Trend Micro has published new research which reveals that over two-fifths (41%) of British IT leaders believe that AI will replace their role by 2030.
Following on from Trend Micro’s official predictions for 2021, we wanted to hear more from UK IT leaders. Compiled from interviews with 500 UK IT directors and managers, CIOs and CTOs, the study offers a glimpse into the future of the profession, and what kind of threats they believe will be most pervasive in several years’ time.
Only 9% of respondents were confident that AI would definitely not replace their job within a decade. In fact, nearly a third (32%) said they thought the technology would eventually work to completely automate all cybersecurity, with little need for human intervention.
Around a quarter (24%) of IT leaders we polled also claimed that by 2030, data access will be tied to biometric or DNA data, making unauthorised access impossible.
“We need to be realistic about the future. While AI is a useful tool in helping us to defend against threats, its value can only be harnessed in combination with human expertise,” said Bharat Mistry, Technical Director, Trend Micro. “We shouldn’t worry about jobs becoming obsolete. The profession will certainly adapt and evolve in new ways. In the meantime, AI and automation can help us to alleviate the problems caused by critical skills shortages.”
In the shorter term, respondents also predicted the following outcomes by 2025:
· Most organisations will have significantly reduced investment in property as remote working becomes the norm (22%)
· Nationwide 5G will have entirely transformed network and security infrastructure (21%)
· Attackers using AI to enhance their arsenal will be commonplace (19%)
· Security will be self-managing and automated using AI (15%)
· Many governments, including the UK’s, will have begun plans for a “single digital identity” (13%)
· Early-adopters of “digital immortality” (AI facsimiles of a person after death) will start to appear online
