Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world of information technology (IT) in many ways, from automating tasks to enhancing customer service. But along with the benefits, there are also some myths and misconceptions that can hold you back from embracing AI in your IT career. Here are some of the most common AI myths that you need to unlearn in IT and why they are not true.
One of the biggest fears that many IT professionals have is that AI will take over their jobs and make them obsolete. While it is true that AI can perform some tasks faster and more accurately than humans, such as data analysis, cybersecurity, or chatbots, it cannot replace the human skills and creativity that are essential for IT. AI is not a threat, but a tool that can augment and complement your IT skills, allowing you to focus on more strategic and innovative projects. AI also needs human supervision, maintenance, and improvement, which means that you can still play a vital role in managing and developing AI solutions.
AI is meant to augment humans, and not replace as in literal meaning. It is making our work more skillful, less mundane, and more comfortable. Drawing an analogy from the last phase of industrial automation - machines help lift boxes to higher racks in a warehouse, but those machines are instructed by humans to do so. Similarly, AI is being trained by humans to augment humans, as an example to detect a human not wearing helmet at a warehouses or suggesting which product to keep in which aisle to maximize speed of retrieval. Thus, making it safer and better work environment for humans. And this is just the days of infancy for AI in terms of the potential from being just descriptive to predictive to generative.
The story of IT/software is eating its own children has been around for a while. Despite that more and more people with the respective skillset are required. I would recommend to put AI in context of previous technology changes and my hypothesis is that we will likely see similar patterns also here. Probably some people will remember the rise of Excel and people saying tax advisors won't be needed anymore... I'd also suggest to have a look a the typical hype cycles we see in the technology space. Esp. GenAI is currently at the peak of inflated expectations. So likely AI will also fall in the pattern of short-term overestimated, long-term underestimated.
Another myth that can deter you from adopting AI in your IT career is that AI is too complicated and costly to implement and use. You might think that you need a PhD in computer science or a huge budget to work with AI, but that is not the case. Thanks to the advances in cloud computing, open source software, and online learning platforms, you can access AI tools and resources that are affordable, scalable, and user-friendly. You can also learn the basics of AI and how to apply it to your IT projects through online courses, tutorials, and certifications. AI is not a mysterious or elite technology, but a practical and accessible one that you can leverage in your IT career.
OpenAI and AWS, Azure for example have put the power of AI in the reach of so many people. AWS services such as AWS S3, and SageMaker-Canvas allow us to upload historical data to private storage buckets, then using SageMaker we can build powerful models, analyze them, and make different predictions based on those trained data models.
A third myth that can limit your understanding and use of AI in your IT career is that AI is a single or uniform technology that can be applied to any IT problem or goal. However, AI is not a monolithic or homogeneous entity, but a diverse and dynamic field that encompasses different types of algorithms, methods, and applications. For example, there are different branches of AI, such as machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, or robotics, that have different purposes and capabilities. There are also different levels of AI, such as narrow, general, or superintelligence, that have different degrees of autonomy and intelligence. Therefore, you need to be aware of the variety and complexity of AI and how to choose and use the most suitable AI solution for your IT needs and challenges.
A fourth myth that can affect your trust and quality of AI in your IT career is that AI is always unbiased and accurate in its outputs and decisions. You might assume that AI is free from human errors or prejudices, but that is not true. AI can inherit or amplify the biases and flaws of the data, algorithms, or systems that it is based on or interacts with. For example, AI can produce inaccurate or unfair results if the data is incomplete, outdated, or skewed, or if the algorithms are poorly designed, tested, or updated. Therefore, you need to be critical and responsible when working with AI and ensure that you follow ethical and professional standards and practices to avoid or mitigate the risks of AI bias and errors.
A fifth myth that can influence your expectations and satisfaction of AI in your IT career is that AI is the ultimate or final destination for IT innovation and development. You might think that AI is the best or only solution for every IT problem or opportunity, or that AI has reached its peak or limit of performance and potential. However, AI is not an end in itself, but a means to an end that can help you achieve your IT objectives and outcomes. AI is also not a static or perfect technology, but a dynamic and evolving one that can always be improved and expanded. Therefore, you need to be curious and flexible when working with AI and explore new ways of combining and enhancing AI with other technologies, such as cloud, blockchain, or IoT, to create more value and impact for your IT career.