IT Professional is a bimonthly publication of the IEEE Computer Society for the developers and managers of enterprise information systems. Coverage areas include emerging technologies, Web services, Internet security, data management, enterprise architectures and infrastructures, software development, systems integration, and wireless networks.

Scope

IT Professional is a technical magazine of the IEEE Computer Society. It publishes peer-reviewed articles, columns and departments written for and by IT practitioners and researchers covering:

• practical aspects of emerging and leading-edge digital technologies,
• original ideas and guidance for IT applications, and
• novel IT solutions for the enterprise.

IT Professional’s goal is to inform the broad spectrum of IT executives, IT project managers, IT researchers, and IT application developers from industry, government, and academia.

Special Issue on economic and social impacts of generative artificial intelligence
Submission Date: 2024-09-17

The U.S. technology startup OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, a pivotal event viewed as instrumental in bringing the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to a mass audience. Over time, attitudes toward GAI tools, held by both organizations and individuals, have generally become more positive, fostering widespread adoption and acceptance. Even skeptics and critics, initially dismissing GAI tools like ChatGPT as mere “fun gimmicks,” have since reconsidered their stance. Consequently, GAI tools have rapidly permeated organizations in a relatively short span. A survey conducted by software company Adobe across five countries—Australia, India, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S.—revealed that 79% of business leaders expect their employees to frequently use GAI in their work. According to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence, the GAI industry was $40 billion in 2022, which is expected to reach $1.32 trillion in 2032. 

This rapid diffusion of GAI among organizations is poised to lead to significant economic gains, with expectations that GAI will contribute trillions of dollars to the global GDP in the next few years. A McKinsey study published in June 2023 identified 63 GAI use cases (targeted GAI applications to specific business challenges, which lead to measurable outcomes) across 16 business functions that could generate annual economic benefits in the range of $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion. In addition to the use cases, McKinsey analyzed GAI’s potential impact on the work activities required in some 850 occupations by modeling scenarios for more than 2,100 “detailed work activities” to measure GAI-led increases in productivity. The additional economic benefits of GAI are estimated at $6.1 trillion to $7.9 trillion annually. McKinsey’s study published in mid-2023 found that 90% of commercial leaders expected to utilize GAI solutions “often” over the next two years.

GAI and large language models (LLMs) have also democratized access to AI. They have facilitated truly enterprise-wide AI adoption. An article published at MIT Technology Review Insights noted that newly emerging use cases have helped AI to move from pilot projects and “islands of excellence” to a generalized capability in organizational workflows.

GAI also introduces social and ethical concerns such as bias and discrimination, as these systems may perpetuate existing societal prejudices. The risk of misinformation and disinformation also rises, given the technology’s ability to create realistic content. Ensuring transparency, addressing privacy issues, and promoting inclusivity are vital for navigating the ethical challenges associated with the widespread adoption of GAI.

In light of the above observations, this special issue aims to document the diverse economic and societal impacts of GAI. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

        Macro- and micro-level effects of GAI
        The effects of GAI I on major industries such as education, financial services, and e-commerce
        The roles of GAI in transforming organizations
        The effects of GAI on major functional areas such as marketing and HRM
        The roles of GAI in augmenting human activities
        The debate surrounding GAI, job creation and job displacement. 
        The roles of GAI in the development of Web3 and the metaverse
        Political and legal issues associated with GAI
        Social and ethical issues associated with GAI such as bias, discrimination against certain groups of people, misinformation and disinformation.
        Governance issues in GAI
        GAI in the Global South
        Privacy and security issues in GAI