The future of IT: How AI, automation, and green tech will reshape IT careers and business strategy

What will be the most significant changes in the IT industry over the next 5-10 years?

The next decade will see AI changing just about every corner of the tech world as we know it. Alongside large technology evolutions will also come significant design and implementation of regulation, control, and transparency – and likely even limiting factors - placed on AI outputs. A key example of this will be end user computing which will advance faster than ever before. Driven by AI and automation, manual interventions in both remediation and service delivery will reduce and eventually result in the evolution of digital employees delivering business outputs that used to be delivered by humans. 

And in parallel to all of this – particularly as AI consumes more and more resources – green IT and ESG regulations will grow to become a primary consideration for organisations as they implement new technologies. We're also going to see IT governance increasingly geared towards real-time adaptation to policy adjustments and dynamically enforcing compliance without hampering productivity. 

How will the role of IT professionals evolve?

With the role of IT already shifting away from tactical and reactive work, teams and individuals with technical acumen will evolve to become key partners in driving business growth and success, moving beyond remedial support and siloed service delivery. They will not only have the necessary skills and tools, but will now also have the capacity. 

There will be an increase in demand for IT professionals to design systems and workflows where humans and AI tools work together in partnership. This will create positive employee experiences and enhance the three main pillars of any initiative: quality, cost, and speed-to-market. Many tech leaders have recently discussed the need for IT to be become the HR of AI - managing and controlling the digital employee to ensure systems work together seamlessly, properly, with full adoption.

IT organisations will complete the shift away from reactive support to proactively improving user experiences. Preventative operations will become essential in all areas of IT operations, driven by IT environments becoming more complex and a greater need for stable, predictable, and reliable workplaces. Previously, these concepts have been at odds with each other. But happily for IT, they will now be able to take on a more central role in business operations but it will also open up new opportunities for strategic partnerships with other parts of the business.

Which emerging technologies will have the biggest impact on IT in the coming decade?

AI is already revolutionising automation, predictive and preventative operations, and driving more accurate decision making. Breakthroughs are happening almost daily.

As AI systems improve and become more embedded into the digital workplace, the technology will learn from user behaviour to dynamically boost performance and assist staff more effectively.

These advances will also be augmented by greater integration with IoT, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). This will substantially bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces, redefining remote work, training, and customer support, making remote interactions more efficient and engaging.

Outside of this, there are advances in supercomputing, high speed microchip development, more efficient AI models, and quantum computing. The impacts of these new technologies will continue to evolve everything from the employee experience and innovation to data privacy and cybersecurity. 

How will IT shape the future of work and remote collaboration?

IT departments performed miracles to make the near-universal shift to remote working during the pandemic possible at all. Now the focus for the sector is to ensure remote working is effective and beneficial for all. Ultimately, for all the ongoing return to office debates, organisations that want to gain competitive advantage will have to prioritise remote and seamless work environments. This includes streamlined access to devices and tools, while physical offices become optional hubs for collaboration or social events.

Supported by AI-enhanced communication tools like real-time transcription and translation, diverse remote teamwork between countries and time zones will be far easier than it is presently, enhancing greater productivity and collaboration. 

AI will assemble dynamic, cross-functional teams based on real-time skill analysis, project requirements, system load, and staff availability. This will create diverse global talent pools to provide necessary IT and human capacity on demand.

What skills will be most valuable for IT professionals?

IT skillsets can sometimes last between 2 and 5 years, so IT professionals are well versed in evolving their skill, disciplines, and specialties as technology evolves. In the medium-term, it's likely we'll see rising demand for AI related skills to leverage insights and automate tasks using new AI, data science, and machine learning capabilities. However, there will also be a period where expertise in legacy technology will offer highly lucrative opportunities due to a shrinking SME pool, so IT workers will need to carefully plan their careers to account for these competing dynamics. 

Soft skills will remain valuable for IT professionals that want to rise high and collaborate with diverse teams. These include communication, empathy, and adaptability, as well as the ability to learn from non-technical fields. Furthermore, IT professionals able to translate technical insights into compelling business narratives and strategic plans, as well as those that can guide teams through digital transformation and drive organisational change, will be worth their weight in gold to the right organisation.

What are the biggest challenges IT professionals will face in the next decade?

The biggest challenge will be keeping up with the rate of change. Previously, professionals could pick a technical specialty and build a career on that domain. But with advancements in AI, compute power, and the ever-expanding complexity of technology, IT professionals will need to become constant learners and nimble in their careers to be able to remain a valuable asset to their company. 

As AI takes over more IT decision-making, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and viability of technology outputs will be critical to maintaining stakeholder trust. Additionally, if AI continues to consume resources at an exponential rate, achieving environmental goals while supporting growing IT demands will require significant innovation from the sector.