1 Artificial intelligence in IT
This chapter covers
- Overview of generative AI tools
- Addressing AI’s impact on IT jobs and professional development
- Capabilities and applications of various AI engine versions
- AI’s role in enhancing IT tasks, decision-making, and teamwork
- Ethical guidelines and strategies for AI usage in IT environments
We know it’s cliche to say that something will revolutionize an industry but seriously: generative AI tools like ChatGPT is absolutely revolutionizing the IT industry and knowing how to use them is becoming required knowledge.
"[AI] is every bit as important as the PC, as the internet."
Generative AI has made a real difference in how quickly we can complete tasks. Take the process of moving data from PDFs into databases - what used to take hours now takes minutes. The AI reads through documents, checks the data, and puts it straight into the database, cutting down on manual effort.
This extends to application security too. AI models can spot unusual patterns in application logs and user behavior that might signal security problems. This helps IT teams catch issues as they happen, instead of discovering them during scheduled reviews or after incidents. Teams can then focus on more valuable work, like improving their backup testing procedures. But it’s worth noting AI’s current limits - it can’t match human empathy, creativity, or deep contextual understanding. The best results come from pairing AI’s speed with human expertise and judgment.