Artificial Intelligence (AI), technology that allows computers and robots to "think" and make decisions beyond their programming, is much more than just a fad. This technology will displace more than 500,000 jobs in the next two years, according to Forbes magazine, and a recent McKinsey & Company study found that more than half of today's jobs will be redundant by 2055. There are few places where this is more apparent than in the IT industry. AI is clearly changing the landscape of IT departments around the globe. However, while AI may be responsible for shifting workers, it is also opening opportunities for those in the IT industry.

How AI will affect the IT industry in the near future

1. It will ultimately create jobs. While the advent and increased adoption of AI technology will originally displace workers from their current jobs, it will ultimately create as many as 100 percent more jobs than it causes to be lost, according to Forbes. And, these will all be medium- to highly-skilled jobs, not entry-level positions. That's because companies will need people to implement, manage and work alongside this new technology.

2. Top employees will look for opportunities with AI startups. Not since the beginning of Silicon Valley has there been more opportunity for young minds in the tech and IT sectors. More than 2,000 AI-related startups have been picking off the top IT and tech minds, hiring more than 10,000 top-tier AI employees to date by offering up to seven-figure compensation packages. In addition, there's never been a better time to take a good idea and create an AI-based company. Investment in AI-related companies has increased by 1,800 percent in the last six years, according to CB Insights.

3. Chatbots will replace many IT service-management functions. With the increased adoption of AI technology, most IT departments and companies will see a dramatic increase in service requests, more than the humans in the company or department can efficiently handle. One solution is to handle first-tier requests via a chatbot function on the company's website. Many questions, such as operating hours and how to fix easy problems, will likely be handled by an AI-powered bot.

4. Software can some to market more quickly. Traditionally, software development has human involvement from design to marketing. However, with AI technology, some of that process, especially testing and troubleshooting, can be handled by AI-powered technology, thus helping software companies to be more competitive and to get their products on the market more quickly.

5. There will likely be more mergers and collaborations in the IT industry. AI is a very collaborative technology, and IT companies will likely see benefits from working together to harness and find marketable applications for this technology. Rather than each company developing its own applications, there will be most likely be an unprecedented sharing of ideas, even leading to joint marketing and co-branded products.

6. The Internet of Things will be advanced further. The progression of the Internet of Things, buoyed by AI technology, will also offer opportunities for those in the IT industry. New products, new software and new consulting opportunities will arise from this sector as more and more consumers are looking for the convenience offered by such products.

While the increasing use of AI technology can be somewhat scary for IT workers and companies, it also presents a myriad of opportunities for those who are flexible enough to change with the times and seize opportunities like finding new positions within AI startups, getting software and other products to market more quickly, working together with other IT firms to benefit both companies.

Here at ATSI we focus on “Technology With a Human Touch”. That's our approach to providing solution-driven business communication products. We strongly believe that providing the right solution for our clients involves not only identifying and installing the right equipment to meet a need, but also understanding the needs of the people who will be using the equipment — The Human Touch!

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