Intelligent CIO North America Issue 28 | Page 40

FEATURE : CIO PRIORITIES
Analysts explore how CIOs can seize uncertainty and make the most of it in 2023 and beyond .

Gartner has revealed its top strategic predictions for 2023 and beyond . Gartner ’ s top predictions explore how business and technology leaders can reimagine assumptions and seize the moment to turn uncertainty into certainty .

“ Uncertainty carries as much opportunity as it does risk ,” said Daryl Plummer , Distinguished VP Analyst and Gartner Fellow . “ The key to unlocking those opportunities is to reimagine assumptions – especially those rooted in a pre-digital past – around how work is done , how relationships between customers and providers will evolve and how current trends will unfold .
“ The comforts of consistency are a detriment to the growth of any company seeking to lead in a modern digital world filled with unknowns . This year ’ s predictions provide a foundation for executive leaders to seize uncertainty , challenge thinking and change expectations while maintaining forward movement .”
Gartner analysts have presented the top 10 strategic predictions for guidance .
1 . Through 2027 , fully virtual workspaces will account for 30 % of the investment growth by enterprises in metaverse technologies and will ‘ reimagine ’ the office experience
As employees continue to desire more flexible work scenarios , virtual workspaces in Metaverses will emerge to support new immersive experiences . Fully virtual workspaces are computer-generated environments where groups of employees can come together using personal avatars or holograms .
“ Existing meeting solution vendors will need to offer metaverse and virtual workspace technologies or risk being replaced ,” added Plummer . “ Virtual workspaces deliver the same cost and time savings as videoconferencing , with the added benefits of better engagement , collaboration and connection .”
2 . By 2025 , without sustainable Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) practices , AI will consume more energy than the human workforce , significantly offsetting carbon-zero gains
As AI becomes increasingly pervasive and requires more complex Machine Learning ( ML ) models , it consumes more data , compute resources and power . If current AI practices remain unchanged , the energy needed for ML training and associated data storage and processing may account for up to 3.5 % of global electricity consumption by 2030 .
Yet as AI practitioners become more aware of their growing energy footprint , sustainable AI practices are emerging , such as the use of specialized hardware to reduce energy consumption , energy-efficient coding , transfer learning , small data techniques , federated learning and more .
“ AI offers huge potential benefits to optimize operational efficiency and sustainability , far outweighing its own footprint ,” said Plummer . “ Provided it is applied more pervasively and effectively than today , AI could reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 5 % to 10 %.”
3 . By 2026 , Citizen-led Denial of Service ( cDOS ) attacks , using virtual assistants to shut down operations , will become the fastest-growing form of protest
Protests against businesses and government organizations are increasingly digital . Citizen-led Denial-of-Service attacks ( cDOS ) are led by

Gartner unveils top predictions

for IT organizations and users in 2023

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