By Nick Godt Uber and May Mobility will offer driverless rides in the U.S.

Source:: Digital Trends

Although the nation’s overall unemployment rate held steady in April, technology worker hiring slowed and unemployment rose markedly.

Tech sector companies reduced staffing by a net 7,000 positions in April, an analysis of data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed.

“Employers are no longer aggressively expanding their workforce, fewer individuals are leaving their jobs, and those who do are finding it challenging to re-enter the job market,” said Ger Doyle, U.S. Country Manager at employment firm ManpowerGroup. “This highlights a significant shift in labor market dynamics, where churn and confidence are low.”

Hiring gains in the tech services sector were not enough to offset job losses in tech manufacturing, telecommunications and cloud infrastructure, according to a report from tech industry association CompTIA.

Across the economy, tech employment fell by an estimated 214,000 jobs, pushing the sector’s unemployment rate up to 3.5% from 3.1% in March. “It was not a great month of data, but expected given the circumstances,” said Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s chief research officer. “Employer tech job postings continue to hold up, so [that’s] a possible sign that hiring will resume as companies find their bearings.”

CompTIA

Across all job sectors, employers added 177,000 jobs in April despite economic uncertainty around President Donald J. Trump’s international tariffs, BLS data showed. The overall unemployment rate remained unchanged from March at 4.2%.

“Our real-time data shows job openings down 11% year-over-year, signaling a cooling environment,” Doyle said.

Hiring remains slow as employers focus on talent retention and adopt a “wait-and-watch” approach, closely monitoring economic signals, Doyle said. While sectors like medical and executive management grow, concerns about future hiring and AI’s impact on roles persist, he said.

“While our data shows a 13% month-over-month decline in traditional software developer postings, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Developers are evolving into strategic technology orchestrators who harness AI to drive unprecedented business value,” said Kye Mitchell, head of tech employment firm Experis North America, a ManpowerGroup subsidiary.

The impact from AI on hiring was stark, as companies grapple with cleaning, organizing, and sharing data stores for potential use by the technology. Demand for database architects skyrocketed, leaping 2312%, Mitchell said. Jobs for statisticians also rose sharply (up 382%).

In today’s economy, IT leaders must invest in AI to deliver measurable outcomes, not just for the sake of technology, according to Mitchell. “Tech leaders must be incredibly precise about where they allocate resources. This isn’t about AI for AI’s sake; outcomes [must] justify the investment, even during uncertain times,” she said.

Among vertical industries, employment continued to trend up in healthcare, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and social assistance. But federal government employment declined amid cuts by the Trump Administration and its unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Employers continue to pursue skills-based hiring strategies. About one-half of all April tech job postings did not specify a need for a four-year academic degree, according to CompTIA.

Skills-based hiring has been on the rise for several years, as organizations seek to fill specific needs for big data analytics, programing (such as Rust), and AI prompt engineering. In fact, demand for generative AI (genAI) courses is surging, passing all other tech skills courses spanning fields from data science to cybersecurity, project management, and marketing.

GenAI projects will move from pilot phase to production for many companies this year, which means workers are likely to be affected in ways never before imagined, according to Sarah Hoffman, director of AI research at AlphaSense.

“As AI automates more processes, the role of workers will shift,” Hoffman said in an earlier interview. “Jobs focused on repetitive tasks may decline, but new roles will emerge, requiring employees to focus on overseeing AI systems, handling exceptions, and performing creative or strategic functions that AI cannot easily replicate. The future workforce will likely collaborate more closely with AI tools.”

When considering new hires, 80% of corporate executives are expected to prioritize skills over degrees, with half planning to boost freelance hiring this year to fill in for a gap in AI and other skills, according to a recent study from freelancing platform Upwork.

The top 10 highest-paid skills in tech can help workers earn up to 47% more — and the top skill among them is genAI, according to employment website Indeed and other sources. “Let’s be honest, the job opportunities in the AI field for AI scientists has gone up massively,” said Julie Teigland, global vice chair for alliances and ecosystems at Ernst & Young. “There is a huge skills gap in terms of the number of people that can do that and that is not changing. Those are still in massive demand.

“Everywhere else we can talk about what jobs are changing and where the future is, but AI scientists and data scientists continue to be the top two in terms of what we’re looking for,” she said.

Geographically, when it comes to tech job postings, California topped all states in April with 26,280, up 1,037 from March. Texas, Virginia, and New York followed in total postings, while Arizona, West Virginia, and Maryland saw the largest month-over-month percentage gains, CompTIA data showed.

