Adrian JohnsonTLDR:
- AI reduces labor requirements but increases skill requirements.
- AI is complicated and expensive to implement, yet it helps manage IT costs and automate work.
Every technology introduces paradoxes, and AI is no exception. In a world where AI giveth and taketh away at the same time, the challenges for business and IT leaders are significant. AI reduces labor requirements by replacing tasks formerly performed by humans, but at the same time, it increases skill requirements, with a shortage of skilled talent cited as a major obstacle. While AI is complicated and expensive to develop and deploy, it also makes it easier to create and implement applications, benefiting technologists. Additionally, AI can help manage and reduce IT costs through practices like FinOps, while demanding greater creativity in work. However, the organizations that would benefit the most from AI are often the least likely to embrace it effectively, while AI requires huge data sets but can also alleviate data management requirements. Lastly, AI brings incredible intelligence but struggles with basic tasks, leading to interesting trade-offs that will continue to perplex us in the future.