Artificial intelligence is empowering employees across organizations to become technology creators themselves, leading to a citizen revolution in technology development. Employees from various departments are utilizing AI and user-friendly tools to build their own solutions, from marketing managers creating AI models to nurses developing healthcare apps and finance teams automating processes.
This democratization of technology creation encompasses three main categories: citizen developers, citizen automators, and citizen data scientists. The trend is driven by the convergence of human tech-savviness and user-friendly technology, allowing employees to effectively communicate with computers to build unique solutions.
Progressive organizations are embracing this movement while addressing challenges such as resistance from IT departments viewing citizen development as “shadow IT.” By establishing structures to enable citizen developers and maintain necessary controls, organizations can leverage the domain expertise of their workforce to innovate faster and more effectively.
Successful organizations are adopting a dual IT approach, where one focuses on maintaining enterprise systems and security, while the other supports and empowers citizen developers through training and guidance. By implementing a system that allows collaboration between citizens and IT professionals, organizations are ensuring innovation while managing risks.
The citizen revolution is not just changing how technology is created but transforming the nature of work and innovation. Organizations that embrace this movement will unlock unprecedented levels of innovation and productivity by empowering their employees to solve problems creatively while maintaining appropriate governance.
The future belongs to organizations that effectively harness this citizen movement, combining AI capabilities with the knowledge and skills of their workforce. By providing the right tools and support, organizations can fuel innovation and productivity while enabling their employees to become effective technology creators, leading to a revolution in technology development.
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