We are currently in the middle of a blog series, closing out 2023 and opening up 2024, that explores some of the most grandiose predictions from analyst firms, and we are dissecting what this all means for the construction industry. We have already explored sustainability, scheduling and project management, wearables, and generative AI (artificial intelligence), just to name a few. Now, let’s turn our attention to our technology infrastructure and operations and what is to come in the years ahead.
Gartner recently unveiled the six trends that will have a significant impact on infrastructure and operations in the next 12-18 months. This is interesting because often analyst firms will cast a wider net, spanning a scope of five years or more, looking out to the year 2030 or beyond, when it comes to their predictions. But these top trends bring the predictions a little bit closer to the present day. Let’s break down each prediction further.
The rise of democratized generative AI: Perhaps this one is a bit obvious, but we see the first prediction is pointing to the rise of gen AI, which enables the democratization of knowledge and skills by enabling the use of conversation and natural language. Gartner suggests gen AI products are democratizing due to the confluence of cloud and open source. Gen AI for infrastructure and operations has two main aspects: the use of gen AI within infrastructure and operations and the impact of gen AI on infrastructure and operations. Expect this conversation to continue in a big way in 2024.
The rise of nearshoring: Gartner calls this one nationalism versus globalism, suggesting many countries will reduce dependencies on foreign products, talents, and services. Recent geopolitical conflicts have led many countries to have a greater focus on more nationalistic views that push a more domestic approach to technologies. This will ultimately put more pressure on infrastructure and operations teams to seek solutions that keep more technologies, resources, and talent in their own country. If we can bring work closer to home, that will be a priority for many in 2024.
The rise of greater cybersecurity: Gartner suggests there will be a greater focus on CTEM (continuous threat exposure management), which is an integrated, iterative approach to prioritizing potential threats and continually refining security posture improvements. As the attack surface expands and broadens, companies will need to focus on shifting from a preventative-only approach to greater detection and response capabilities. Infrastructure and operations teams will need to look to doing this on-premises and in the cloud and at the edge.
The rise of the connected workforce: When looking to 2024, look to the workforce of tomorrow, which will be an augmented-connected workforce. Here we will see more intentional management, deployment, and customization of technology services and applications to support the workforce’s experience, well-being, and ability to develop their own skills. Stay tuned. There will be much more on this in 2024.
The rise of AI TriSM: AI TRiSM supports AI model governance, trustworthiness, fairness, reliability, robustness, efficacy, and data protection. Infrastructure and operations teams must implement and support the new forms of risk and security management that AI require. Gartner predicts by 2026, organizations that operationalize AI TRiSM will see their AI models achieve a 50% improvement in terms of adoption, business goals, and user acceptance.
The rise of machine customers: This final prediction looks a bit further out than 2024 and suggests your next customer will be a machine. Yes, we will see the rise of nonhuman economic actors that obtain goods or services in exchange for payment, such as virtual personal assistants, smart appliances, and connected cars. Gartner expects the number of machine customers to rise over time steadily and that by 2027, 50% of people in advanced economies will have AI personal assistants working for them every day.
While these are simply a few predictions for the years ahead, it is certainly something to keep in mind, as you prepare to take the next step in your construction business. The opportunities are vast, but the path is not clear. Hopefully, this provides a glimpse into what is coming next with technology.
Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #construction #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #infrastructure #operations