Source:: Computer World

By Hisan Kidwai Horror games are a very tricky business, considering they have to pack in both the horror…
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By Hisan Kidwai If you’re a fan of Blue Lock-inspired Roblox games like Blue Lock Rivals and Azure Latch,…
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By Kath Easthope Amid the economic malaise that followed the 2008 financial crisis in the UK – record unemployment, sluggish growth, tight fiscal consolidation – a game-changing policy drive was beginning to take shape.  This shift, driven by the Conservative-led coalition government at the time, was designed to transform the UK into “Incubator Britain” – attracting software and tech entrepreneurs with generous tax breaks, government-backed early-stage funding, and a thriving ecosystem, laying the foundations for the startup hub we recognise today. But while these initiatives succeeded in spurring startup growth, they did little to help those businesses scale. Despite having near-zero costs of…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

As it stands to potentially lose ad revenue after being ruled a monopoly, and also to maintain an edge in the digital ad space as generative AI use soars, Google is purportedly now injecting ads into third party chatbot conversations.

It’s not a surprising move, particularly given Google’s antitrust loss that could eventually lead to the breakup of its ad business (although there are likely years of appeals to come before any tangible changes). The tech giant is also in fierce competition with the likes of OpenAI, Perplexity, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, and a slew of others to get enterprise users to adopt its genAI platforms.

“Google knows its long-dominant search funnel is leaking,” said Julie Geller, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. “If conversational AI becomes the way people discover, decide, and buy, Google needs a revenue engine ready before regulators or rivals box it out.”

More than a money move

According to reports, the Google AdSense network expanded to include chatbot conversations earlier this year, after it tested the capability last year. Particularly, according to anonymous sources, it is working with AI search startups iAsk and Liner.

The move comes as Google grapples with the fallout of not just one, but two, antitrust trials in which it was found guilty of establishing “monopoly power.” Most recently, in April, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the company monopolized two online advertising markets: publisher ad servers and the ad exchanges that sit between buyers and sellers. Google reportedly earned nearly $265 billion in 2024 alone through ad placement and sales.

Incorporating ads into generative AI is a “risky move at a fragile moment,” noted Ria Delamere, chief technology and product officer at Traject Data. “This isn’t just about making money. It’s about trying to hold onto ground as Google faces pressure from AI-native competitors and antitrust regulators.”

An opportunity for hyper-personalization

Of course, Google isn’t the first to do this. Meta, for one, shows ads in “private” messenger chats, David B. Wright, president and chief marketing officer at W3 Group Marketing, pointed out.

“Google and other companies inserting ads in AI chatbots are just jumping into the next available space to place ads,” he said.

Geller pointed out that, in 2022, company leaders acknowledged that about 40% of Gen Z in the US were turning to TikTok or Instagram, not Google, for local recommendations on where to eat or shop, and that behavior has only accelerated since. Incorporating ads into generative AI sets the stage for “hyper-local, persona-level targeting” which could  pull advertisers back from social platforms and keep both discovery and dollars inside Google’s walls, she said.

Enterprises will be able to deliver more relevant ads “at the right time to the right person,” Wright agreed. Consider conversing with an AI chatbot as a very long-tail search, he said: Ad servers can take the data from the conversation and use it to craft hyper-targeted ads.

“In an ideal world, we’d only see the ads we want to see when we’d want to see them: when we’re at the right stage of a buying decision for something we want to buy,” he said. “This could be a step closer to that.”

Preserving trust will be paramount moving forward

Experts emphasize that trust is imperative to all this. Notably, it hinges on “knowing when money changes the message,” said Geller. If users suspect an answer is ranked by revenue over relevance, “confidence tanks,” and they may migrate to more “neutral” assistants.

Google will need to flag sponsored content in real-time, explain why it surfaced the ads it did, and prove that organic answers aren’t “quietly demoted,” she said. “Anything less invites skepticism and churn.”

Delamere agreed that when ads start showing up as part of an “answer,” it gets harder to tell where information ends and influence begins. When AI is driving decisions, transparency and explainability aren’t an option, she said.

“This may help Google in the short term, but credibility is hard to earn and easy to lose,” Delamere emphasized.

From a user interface perspective, if ads distract or cause delays, consumers won’t go near the app, noted Melissa Copeland of Blue Orbit Consulting. “Consumers may try it, but if they don’t get the efficient and effective answer they are looking for, they will abandon the channel or brand.”

