Navigating AI: Adapting to Change in Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) has drastically affected various industries as it continues to develop and automate tasks once reliant on humans, it is transforming how we work, create, and problem-solve. AI is defined as a computer system that imitates human intelligence in a way that solves problems and makes decisions (Sappi). The technology itself can be broken up into five different segments, the segments process and organize data accordingly. 

AI Technology Segments:

1. Machine learning - recommender systems, data mining, deep learning, supervised/unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. 
2. Speech synthesis - natural language generator (NLG), robotic process automation, and control of other systems through APIs.
3. Computer vision & hearing - speech and handwriting recognition, optical character, images, videos, and facial recognition. 
4. Natual Language Generator (NLG) - language understanding, machine translation, and sentiment analysis.
5. Decision making - case based reasoning and expert systems analysis.

Major Industry Changes:

The AI Whirlwind:

According to Gartner's Top Strategic Predictions for 2025 and Beyond, the AI whirlwind has three unifying concepts.

1. AI creating new operational risks
2. AI challenging privacy & personas
3. AI threatening management structures 

While there are other consequences to implementing AI technology these three are the most important, as they could cause the most damage.

AI Creating New Operational Risks

There is a load of operational risks predicted to rise by 2028, the top concerns are listed below:

• AI-labeled branding
• Malicious AI actors 
• Demand for "guardian agents" (security AI bots to manage and protect AI programs)
• $500 billion invested in microgrids (power network that connects generation, storage and loads that can operate independently or with the main grid)

AI Challenging Privacy & Personas 

As more and more organizations build and integrate their own AI systems, more and more employees are at risk of having their privacy breached or personas used without consent. Listed below are the predicted AI trends by the year 2028:

• Licensed employee personas (onboarding will adapt to include an agreement for the companies AI permission to use the employee's persona and likeness)
• Emotional AI terms & conditions 
• Going anti-digital 
• Employee mood measurement 

AI Threatening Management Structures

As we increase our use of AI to solve problems, the need for traditional layered management structures will decrease. Gartner predicts the following by 2029 as a result:

• De-layered management 
• AI challenging executive decisions

IT Impacts:

AI can be applied to numerous IT processes including operations, cybersecurity, software development, service management, cloud optimization, data analysis and decision making, as well as network management. As AI continues to develop, it will be difficult for IT companies to protect customers from misuse of AI agents, inaccurate results, or violating AI policies without AI enhanced protection. 

• 35% of IT companies already us AI 
• 90% of software code will be written by AI in the next 3-6 months 
• 25% of IT job listings require AI skills

Issues with AI

1. Generative AI (GenAI) - is normally used when setting up automatous AI tasks because it is goal seeking and can act independent of human interaction. GenAI also expands outside of data seeking and problem solving, affecting emotional sectors like love, therapy, and religion. 
2. Digital Addiction/Social Isolation - predicted to affect 1 billion people by 2028, prompting 70% of organizations to go anti-digital. 
3. Spread of Misinformation - GenAI has some amazing features, creating a whole new image or video based off of descriptive text. As GenAI has updated so has the image/video quality and realism, making it harder to tell what is real and what was AI generated. 
4. Enviromental Impacts - AI generators are housed in data centers which produces e-waste, emits greenhouse gases, and relies on minerals, rare elements and water to run. According to the UN Regional Information Center for Western Europe, its takes 10 times more electricity to make a single AI query compared to making a Google Search. 

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, its influence across industries is both transformative and disruptive. From enhancing efficiency in print and IT to reshaping management structures and challenging ethical boundaries, AI is redefining the future of work and society. While its benefits are undeniable with automation, personalization, and predictive capabilities—the risks tied to privacy, misinformation, and environmental impact demand thoughtful regulation and responsible innovation. As we move forward, understanding AI’s role will be essential for organizations and individuals alike to harness its potential while mitigating its challenges.

Sources

AI in IT: How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform the Industry
https://softengi.com/blog/ai-in-it-how-artificial-intelligence-will-transform-the-it-industry/ 

AI in IT: Statistics, Applications, and How You Can Benefit              https://www.apptunix.com/blog/ai-in-it-industry/ 

Artificial Intelligence: How much energy does AI use?                                 https://unric.org/en/artificial-intelligence-how-much-energy-does-ai-use/ 

The Impact of AI on the Print Industry - A Revolution in the Making
https://deep-image.ai/blog/the-impact-of-ai-on-the-print-industry-a-revolution-in-the-making/