Technological advancement is a major driver of transformation for businesses, offering simplicity, innovation, efficiency, and agility. To remain competitive, companies must keep up with the latest technology trends, as these have a significant impact on their growth and ability to meet customer expectations.
What are the “revolutionary technologies” that every business leader should know and anticipate?
1) AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management (AI TRiSM)
AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management (AI TRiSM) has become a major concern for companies adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations. With the democratization of AI access, it is crucial to ensure the reliability, transparency, and security of AI models. Without adequate measures, AI models can produce uncontrolled negative effects that could negate the positive and societal benefits of AI.
AI TRiSM offers a series of tools and practices to address these challenges. It includes processes such as ModelOps, which ensures the ongoing availability, management, and maintenance of AI models. It also encompasses AI-specific security measures to protect the sensitive data used by the models. Monitoring the models is also essential, enabling the quick detection of data, model, or outcome drifts and associated potential risks.
According to Gartner, companies implementing AI TRiSM practices could reduce up to 80% of erroneous and illegitimate information by 2026.
2) Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a strategic approach essential for businesses in 2024. This pragmatic and systematic approach allows organizations to continuously assess the accessibility, exposure, and exploitability of their digital and physical assets. Unlike traditional approaches focusing on specific infrastructure components, CTEM aligns assessments and corrective measures with threat vectors and business objectives.
By adopting CTEM, organizations can proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities and non-remediable threats. This approach allows for real-time updates to security measures to counter current and emerging threats.
Gartner predicts that companies investing in CTEM could reduce the number of exploitable security breaches by two-thirds by 2026.
3) Sustainable Technologies
Sustainable technology is a key concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), becoming increasingly important in the business world. It represents a set of digital solutions aimed at generating favorable long-term environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes, thereby supporting ecological balance and human rights.
The adoption of sustainable technologies such as AI, cryptocurrencies, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing raises concerns about energy consumption and associated environmental impacts. It is therefore essential to promote more efficient, circular, and sustainable use of information technologies.
In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, about 25% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) will have their personal remuneration tied to their impact on sustainable technologies.
4) Platform Engineering
Platform engineering represents a strategic approach to software development aimed at building and operating internal self-service development platforms. The main objective of this discipline is to deliver applications more quickly while improving the productivity of development teams. Each platform is designed as an intermediary layer, developed and maintained by a dedicated product team, to specifically meet user needs by integrating with existing tools and processes.
Platform engineering aims to optimize development team productivity by simplifying and accelerating the application creation process. By allowing developers to access standardized tools and resources through a centralized platform, companies can reduce development time and improve the quality of final products.
According to Gartner estimates, by 2026, about 80% of companies specializing in software engineering will use platform engineering teams to develop composable applications.
5) AI-Augmented Development
AI-augmented development represents a major advancement in the field of software engineering, enabling engineers to design, code, and test applications more efficiently and productively. This approach uses AI technologies such as GenAI and machine learning to provide development tools that help developers automate certain repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
The main objective of AI-augmented development is to enhance developer productivity by allowing them to focus on more creative and strategic tasks. By reducing the time needed to write basic code, engineers can spend more time on higher-value activities, such as designing complex software architectures or optimizing application performance.
According to Gartner’s report, the use of virtual assistants in software development is expected to significantly increase in the coming years, from just 10% of software engineers in 2023 to about 75% by 2028.
6) Industry Cloud Platforms
Industry cloud platforms (ICP), a major trend in 2024, are revolutionizing how businesses manage their IT services. These platforms combine SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS services to offer customized cloud solutions tailored to the specific needs of each industry sector.
ICPs address business needs by combining underlying SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS services into a comprehensive product offering with composable capabilities. These platforms offer a wide range of services, such as development tools, databases, and data analytics solutions, which can be easily integrated into existing applications.
Currently, less than 15% of businesses use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their commercial development. However, by 2027, more than 50% of them are expected to adopt these platforms to drive their business initiatives.
7) Intelligent Applications
Intelligent applications represent a major advancement in artificial intelligence. These applications integrate a form of intelligence that allows them to autonomously adapt and respond to user needs. This adaptive capability is made possible through the use of AI-based technologies such as machine learning, vector stores, and connected data.
These applications use AI to analyze data from transactions and other external sources, enabling them to provide relevant and personalized information to each user. For example, they can recommend products or services based on user preferences or offer contextual suggestions to help users make informed decisions.
By 2026, 30% of new applications are expected to use AI to design personalized and adaptable user interfaces.
8) Democratization of Generative AI
Generative AI (GenAI) is experiencing rapid democratization thanks to the convergence of mass pre-trained models, cloud computing, and open source, making these models accessible to a global audience of workers. GenAI applications facilitate access to and availability of vast sources of information, both internal and external, for business users. This rapid evolution of GenAI significantly democratizes knowledge and skills within companies.
Large language models allow businesses to connect their employees with knowledge in a conversational manner and with advanced semantic understanding.
By 2026, Gartner predicts that over 80% of companies will have already used or deployed generative AI applications, APIs, or models in production environments. Compared to today, the percentage of organizations using this technology is expected to multiply by 16, highlighting the growing importance of generative AI in the technological landscape of businesses.
9) Connected and Augmented Workforce
The augmented and connected workforce (ACWF) represents a key strategy to optimize the value that human workers bring to an organization. This approach leverages artificial intelligence to enable employees to develop their skills and increase the value they provide. By collaborating with machines, workers can solve complex problems more efficiently and quickly.
ACWF relies on the use of intelligent applications and workforce analytics to provide context and guidance that support employee experience and well-being while enhancing their capabilities and developing their skills. This approach aims to accelerate talent development, meeting the changing needs of businesses.
By 2027, 25% of business leaders are expected to implement ACWF initiatives. This widespread adoption could reduce the time needed to acquire new skills for strategic roles by 50%.
10) Machine Customers
Machine customers (also known as “custobots”), non-human economic actors capable of autonomously negotiating and purchasing, will become increasingly common, transforming the global economic landscape.
By 2028, the number of connected products capable of behaving like customers will reach 15 billion, with billions more to come in subsequent years. This growth is expected to generate revenues of several trillion dollars by 2030, surpassing the impact of digital commerce.
These technological trends offer exciting opportunities for businesses looking to innovate and stay competitive in the ever-evolving global market. By focusing on those offering the best return on investment, companies can leverage these advancements to drive their growth and future success.