Meanwhile, when it comes to privacy, Geller pointed out that chat transcripts are stored and, at times, reviewed by humans, creating a “durable record of anything sensitive a user blurts out.”

“While Google offers opt-outs and deletion tools, they’re far from intuitive,” she said, emphasizing that enterprises must offer secure contract-level clarity on retention windows, human-review policies, and encryption standards, and should also insist on audit rights to verify compliance.

Look beyond a single-vendor strategy

This type of capability could help companies offer chatbot functionality at a lower cost, and potentially surface new insights about customers, noted Neil Chilson, head of AI policy with the Abundance Institute.

Like all ad media, he said, when considering the volume and type of ads, companies will need to balance short-time incentives to monetize and long- term financial incentives to keep customers coming back.

“Google is good at helping companies evaluate those trade offs in other advertising channels; it will be interesting to see how that expertise translates to this new area,” said Chilson.

Info-Tech’s Geller pointed out that the search and discovery landscape is evolving too quickly for a single-vendor strategy. She advised enterprise leaders to stay agile, demand full transparency around data use and monetization, and keep an eye on how AI-driven personalization opens new micro-market opportunities.

It’s also important to build flexibility into customer experience and marketing roadmaps, as ads are “only the opening salvo,” she noted. Further, companies should watch for new revenue models from app providers, such as subscription tiers or usage fees, and potentially embrace the benefits of hyper-local targeting. At the same time, she said, “keep exit routes open and your data governance questions sharp.”

Source:: Computer World

Google is making changes to its venerable search interface so users can more naturally interact with its AI features.

“AI Mode,” a project brewing in Google’s Search Labs, will slowly roll out to general users within the company’s current search interface. (A new “AI Mode” tab will appear alongside its search box.)

“With AI Mode, you can truly ask Search anything — from complex explanations about tech and electronics to comparisons that help with really specific tasks, like assessing insurance options for a new pet,” Soufi Esmaeilzadeh, director of product management for Google’s search products, said in a blog post.

The new features will migrate from the experimental AI Mode features already being tested by users in Google’s Search Labs. Google has also added features to the experimental AI Mode so users get better search results.

With AI Mode now ready for the real world, Google promises the tool will offer more than AI Overviews; it provides basic insights for questions plugged into the search box. AI Mode is based on the Gemini 2.0 AI model.

“Because our power users are finding it so helpful, we’re starting a limited test outside of Labs. In the coming weeks, a small percentage of people in the US will see the AI Mode tab in Search,” Esmaeilzadeh said.

Google’s experimental AI Mode app had been available only to limited users. The app is available for Apple’s iOS and Android.

A Google spokesperson declined to offer further details about AI Mode search.

Google has been talking about integrating AI into search results more comprehensively since the day it launched its first large language model called Bard. The early models hallucinated and malfunctioned, so Google has been cautious in rolling out AI into its general search features.

But the company had to roll out core AI features to its search tools as soon as possible, said Jack Gold, principal analyst at J Gold Associates.

OpenAI and Anthropic have built search into their AI interfaces, and Meta recently launched its own chatbot based on Llama 4. Microsoft was already ahead of Google in integrating AI search into Bing results.

“It’s seeing increasing competition for AI from companies like Meta and OpenAI that could take some share away from them…, but it’s not clear that a competent AI model couldn’t essentially duplicate and enhance search functions for many users — see Perplexity, as an example,” Gold said.

Google attaching Gemini closer to its search tools offers several benefits, including feedback from users on how well the answers resonate. Enhancing search with AI could also drive down Google’s compute power and infrastructure costs as it could limit the number of searches needed before users get desired results.

“It can better tune its models for accuracy. It also enhances their ability to target ads at users, as AI will show complementary topics that can then be advertised about,” Gold said.

The experimental AI Mode in the search labs already delivered useful information about products and places. Google is now adding more rich results and multimedia features. A search for destinations, results, and products will show in a more organized format.

“Rolling out over the coming week, you’ll begin to see visual place and product cards in AI Mode with the ability to tap to get more details,” Esmaeilzadeh said.

Shopping, dining, and services results will have more options, real-time pricing, promotions, and ratings. And a new left-side panel on the desktop will make it easier to jump back into past searches on longer-running tasks and projects.

Typically, Google requires consent to record search history to understand user trends. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on whether AI Mode would require that.

