kind of like how a human artist or writer does.

Let's dive into Top 10 Strategic AI Predictions for 2024 and Beyond

1. GenAI makes people better and more powerful personally and professionally

2026, AI makes us seem better than we are

• Super Resumes: Imagine AI as a magic pen that makes your resume shine. It helps you put your best foot forward, making sure you look great on paper.

• Smart Reports: AI can help turn your reports at work into masterpieces. It's like having a clever helper who knows just what to add to make your work stand out.

• Better Work Stuff: Whatever you're working on, AI can give it a polish. It's like a secret ingredient that makes your work look even better.

• Awesome Chats: When you talk or write to others, AI can be like your personal coach, helping you say things in the best way possible.

• Charisma Boost: By 2026, think of having a digital charm boost. It’s like putting on a pair of glasses that makes you appear more confident and likeable in your career.

• Career Level Up: With this AI help, you might get to do things in your job you never thought possible. It's like getting a key to unlock doors in your career.

Conclusion, by 2026, AI is going to be like a behind-the-scenes buddy, making us look and sound better in our jobs. Whether it’s sprucing up our resumes or helping us communicate like pros, it’s all about giving us that extra edge to do really well in our careers.

AI productivity shifts geopolitical balance

• AI Makes Work Faster and Smarter: GenAI can help people do their jobs quicker and better. It's like having a super-smart assistant for everyone.

• Not Just About Cheap Labor Anymore: Countries that used to have an edge because they had lots of people working for low wages might not have that advantage anymore. AI can do a lot of work without getting tired or asking for a salary.

• AI-Powered Countries Get Stronger: By 2027, how good a country is with AI could become a big deal, just like how much gold or oil they have. It's about how well they use AI to get more work done.

• Everyone Wants to Be an AI Whiz: Countries will probably start racing to be the best at using AI. It's like a new kind of competition where being smart with technology is the key to winning.

• New Leaders on the World Stage: Some countries that weren't seen as super powerful before might get a boost because they're really good at using AI. It's like the underdog team suddenly scoring lots of goals.

Conclusion, AI is changing the game. It's not just about how many people you have working; it's about how smartly you use AI to boost what everyone can do. By 2027, being good at AI might be one of the top things that makes a country powerful and influential.

GenAI supercharges legacy modernization

• Diverse Team Builders: Think of GenAI as a super tool for building dream teams at work. It's like having a magic wand to find and bring together people of all ages, backgrounds, and ways of thinking.

• Mixing It Up: With GenAI, companies can mix a whole bunch of different perspectives. It's like making a great salad with all sorts of ingredients, where every piece adds something special.

• Everyone Gets a Chance: Whether you're 20 or 60, just out of school or a seasoned pro, GenAI helps make sure everyone has a fair shot at being part of the team.

• Thinking Differently is Cool: GenAI shows that thinking differently, like how people who are neurodivergent do, is actually a superpower for businesses.

• Big Companies Leading the Way: Imagine 1 in 4 of the biggest, most famous companies making a special effort to hire people who think outside the box. That's what's starting to happen!

• Better Business with Brainpower Variety: By bringing all these different minds together, companies can get really good at solving problems and coming up with cool new ideas.

Conclusion, GenAI is like the ultimate matchmaker in the workplace, helping companies find and appreciate all kinds of people and their unique ways of thinking. This mix of talents and perspectives is like a secret recipe for businesses to do great things!

2. Businesses will get better at overcoming their worst traits

Real value of neurodiversity spikes

This suggests businesses recognize and value diverse cognitive abilities, an improvement in business culture.

• Smart Helper for Updating Old Systems: GenAI is like a tech whiz that can take a look at old, clunky computer systems at work and figure out how to make them better and faster.

• Making Things Easier and Cheaper: Imagine having a tool that can make updating these old systems not just easier but also way cheaper—like cutting costs by almost three-quarters!

• Explaining Tech in Simple Terms: GenAI is like a translator for complicated tech stuff. It can look at old programs and explain them in a way that everyone can understand.

• Building Better Software: With GenAI, companies can create new software that works better than the old stuff. It’s like replacing an old, slow car with a super-fast, shiny new one.

• Speedy Fixes and Upgrades: GenAI helps speed up the process of fixing and upgrading systems. It's like having a fast-forward button for tech updates.

• Big Savings for Companies: By using GenAI, companies can save a lot of money on keeping their technology up-to-date. This is huge because updating technology can be really expensive.

Conclusion, GenAI is like a superhero for modernizing old technology in companies. It makes things faster, easier, and a lot cheaper, helping businesses stay up-to-date without breaking the bank.

Energy-aware operations are a competitive advantage or failure risk

• Growing Electricity Needs: More and more, we need electricity to run computers. This is getting bigger every day.

• GenAI's High Energy Use: GenAI, which probably refers to AI technologies, needs a lot of power. This can make energy costs go up, and it's important to have enough electricity.

• Electricity Rationing in the Future: By 2026, countries in the G20 (these are 20 of the world's biggest economies) might have to limit how much electricity people can use each month.

• Impact on Businesses: If a business knows how to use energy wisely, it can be a big plus. They can do more with less power. But if they're not careful with energy, they might struggle because there's not enough electricity or it's too expensive.

Conclusion, being smart about how you use energy isn't just good for saving money. It could be the difference between doing well and facing big problems, especially when electricity is limited.

Robot workers outnumber people

• Robots Helping Businesses: Companies are starting to use robots to help them grow. Robots can do jobs that are hard to fill with people.

