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How AI is Reshaping IT Jobs: Three Key Changes
A recent article by Freshworks explored the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on IT roles.
According to Freshworks’ 2024 AI Workplace report, 85% of IT departments use AI weekly, with nearly half of 7,000 surveyed employees noting improvements in productivity and work quality.
AI doesn’t only represent a new technological shift. For IT professionals, AI is also redefining their roles, reshaping how they work, and introducing new challenges and opportunities. While automation and AI-driven tools are streamlining many processes, IT teams are also adapting to ensure that technology remains reliable, secure, and efficient.
In this article, we’ll explore three ways AI is transforming IT jobs:
- Managing AI like a team member
- AI as a challenge for project management
- AI is driving the shift for leaders
#1 Managing AI like a team member
AI isn’t just a tool anymore, it’s becoming a true team member in the IT industry. But this doesn’t mean we should hand all the tasks to AI. That simply isn’t enough.
That’s why businesses need to rethink workflows to make the most of AI’s strengths. Automating bad processes won’t fix inefficiencies, so businesses must redesign how work gets done. AI coding assistants, for example, can speed up debugging and software deployment, freeing up engineers for more strategic tasks. But human oversight is still essential.
AI needs managers just like junior employees do. We can even expect companies to hire new roles specifically to supervise AI outputs. Why? Well, AI also needs clear boundaries. Without clear boundaries, it could make costly mistakes based on outdated data.
That’s why IT professionals must act as AI’s safety net, ensuring decisions align with business priorities.
#2 AI as a challenge for project management
AI is also shaking up project management by redefining roles and expectations. According to Mark Campbell, we’re heading toward a world where companies will start offering “AI employees as a service”. This means that as the AI technology grows in sophistication, we’ll have specialised bots that will handle tasks at a fraction of the cost of human workers.
So, businesses might soon be “interviewing” AI agents like job candidates instead of just evaluating and buying software. But as with every shift, this also brings some new challenges for project management. While some IT leaders might see this as a perfect solution for their needs, others might view this as a threat. So, IT leaders will need to find a middle ground and keep projects moving.
Another challenge? The rapid evolution of AI makes scope creep a bigger risk than ever. If teams constantly chase the latest AI breakthroughs, they may never complete existing projects, while sticking with older models could leave them outdated before launch.
Quality control also becomes trickier as some AI outputs can be tested objectively, but others, like marketing content, rely on human judgment.
#3 AI is driving the shift for leaders
Another transformation AI is bringing is reshaping IT leadership. It’s clear that AI isn’t just redefining IT job roles but also making an impact on leadership and decision-making. That’s why, according to Mark Campbell, every business needs a clear AI strategy, even if that strategy is to avoid AI altogether. He also compares this shift to the dot-com era. Companies that ignored the internet were left behind, while some, like Amazon and Google, thrived by embracing the digital era early.
It’s the same thing with AI today. Businesses that act now on AI will have the upper hand. For IT leaders, this means accepting that things are changing and looking at AI not only as a new tool but as a way to redefine work itself.
Remember, the most successful businesses will be those that can design new roles, integrate AI into teams, and align everything with long-term business goals.
