AI, hybrid work, and security are key focus areas for the next year.
Amazingly, 2024 is upon us. And while the year is certain to be noteworthy due to global events, there are a number of trends related to workplace collaboration that are top of mind. Here are my top five technologies to watch in 2024 (and perhaps beyond?).
GENERATIVE AI
As I mentioned in last month’s No Jitter post, it is no surprise that 2023 has been the year of Generative AI. In 2024 I see three key areas to watch:
- Adoption: Our data shows significant interest in adoption of generative AI companions, assistants, or copilots, depending on whatever terminology you like. But, there are significant buyer-side concerns over cost, ROI, and security. 2024 is likely to be a year where the majority of companies kick the tires, so to speak, on generative AI and figure out benefits versus costs, and how to ensure security and compliance. Ignoring generative AI isn’t an option for companies. Those that do are likely to find that employees have found their own way to use it for their needs.
- Pricing: In 2023 we saw the emergence of two distinct pricing models: Free versus monthly cost. Free models certainly aren’t free for the vendors giving away their generative AI assistants. It costs money to train models and support queries. While it’s understandable that vendors in competitive markets would utilize a free model to gain share and adoption, it’s likely that we see evolution toward a freemium model with free services offering base-level functionality and usage caps, and additional paid tiers of service for those who need/want more.
- GenAI Ops: While much of the attention around generative AI has been focused on personal assistants, to me one of the most exciting areas for gen AI is in improving the ability of IT teams to manage and support apps. I found Cisco’s demo of its AI assistant for Control Hub at its recent Cisco Live event to be especially compelling. As a former network engineer, I can attest to the time and management cost savings that would spring from doing network admin tasks such a configuring a network, troubleshooting networking, and managing those networks via conversational UI instead of a command-line interface or drop-down menu.
MEETING ROOM EVOLUTION
Continue reading at nojitter.com.