Source:: Computer World

By Siôn Geschwindt Danish startup Teton has used Gefion, one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers, to turbocharge the development of its AI “care companion” for hospital staff.  Teton installs cameras and sensors in hospital rooms to gather real-time data. This gets fed to an AI algorithm, creating a virtual “digital twin” of the room. The model monitors patient and staff behaviour such as movement, breathing, or posture changes. If it sees a problem, the system alerts nurses via an app.  To protect privacy, all processing takes place on-device and none is sent to the cloud. No personal data or raw video footage is…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

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By Nick Godt Waymo and Toyota are exploring fully-automated driving for personally owned vehicles.

Source:: Digital Trends

By Siôn Geschwindt Unprecedented power cuts swept across Portugal, Spain, and parts of France on Monday — instantly unravelling the tech-dependent lives of me and tens of millions of others.  At first, I wasn’t worried. Then the owner of my Lisbon apartment forwarded me a link: an article in The Sun newspaper titled “Spain & Portugal hit by huge power cuts…” I tried to open it, but the page wouldn’t load. After a few minutes of backup power, the mobile networks were dead. I walked down to my local café, hoping to get some more information. “We have no idea what’s going on…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

By Siôn Geschwindt Swedish electric plane startup Heart Aerospace is relocating its headquarters from Gothenburg to Los Angeles in a move it says will “bolster product development.”  The company will lay off all of its 75 employees in Sweden, company spokesperson Christina Zander told TNW. “Recruitment in the US is ongoing,” she added.   Founded in 2018, Heart Aerospace is building a hybrid-electric 30-passenger airliner called the ES-30. The first working prototype of the plane, X1, is scheduled to take to the skies later this year.   Tobias Bengtsdahl, a partner at VC firm Antler, told TNW that Heart’s move to the US should serve…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

Zoho on Wednesday announced the addition of 10 AI-centric services and features within Zoho Creator, the company’s low code application development platform, that it said are part of its pledge to invest only in “AI capabilities that drive real-time, practical and secure benefits to business users.”

The expanded offerings include CoCreator, the firm’s new AI “development partner” powered by Zia, Zoho’s AI assistant, that it said in a release “facilitates faster, simpler and more intelligent app building with the use of voice and written prompts, process flows and business specification documents.”

New features also include the ability to transform unstructured data from different file types and databases into customized applications, aided by what the company described as “advanced AI-based data prep capabilities that remove inconsistencies and bring logical structure to detail.”

Source:: Computer World

President Donald J. Trump recently signed an executive order to bring AI into K–12 education to boost literacy around the technology and create a new White House task force to lead the effort.

The task force plans to form public-private partnerships with AI experts to develop online resources for K-12 AI literacy and critical thinking and will seek industry commitments and federal funding to support the effort; the goal is to ensure resources are available for K-12 instruction within 180 days. As part of the plan, the US Secretary of Education must within 90 days issue guidance on using federal grants to support AI in education and find ways to use existing research programs to help states boost student success.

Some, however, say the executive order on AI in education doesn’t go far enough.

“AI education has to start even earlier than kindergarten!” Karen Panetta, a fellow with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), wrote via email when asked about Trump’s order. “Why? Because children need to be aware of the influences of things that are and are not real.” (IEEE is a global professional organization that advances technology through standards development and education.)

Children will encounter realistic but fake AI-generated content, so it should be an imperative teach them early to question what they see and ask trusted adults for help, according to Panetta.

Heather Barnhart, an education curriculum lead and fellow at the SANS Institute, agreed that AI training is critical, arguing that predators can leverage the technology to create images young children crave.

“That sentence is disturbing, but true,” Barnhart said. “Yes, AI has guardrails. However, it’s open source and can be taught how to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI can also be used in the art of sex extortion. Here, children and teenagers are targeted in financial extortion with the creation of AI generated images of themselves. Out of fear, the kids resort to trying to pay the ransom or worse, harming themselves.”

Parents and teachers should talk to children about AI early and often, and those conversations should be age-appropriate and based on a child’s maturity, she said. Teaching kids to recognize suspicious behavior — both online and offline— is as important as teaching them about physical safety. Giving a child a device exposes them to potential dangers, often from strangers who appear to be peers or friends, Barnhart said.

“Bottom line, we can’t fear technology,” she said. “We cannot keep our children from technology. We need to learn how to communicate with them about online safety so that their world is not impacted when a threat comes their way. The more you talk to your kids and the more open you are to what they are doing and living — and what they are looking at online — the safer your family will be.”

