Tech predictions for 2024: AI’s power in the hands of humans

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a pivotal chapter in 2023, with its societal implications and organisational capabilities being discussed worldwide.

The overarching conclusion of this year’s findings is that the technology’s abilities are limitless, with many fearing AI will replace human workforces and overthrow established processes. However, AI’s potential is determined by the beholder – so those who get a better grasp as we enter into 2024, will ultimately fare better at handling the technology in years to come.

AI, are fears of replacement finally going to be unfounded?

Throughout 2023, many of the concerns around artificial intelligence have been around how they will replace humans and other technologies. However, Nicola Kinsella, SVP of global marketing at Fluent Commerce, argues that “to be successful in 2024 and beyond, AI will be forced to rely on the very sources many fear the technology will replace: people and data.”

Reflecting on the retail industry as an example, she continues: “Retail data is highly complex and dynamic with siloed information that is constantly in flux, whether it’s consumer buying behaviours, delayed shipments, product shortages or labour demands. Teams equipped with retail order and inventory data management systems, will play a major role next year to help produce and maintain clean, accurate and accessible data needed for businesses to take full advantage of AI.”

For AI to continue on its trajectory of transformation, it will require significant amounts of data, and ultimately the support of humans. Mini Biswas, Operations Lead – Specialist Team Unit at Node4, elaborates: “If we are working towards having a world where Artificial Intelligence will serve humanity, then this technology must have input from all of humanity.

“We are seeing more Governance for AI take shape in recent months including the Frontier AI Taskforce and the recent Bletchley Declaration on AI safety that has at least 28 countries agreeing to understand & manage potential risks through a new joint global effort to ensure AI is developed and deployed in a safe & responsible way.”

AI doesn’t singlehandedly deserve the spotlight, and will continue to be reliant on the human touch and other more established technology throughout 2024. It is essential that organisations and governments to continue establishing sensible guardrails.

AI, the Ts&Cs required to build a first line of defence

With sensible regulation and security in mind, the technology can be widely beneficial across all global organisations. Jeannette Lee Heung, Senior Director, Global Channel and Ecosystems at Aqua Security, summarises that for the cybersecurity industry in particular, “AI is emerging as a focal point, paralleling the significance of cybersecurity for the Cloud.” However, whilst most organisations understand the necessity of these tools, many lack the requisite skills or expertise to fully leverage it.

Looking ahead to the new year, Heung elaborates: “Traditional partners, heavily reliant on the transactional model of reselling, are at a crossroads. In response to the evolving landscape, they are likely to explore strategic options such as mergers, acquisitions, or forging partnerships with specialised services companies. This strategic shift is essential for bridging the gap between sustaining revenues and meeting the evolving needs of customers in the dynamic cybersecurity landscape.”

These partners will be essential to ensure AI trust, risk and security management are in place when organisations utilise the technology. Michal Lewy-Harush, CIO at Aqua Security highlights this will be essential to ensure robustness, security and data protection.

She explains the criticality of understanding the technology’s attack surface. “Starting the development ending with Runtime Therefore, Security leaders will have to include in the security programs solutions and techniques for model monitoring, data and content anomaly detection, AI data protection, model management and operations, attack resistance and AI-specific application security.”

AI, the perfect partner in crime

Organisations must get to grips with securing the technology before implementing it into their overall strategy – after all, it will only provide a competitive advantage if it’s not proven to leave businesses open to further vulnerabilities.

Clearly, AI’s potential is well noted – with Samantha Humphries, Senior Director, International Security Strategy at Exabeam, arguing that AI “is simply another tool for adversaries to use against them.”

Caroline Seymour, VP of storage product marketing, Zerto, a Hewlett-Packard Enterprise company, agrees: “Evolving AI technology will empower bad actors with unprecedented tools, enabling sophisticated attacks such as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), AI-powered malware, phishing, and the menacing realm of deepfake assaults.”

Simply put, AI is a champion in one hand and a criminal in the other. As we approach 2024, Exabeam’s Humphries reminds organisations to not be distracted by AI and “leave more ‘basic’ security flaws open.”

As it stands, we can’t rely on the technology on its own and organisations must invest more in security programs and building out their security teams.

She concludes: “There are a myriad of skilled people available now due to redundancies, but unfortunately, some organisations still aren’t investing in security programs and consequently not building out their security teams. Cybersecurity is still seen by many organisations as a cost centre, rather than a business enabler. The impact of these decisions will hit hard next year, both from an ability to respond to attacks and the impact on IT teams.”