It’s that time of year: predictions season! From generative AI’s impact on newsrooms, marketers and media to major moves from cybersecurity leaders, Matter’s tech team offers its thoughts on the top headlines and trends to expect in 2024.

1. Marketers mitigate AI risks
   As PR and marketing firms continue to explore how AI can augment their expertise, many will take practical and legal steps to limit the risk associated with generative platforms. This will include establishing in-house “AI councils;” having open, critical conversations with their clients and partners on the use of generative AI (GAI); and working with clients to outline policies that protect proprietary data. – Loren Guertin, Vice President
2. Media puts a premium on true expertise
   In 2024, authentic insights from credible experts will be more important to reporters than ever before. Journalists will take precautions to ensure the insights they receive are untouched by ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms. Of note, the format and style of interviews will likely change as more reporters choose to interview experts over the phone or through video conferencing platforms to curb AI-written responses.– Sara Beth Fahey, Vice President
3. Deepfakes get deeply concerning
   Deepfakes will become more common and convincing, and their effects could become more sinister. Smart PR pros will need to hone critical thinking skills and develop a keen eye for the tell-tale signs of AI’s touch when reading the news so we can prevent the spread of misinformation. – Hannah Burns, Content Group Manager
4. Doing more with less
   In 2023, organizations’ budgets were limited, and seemingly everyone was asked to do more with less. In 2024, we’ll see businesses further prioritize efficiency and cost reduction. Many companies that purchased vendors’ entire tech stacks will be looking to streamline their toolsets, keeping only the programs and solutions most aligned with their needs and those with the best ROI. That means data-first, intuitive, and AI-based tools are likely to have an edge. Furthermore, I’d expect we’ll see organizations expanding their executive benches by adding new roles — like Chief AI Officer or something similar — alongside their CTOs. – Erin Knapp, Account Director
5. Tech upskilling takes center stage
   With AI now able to take on routine and basic administrative tasks, tech recruiters will continue to favor highly skilled and specialized hires. Furthermore, the demand for ongoing training in fields like cybersecurity and AI will increase significantly as the pace of progress in these spaces picks up. Traditional, higher-level educational institutions will have a hard time keeping pace with these changes, resulting in employees turning to individual courses, certifications, and accreditations to keep their employers on the leading edge. – Erin Knapp, Account Director
6. AI support for front- and back-office ops
   HR tech providers will sit in a unique position as the AI revolution continues. These organizations must navigate the implementation of AI for increased efficiency in their respective workforces while also training customers on the unique benefits that their AI tools offer. On top of the evolving nature of HR policy and recruiting for the new job roles being created to optimize AI, these businesses will have a lot on their plates in 2024. – Colleen Bennis, Account Director
7. The media landscape further tightens
   In 2023, we saw continued consolidation amongst publications and reporters. With leaner teams and fewer resources, building solid relationships with key reporters by crafting unique and valuable stories must be PR pros’ top priority in 2024. In the absence of these relationships and stories, it will be critical for organizations to leverage owned content channels to reach audiences in new and creative ways.  – Grace Torrance, Vice President
8. The human touch, alive and well
   In the era of generative AI, the PR landscape will separate into two categories in 2024: those who rely too heavily on automated processes and those who infuse grit and creativity into their work. As AI becomes ubiquitous in 2024, strategy will be the key differentiator, and the human voice will remain king. Success hinges on the ability to craft narratives that stand out, pivot quickly, and understand what resonates with actual people in an oversaturated digital space. Teams that learn to walk the line between AI efficiency and human ingenuity will be the ones who see results.  – Kate Aviv, Account Director
9. PR pros help reporters scrutinize content
   Saying the media landscape is shifting is redundant, but it’s entirely true—and it will continue into 2024 as we grapple with GAI’s effects on media consumption. We’ve already seen a few missteps, and we’ll likely see more in the coming year. We’ll also see greater scrutiny of the quality of information reporters produce. PR pros will need to go above and beyond to deliver quality insights from experts, conduct thorough research on reporters, and prioritize transparency about how and when we’re using AI. – Rachel Peck, Account Manager
10. Cybersecurity’s quantum quandary
    In 2024, quantum cyberattacks will stay in the headlines as the cybersecurity community intensifies its pursuit of post-quantum readiness. Expected to hit the market by 2029, quantum supercomputers will be able to compromise the public key infrastructure (PKI) cryptographic algorithms that most current systems operate on today. Leveraging quantum computing in conjunction with GAI will enable cybercriminals to bypass PKI-based security controls for ransomware and critical infrastructure attacks more easily than ever before. Recognizing the heightened risk, security leaders will accelerate strategic shifts toward post-quantum cryptography (PQC) in 2024 and build on the NSA/CISA/NIST joint statement from August to future-proof systems against quantum threats. – Chris Mueller, Content Group Manager
11. Cisco’s buying spree continues
    Cisco will appear to choke on its $28-billion Splunk acquisition, but that won’t stop the tech behemoth from continuing its pursuit of acquisitions in 2024. Look for them to gobble up an XDR provider, with the best guess being Cybereason. And speaking of cyber-M&A, it’s a pretty good bet that SentinelOne will be acquired, but not by Cisco (my money is on a PE firm, likely Thoma Bravo). – Tim Hurley, Executive Vice President
12. More trouble for security leaders
    The SolarWinds breach’s effects continue to rear their ugly head so that CISO burnout will intensify in 2024. With personal liability cases for breaches becoming more commonplace, the number of resignations from this role will continue to increase.  – Tim Hurley, Executive Vice President
13. Futuristic finance
    Organizations are under tremendous pressure to achieve financial transformation by introducing complex strategies that modernize finance departments’ processes, internal controls, and reporting. Throughout 2023, CFOs have been rushing to implement new tech — like hyper-automation and AI — and the pace of change will only accelerate in the new year. – Agata Porter, Account Director
14. Protecting a growing cloud
    Cloud-based software will remain an integral part of internal operations in 2024, as companies continue to embrace cloud-first strategies that support scalability, flexibility, and innovation. As they do, organizations will also need to implement stringent security measures to bolster their transformation efforts, increasing their spending on cybersecurity strategies. – Agata Porter, Account Director
15. Publications strike back on AI pitches
    Generative AI can be a valuable tool for providing prompts, thought starters, and even edits — but those who use it as a one-stop-shop for content creation will begin to see negative repercussions in 2024. Media organizations and reporters will become increasingly savvy about identifying AI-generated content, and they won’t respond kindly to PR teams or companies who develop a reputation for relying too heavily on the technology. Thought leaders — and the PR agencies that represent them — will need to be careful about deploying generative AI, or they’ll face difficulties differentiating their message and generating media interest. – Shane Carley, Senior Content Writer

We know we’re we are only scratching the surface here. So, what are your predictions for tech in 2024? What headlines do you expect to see? Reach out below to let us know or to talk about your 2024 tech PR and marketing goals!