Panetta said AI will increase phishing and online threats unless the US begins digital and AI education from the moment kids use devices. Just as word processors became standard in schools, AI tools will soon be essential in education and work.

Every school has students using tablets in the classroom and at home, Panetta pointed out, allowing students to use standard software programs such as word processors, animation software, drawing programs and instant access via the internet to relevant curated learning videos.

Panetta said using AI to help develop customized learning approaches is key. For example, “autistic children can greatly benefit from having AI that knows how to read their facial expressions to gauge their interest or emotions in response to educational materials. This helps develop AI that is more in tune with the needs of different abled children,” she said.

Trump’s executive order calls for educators, industry leaders, and employers to collaborate to create programs that equip students with essential AI skills across all learning paths. And it calls for a strong framework that integrates early exposure, teacher training, and workforce development to help foster innovation and critical thinking.

The order just “makes sense,” according to Emily DeJeu, an assistant professor of Business Management Communication at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

Noting China’s recent announcement of a major AI-focused educational overhaul, “this move seems intended to keep American students competitive in a fast-changing global landscape,” DeJeu said. “There’s also historical precedent for it: the 1983 federal report A Nation at Risk called for integrating computer science into high school curricula, sparking decades of STEM-focused education reforms.

“Building AI literacy could benefit students much like past efforts to build digital literacy,” she said.

However, DeJeu added, educators must be cautious because research shows AI can hinder critical thinking, increase plagiarism, and lead to learning loss. Students may rely on AI to do challenging work, gaining polished results without true understanding — risking a generation that uses AI well but lacks deep knowledge and critical skills.

Panetta also advised a cautious approach in light of AI’s tendency to hallucinate and spew erroneous information and expose sensitive information.

“We need to guarantee that standards are in place for both security and privacy,” Panetta said. “The best educational product that unintentionally shares your child’s image or private information will ultimately do more harm than good. At IEEE, our AI and security experts around the globe are leading the efforts to create these safeguards and standards.”

Source:: Computer World

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By Siôn Geschwindt Dutch neobank Bunq today launched a crypto trading service for over 300 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The service launches today and is available to Bunq users in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, and Belgium. It’s offered via Kraken, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.   Bunq plans to “gradually expand” the offering to the rest of the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, and the US.  “Our users across the world have long waited for a simple, safe, and straightforward way to invest in digital assets,” said Ali Niknam, the bank’s founder and CEO.  Niknam — who will reveal…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

Yesterday, we looked at how tariffs might well make connected accessories more expensive and leave existing devices less secure as the companies that made them exit the market.

Today, we discover why these accessories need to be protected and find out they can already be attacked. If nothing else, it should encourage any consumer or enterprise user relying on connected accessories to take the time to verify that all of them are truly secure.

Those that are not should be removed from use – and from your network.

All the forgotten endpoints

Wired tells us that Oligo security researchers have discovered flaws in Apple’s AirPlay system that could allow hackers to gain access to your Wi-Fi network to infect AirPlay-enabled smart home accessories.

That’s a danger, given how infrequently smart accessory manufacturers actually publish security updates for those devices — and it will likely get worse in the future as accessory developers exit the market when tariffs make business unprofitable.

Given that some connected device users have spent a great deal of money on their systems, it’s unrealistic to expect they will swiftly give up their accessories. That means those potentially very vulnerable endpoints will remain in use for some time to come.

The problem Oligo found

The problem Oligo identified consists of bugs in Apple’s AirPlay SDK that hackers can exploit to gain access to smart gadgets, including speakers, receivers, set-top boxes, televisions and other network devices that connect using AirPlay. That could mean, for example, using your device’s microphone to listen in on your conversations.

The good thing is that this isn’t a remote attack; attackers need to gain access to your Wi-Fi network first, which is more of a problem when it comes to shared public Wi-Fi networks than at home. 

The researchers shared their findings with Apple, which has patched the vulnerability on its own devices and issued an updated developer SDK. But third-party firms haven’t yet said anything about their plans to adopt the code. “Because AirPlay is supported in such a wide variety of devices, there are a lot that will take years to patch — or they will never be patched,” said Oligo’s CTO, Gal Elbaz.

Sweet home accessory, never been patched

It’s a fact that some third-party accessories might never be patched, which should make anyone with connected home or workplace smart accessories pay attention. That cavalier attitude is a problem waiting to happen, turning a seemingly benign little smart plug into a potential Trojan Horse hackers and other attackers can use to subvert the security of your home or business. 

