We Are/Getty ImagesGartner has identified the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2024, and generative and other types of AI solutions take center stage with widespread adoption and risks that are primary focus areas. The top strategic technology trends for 2024 are:
- Democratized generative AI
Generative AI (aka, GenAI) is becoming democratized by the confluence of massively pre-trained models, cloud computing, and open source — making these models accessible to workers worldwide.
. - AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management (TRiSM)
The democratization of access to AI has made the need for AI Trust, Risk and Security Management (TRiSM) more clear and urgent. Without guardrails, AI models can rapidly generate compounding negative effects that spin out of control, overshadowing any positive performance and societal gains that AI enables.
. - AI-augmented development
AI-augmented development is the use of AI technologies, such as GenAI and machine learning, to aid software engineers in designing, coding, and testing applications.
. - Intelligent applications
Intelligent applications include intelligence — which Gartner defines as learned adaptation to respond appropriately and autonomously — as a capability. This intelligence can be utilized in many use cases to better augment or automate work. As a foundational capability, intelligence in applications comprises various AI-based services, such as machine learning, vector stores, and connected data. Consequently, intelligent applications deliver experiences that dynamically adapt to the user.
. - Augmented-connected workforce
The augmented-connected workforce (ACWF) is a strategy for optimizing the value derived from human workers. The need to accelerate and scale talent is driving the ACWF trend.
. - Continuous threat exposure management
Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) is a pragmatic and systemic approach that allows organizations to evaluate the accessibility, exposure, and exploitability of an enterprise’s digital and physical assets continually and consistently. Aligning CTEM assessment and remediation scopes with threat vectors or business projects, rather than an infrastructure component, surfaces not only the vulnerabilities but also the unpatchable threats.
. - Machine customers or ‘custobots’
Machine customers (also called “custobots”) are nonhuman economic actors that can autonomously negotiate and purchase goods and services in exchange for payment. By 2028, 15 billion connected products will exist with the potential to behave as customers, with billions more to follow in the coming years.
. - Sustainable technology
Sustainable technology is a framework of digital solutions used to enable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes that support long-term ecological balance and human rights. The use of technologies such as AI, cryptocurrency, the Internet of Things and cloud computing is driving concern about the related energy consumption and environmental impacts.
. - Platform engineering
Platform engineering is the discipline of building and operating self-service internal development platforms. Each platform is a layer, created and maintained by a dedicated product team, designed to support the needs of its users by interfacing with tools and processes. The goal of platform engineering is to optimize productivity and the user experience, and to accelerate the delivery of business value.
. - Industry cloud platforms
By 2027, Gartner predicts, more than 70% of enterprises will use Industry cloud platforms (ICPs) to accelerate their business initiatives, up from less than 15% in 2023.
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In addition to the top technology strategic trends, Gartner also provided its top strategic IT predictions, exploring how GenAI has changed executive leaders’ way of thinking on every subject and how to create a more flexible and adaptable organization that is better prepared for the future. Here are Gartner’s top 10 strategic predictions:
- By 2027, the productivity value of AI will be recognized as a primary economic indicator of national power.
- By 2027, GenAI tools will be used to explain legacy business applications and create appropriate replacements, reducing modernization costs by 70%.
- By 2028, enterprise spending on battling malinformation will surpass $30 billion, cannibalizing 10% of marketing and cybersecurity budgets to combat a multifront threat.
- By 2027, 45% of chief information security officers (CISOs) will expand their remit beyond cybersecurity, due to increasing regulatory pressure and attack surface expansion.
- By 2028, the rate of unionization among knowledge workers will increase by 1,000%, motivated by the adoption of GenAI.
- In 2026, 30% of workers will leverage digital charisma filters to achieve previously unattainable advances in their careers.
- By 2027, 25% of Fortune 500 companies will actively recruit neurodivergent talent across conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia to improve business performance.
- By 2028, there will be more smart robots than frontline workers in manufacturing, retail, and logistics due to labor shortages.
- By 2026, 50% of G20 members will experience monthly electricity rationing, turning energy-aware operations into either a competitive advantage or a major failure risk.
- By 2026, generative AI will significantly alter 70% of the design and development effort for new web applications and mobile apps.
Another example of the impact of AI in business is the use for sales professionals. By 2025, 35% of chief revenue officers will resource a centralized “GenAI Operations” team as part of their go-to-market organization. As adoption accelerates, sales enablement leaders can drive responsible use of the technology to help achieve better sales outcomes. Sample areas of AI’s impact on Sales. GartnerResearch from Salesforce’s annual State of IT report confirms many of the projections from Gartner. Many other independent research reports validate the accelerated adoption of AI, including generative AI. According to McKinsey, 50% of organizations used AI in 2022. IDC is forecasting global AI spending to increase by a staggering 26.9% in 2023 alone. A recent survey of customer service professionals found adoption of AI had risen by 88% between 2020 and 2022. Customer service leads AI use cases with organizations with AI using it in the following ways: Service operations optimization (24%), new AI-based products (20%), customer service analytics (19%), customer segmentation (19%), AI-based product enhancements (19%), customer acquisition and lead generation (17%), contact center automation (16%), and product feature optimizations (16%). 2023 STATE OF IT REPORT20 key IT statistics and trends found that every CIO should know: 1. 84% of IT leaders…