• Changing How Businesses Work: As more robots are used, companies will have to change the way they do things. They'll need to think about how robots and people work together.

• More Robots in Key Industries: By 2028, in industries like making things (manufacturing), selling things (retail), and moving things (logistics), there will be more smart robots than people doing the main jobs.

• Why This Is Happening: There aren't enough workers to do all the jobs in these areas. So, robots are filling in.

Conclusion, the future might see robots taking over many jobs that people used to do. This will make businesses think differently about how they run and how they use robots and people together.

Machine customers force CEOs to Embrace New Channels

• Machines as Customers: This means that businesses are now selling to machines, not just people. These 'machine customers' could be things like smart systems that buy and use products or services on their own.

• CEOs Need to Change Strategies: Company leaders, like CEOs, have to find new ways to sell to these machine customers. They need to think about different ways to reach them, which is different from how they sell to people.

• New Market Trends: This is all about businesses adjusting to a new kind of market where machines are buying things. It's a big change from the usual way of doing business.

• CISOs Gaining Importance: CISOs are the people in charge of keeping a company's computer stuff safe. They're getting more power and say in the business because it's really important to keep everything secure, especially when dealing with machines as customers.

• Better Security Practices: With more power to CISOs, businesses are focusing more on making their computer systems safe. This is important because there are a lot of risks, like hacking, when you deal with technology and machines.

Conclusion, the big picture is that companies are entering a new world where they sell to machines. This means CEOs have to think of new ways to do business, and keeping things safe online becomes more important than ever.

3. New threats create new responsibilities and communities

Malinformation is a multifront threat

• Malinformation as a New Problem: Malinformation is bad or misleading information that can cause harm. It's becoming a big problem with the rise of GenAI.

• Big Spending to Fight Malinformation: By 2028, companies will spend more than $30 billion just to deal with this malinformation issue. That's a lot of money.

• Impact on Budgets: This spending on fighting malinformation will take away about 10% of the money usually spent on marketing and cybersecurity. It means companies have to use some of their budget for marketing and keeping their computer systems safe to instead deal with malinformation.

Conclusion, Malinformation is a big challenge that affects different parts of a business. Companies need to spend a lot of money and resources to handle it, showing it's a threat on many fronts.

CISOs Get more power

• CEOs Empowering CISOs: CEOs, the top bosses of companies, need to give more power to a specific person, like the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), to handle malinformation. Malinformation is false or misleading information that can harm the company.

• CISOs' Growing Role: CISOs are usually in charge of keeping the company's digital information safe. But now, they're going to do more than just that.

• Expanding Responsibilities by 2027: By the year 2027, about 45% of CISOs will be doing jobs that are not just about cybersecurity. Their work will include other important things too.

• Reasons for This Change: There are two main reasons for this change. First, there are more rules and laws that companies have to follow, and CISOs will help with that. Second, there are more ways (like through the internet, apps, and new technologies) that can be risky for companies, so CISOs need to watch over these areas too.

Conclusion, CISOs are becoming more important in companies. They're not just looking after cybersecurity anymore but also dealing with new challenges like malinformation and more. This shows how their job is becoming bigger and more varied.

Unions of People form to combat machines

• Unions Protecting People: Traditionally, unions (groups of workers) have pushed companies and governments to focus on the needs and rights of people, not just the interests of businesses.

• Rise of Generative AI: With generative AI becoming more common, it's changing how work is done. This type of AI can create content, make decisions, and do tasks that humans used to do.

• Unionization Among Knowledge Workers: Knowledge workers are people whose jobs involve handling information, like programmers, writers, or analysts. By 2028, a lot more of these workers will join unions. In fact, there will be a 1,000% increase in union membership among them.

• Reason for Union Growth: The main reason for this big increase in union membership is because these workers want to ensure they are protected and have a say in their work environment, especially as AI starts to do more of the jobs they used to do.

Conclusion, In response to the growing use of AI in workplaces, which can replace human jobs, more and more knowledge workers are joining unions. They're doing this to have a stronger voice in how AI is used and to make sure their jobs and rights are protected.

4. Three simple tips to share with your team

1. Base Plans on Gartner Predictions: Use the forecasts from Gartner as a guide when making your big plans. Think of them as helpful hints for what might happen in the future.

2. Watch for Early Signs: Keep an eye out for early clues that show if a forecast is likely to happen or not. This helps you judge better if a prediction will come true soon.

3. Short-Term is More Reliable: Remember that predictions about things happening soon are more likely to be right than those about things far in the future. The further away a prediction is, the less certain it is.

Conclusion to AI Prediction 2024: Adapting to an AI-Driven Future

Gartner's predictions show a future deeply shaped by AI, impacting work, global dynamics, and business strategies. As AI transforms how we work and compete globally, companies must adapt, balancing AI benefits with challenges like cybersecurity and workforce changes. Embracing AI's potential and preparing for its impacts is key to success in this rapidly evolving landscape.

If you are interested in other topics and how AI is transforming different aspects of our lives, or even in making money using AI with more detailed, step-by-step guidance, you can find our other articles here:

• Meta Prompts to Audit Your Website

• 16 Changes for Enterprise AI: From Experiment to Mainstream

• LinkedIn Supercharges Job Hunting and Marketing with New AI Features!*

• The Evolution of AI Task Automation: How You Can Make an AI Team Do Your Work for You*

• 10 Life-Changing Habits with AI Tools to Make Them Stick*

_{*indicates a premium content, if any}