While this particular exploit might have been identified and mitigated against, there will be others, and in the absence of timely security updates for connected devices, let’s just say one day more connected access endpoints will be exploited.

Some might already have been compromised.

What can you do to protect yourself? 

Assuming you make sure to install software updates as they appear, the next step is to monitor the devices you use. That means making a list of them, determine when they were made, and figure out whether the accessory manufacturer still supports them. If they do, it also means ensuring your device is running the latest available software updates. 

What about devices that are no longer supported? It’s a judgment call, but if security is a priority, it makes sense to cease use of orphaned devices — security in the home or in the workplace is only ever as good as the weakest link. Devices that are not being kept up to date pose a risk to other devices on your network and the data they contain.

When it comes to installing new smart devices, I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir in saying there is a need to verify that any you do choose ship with solid software support. If they don’t have that, install a solution that does.

Finally, given that accessory makers will be seeking to build subscription businesses, it might make sense for them to combine together to create an app that verifies and updates deployed smart devices to flag any potential weaknesses and ensure the best possible security.

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Source:: Computer World

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It’s no secret that IT workers can easily get burned out. They often have too much to do and feel stressed trying to keep up with technology that’s always changing. The meteoric growth of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, in business has only exacerbated the problem, with tech workers feeling pressure to learn relevant skills and even fearing they’ll be replaced by bots.

Another factor contributing to IT burnout is the rise of remote and hybrid work since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020. The continuous demands of hybrid work environments aggravate worker stress, often leading to a blurring of personal and professional boundaries, said Manu Sood, SVP of technology at AvidXchange.

When employees feel burned out, they may disengage from their jobs, resulting in a loss of productivity, creativity, and innovation. Managers should be on the alert for behavioral changes that indicate employee disengagement, such as turning off cameras in virtual meetings, minimal participation in those meetings, limited sharing of ideas, and opting out of in-person collaboration, said Forrester analyst Fiona Mark.

“The biggest one I see is that if the group behavior changes from being a group that shares and connects and challenges each other… to a group that becomes more about consensus but without that challenge, you’re starting to see a pullback from caring about the outcomes [of their work],” she said.

There are steps IT managers can take to remedy this situation — or ideally stave it off before it ever gets that far. Follow these techniques to keep your workforce motivated and eager to use AI to enhance their work.

Listen to employee concerns and support their well-being

To keep technology workers engaged during rapid technology advancements, IT managers should prioritize open communication with employees, along with recognition, training, and career development, said IDC analyst Ritu Jyoti. Encouraging dialogue through check-ins and feedback sessions helps employees feel heard and boosts morale, she said.

“I think the number one thing that IT managers have to do is to encourage open communication — basically, foster an environment where team members feel comfortable in sharing their concerns,” she said.

IT managers should check in with employees before burnout becomes a serious issue, noted Forrester’s Mark. To make sure employees feel heard, it’s important to do more listening to their concerns than prescribing fixes, she said.

“The number one thing that IT managers have to do is to encourage open communication.” — Ritu Jyoti, IDC

Tech leaders should actively promote and enforce clear work-life boundaries for their teams, said AvidXchange’s Sood. That includes encouraging employees to take time off to recharge, which is essential to ensure their long-term productivity and well-being.

“I personally encourage my teams to take regular breaks, take time off to recharge, not continue to bank their personal time off but actually use their PTO for resting and recharging,” she said. “We also provide mental health resources through programs like employee assistance programs and … employee-led meetup groups that encourage employees to connect with each other to regularly focus on their well-being and mental health.”

Present AI as not just a challenge but an opportunity

AI’s ability to bring big changes can seem overwhelming, especially when employees worry that it might replace their jobs. But there are ways IT leaders can help their teams see AI as an opportunity, not just a challenge.

Daniela LaCelle, head of IT delivery at insurance company Unum, said it’s important to present AI as a tool that helps and supports people, not something that takes their place. Burnout is a concern in fast-paced tech environments, she said, but AI can help alleviate this issue by automating repetitive tasks.

LaCelle stressed that seeing AI as an enabler rather than a threat shifts the focus toward opportunities rather than fears. This shift allows teams to focus on strategic and creative work, which encourages greater engagement while easing employees’ fears about job security.

Nimrod Partush, VP data science at exposure management software vendor CYE, concurred.

“We view AI as a powerful enhancement tool that allows our team to accomplish far more, rather than as a replacement for human talent,” he said. “The idea of reducing personnel hasn’t come up. If anything, AI amplifies the value of great team members. Those who contribute meaningfully are indispensable, and with AI, they can bring even greater value to the team.”

Instead of issuing a top-down directive, IT managers should involve employees in AI integration, said Forrester’s Mark. By emphasizing that adopting AI is a team effort and a learning process, IT leaders can ease employee fears and ensure everyone works together toward the organization’s goals.

“So when you think about that, it’s, ‘How can we use AI to make the work that you do easier for you so that you can be more productive and more valuable?’” she said.

Keyur Ajmera, CIO at recruiting software maker iCIMS, said it’s important to show employees clear examples of how AI can be used and the benefits it brings. One of the strategies he uses to keep his team interested and involved is gamification: challenging them to solve problems using AI tools.

For example, one problem Ajmera wanted his team to solve was improving how they use generative AI for creating images, specifically through effective prompt engineering. To do this, Ajmera introduced an internal gamification challenge asking team members to “act like AI co-pilots” and generate the best possible image that addressed a specific problem (capturing aspects A, B, and C).

He noted that this approach, which has been particularly successful, got everyone involved, boosted curiosity about AI, and made learning fun by celebrating the best results.

Foster (and make time for) learning and development

With technology, especially AI, changing so quickly, it’s crucial for employees to keep learning and developing new skills, said Vishal Gupta, CTO and CIO at Lexmark. To that end, the company, which offers printing and imaging products and services, has invested in several upskilling initiatives.

“We’ve partnered with North Carolina State [University] on our AI Academy, and we’ve gotten 100 people trained as data scientists,” he said. “We also offer an AI foundations course and a technology rotation program to give people a variety of skills.”

Upskilling and reskilling employees helps them embrace emerging technologies like AI, said Unum’s LaCelle. When IT managers equip workers to adapt to new technologies, their fear of these new tools decreases and their engagement naturally improves, she said.

“In my experience, burnout only happens when we stop learning and stop striving to see over the next hill.” — Prasad Sankaran, Cognizant

Indeed, Prasad Sankaran, EVP, software and platform engineering at IT services provider Cognizant, said continuous learning is the key to keeping his staff motivated and engaged.

“Cognizant’s culture of continuous learning keeps our associates fired up and ready for the next challenge,” he said. “In my experience, burnout only happens when we stop learning and stop striving to see over the next hill. This is why I prioritize continuous learning across my team.”

The company’s Synapse program, launched in 2023, focuses on helping employees boost their skills and stay engaged, Sankaran said. The goal of the program is to train one million people, and so far, it has helped more than 195,000 employees learn advanced genAI skills.

“For example, multi-agent, multimodal AI technology is emerging as a powerful lever to accelerate autonomous AI adoption,” he said. “We continuously invest in skilling our workforce so they are equipped with the skills, including AI, blockchain, cloud, data, Internet of Things, modern engineering, and more, to deliver innovations for our clients.”

Sankaran said Cognizant has also introduced differentiated career tracks, such as full stack engineer, site reliability engineer, software development engineer in test, distinguished architect, and domain architect, to provide an opportunity for teams to pursue their interests.

“With the right skills, exciting work, and knowledge, the potential of what’s possible is what gets us out of bed each day, and it keeps us going and keeps us motivated,” he added.

David Curtis, CTO at supply chain management firm RobobAI, said that keeping IT teams engaged requires a balance of ongoing skill-building, staying aligned with fast-changing business goals, and creating a culture that encourages innovation. If people don’t have a chance to explore and try new things, they won’t be as interested in their work, he added.

But achieving this balance can be difficult when IT teams are under pressure to meet the immediate demands of the business. As such, Curtis allocates time for his team to learn new technologies, improve their skills, or work on creative projects to keep things fresh and prevent them from getting stuck in a routine.

“Recognizing the time constraints many IT teams face, we allocate ‘experimental’ time in their schedules, empowering them to learn and explore AI technologies with the support of the broader business,” he said.

Emphasize IT teams as business partners

Maintaining high levels of engagement among the technology workforce requires ongoing effort, said Lexmark’s Gupta. One way the company keeps its technology staff motivated and engaged is to ensure they feel connected to the company’s primary goal, which is prioritizing the needs and successes of its customers.

“First, we actively involve IT teams in customer advisory boards and customer engagement initiatives, allowing them to hear firsthand how their innovations translate into real-world solutions for our clients and also to hear the challenges that our customers are facing,” he said. “Second, we provide opportunities for IT staff to rotate through different roles, including those with direct customer interaction, broadening their understanding of customer needs.”

Finally, Gupta said, Lexmark celebrates and recognizes big wins internally throughout the company. Tech employees are lauded for their achievements to show that what they do ends up making a difference. This in turns inspires others to better tie their own work to Lexmark’s goals, he added.

Gupta also noted that Lexmark’s IT teams are now experiencing a “pull” from the business side, where the board, management team, and employees are coming to IT with ideas and requests to try AI and other new technologies. This is a shift from the typical “push” scenario, where IT has to promote the technology to the business side.

“This is a great opportunity for IT teams to become true business partners, and instead of trying to always advocate for technology, actually experience the pull effect and co-create a real transformation of the business,” he said.

Support personal growth and recognize achievements

Gupta wasn’t the only IT leader who said recognition is a great way to keep tech workers motivated and engaged. Whether through public acknowledgment, rewards, or additional time off, showing appreciation for staffers’ work builds loyalty and a positive work environment.

AvidXchange’s Sood, for example, rewards her staff who work extra hours with compensatory time off, letting them know that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Growth happens when you apply what you learn in ways that create real impact.” — Eric Stavola, Visual Edge IT

Eric Stavola, VP, managed services sales and special programs at IT service provider Visual Edge IT, noted that people are typically motivated by financial reward, recognition, and personal growth. “With engineers, believe it or not, personal growth and recognition are very important,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, the finances are also important, but typically that comes off the board once they’re hired.”

Personal growth isn’t about stacking up certifications or chasing the next title, Stavola said. It’s about becoming more valuable, period.

“Whether you’re an engineer, a manager, or a CIO, growth happens when you apply what you learn in ways that create real impact,” he said. “I’ve seen too many tech professionals fall into the trap of ‘more knowledge equals more success.’ But knowledge without application is useless. What really moves the needle? Connecting technical expertise to business outcomes, learning to solve bigger problems, and owning challenges outside your job description. That’s what makes you indispensable.”

Understanding that engineers value personal growth and recognition as much as financial rewards, Stavola prioritizes these aspects to keep employees motivated. The key to real growth is intentional, structured development — not just hoping your team figures it out, he said.

Stavola said his approach involves:

Tactical learning that sticks: “I build micro-courses and hands-on training that cut through the noise and focus on real-world application,” he said. “No generic theory — just practical skills you can use immediately to solve real problems.”

Coaching over managing: A manager assigns tasks. A coach develops people. “I focus on creating feedback-driven performance environments, where learning is constant, and improvement is expected,” Stavola said.

Recognition as a daily habit, not an annual event: The best work in IT often goes unnoticed because success means nothing breaks. “That’s why I focus on recognizing strategic wins, not just visible results,” he said. “Small acknowledgments — a quick message, a shoutout in a meeting, or time invested in mentorship — are often more impactful than a formal award.”

Creating learning environments that allow failure: Growth requires safe spaces to test and refine skills. “I build sandbox environments and real-world training scenarios where people can experiment, make mistakes, and improve without risk to the business,” Stavola said.

Clear career playbooks: Nobody wants to guess their next move. “I use structured frameworks like runbooks and career pathing tools to make success repeatable and measurable,” he said. “That way, career progression isn’t just luck — it’s a process.”

Expanding identity beyond the tech role: Too many tech professionals box themselves into being “the IT guy.” Stavola said he pushes people to develop business acumen, problem-solving skills, and cross-functional collaboration so they’re seen as strategic assets, not just technical resources.

“Personal growth happens when people are challenged, equipped, and recognized,” Stavola said. “And recognition isn’t just about giving credit — it’s about showing people their work matters in ways that inspire them to push further.”

Practice all of the above

Bottom line: IT leaders need to create a supportive environment where workers can keep learning, advance their careers, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. By offering training, involving them in exciting AI projects, encouraging their personal growth, and showing that their work is appreciated, IT managers can keep their teams motivated and ready for the future.

“For me, keeping tech workers engaged requires a holistic approach,” said Unum’s LaCelle. “We focus on creating opportunities for continuous learning, growth, meaningful work. We emphasize mentorship, career progressions, really fostering a sense of community within our organization. And lastly, clear communications around goals and celebrating achievements, both individual and collective, really helps keep engagement high.”

Source:: Computer World