15 Challenges CTOs Will Soon Face (And How To Get Ready)

As they look back over their careers, experienced CTOs can probably pinpoint multiple ways their role has evolved and grown. The speed of change in the ever-evolving tech industry has certainly never been faster than it has been over the last five years, which have seen the rise of the remote workplace, the introduction of new technologies such as blockchain, the explosion of ChatGPT and more.

It’s not just new technologies CTOs will need to be ready for over the next decade, but also changing user expectations, new corporate commitments and expanding responsibilities. Below, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss some of the challenges they believe CTOs will likely be facing in the next 10 years and how they can prepare.

1. Leading Complex Business Impact Initiatives

Current and incoming CTOs will be inheriting a backlog of technical debt not of their making that they will need to pay down to increase their rate of innovation and resilience. The quick-win cloud modernization cards will have been played by their predecessors, and the most successful CTOs will need to embrace the challenge of leading more complex but higher business impact initiatives. – Bob Quillin, vFunction

2. Preparing For The Experience Economy

The future is about the experience economy. Empathy for customer needs and the customer experience as well as emerging social and ethical concerns will be foundational. Technology, data and security have been converging for some time. While security is discussed in the context of risk, data, artificial intelligence and machine learning are being discussed in terms of responsible actions. CTOs must help their corporations get “experience” right or at least manage to a “reasonable person” standard. – Shailaja Shankar, Cisco

3. Ensuring Successful AI Adoption

Over the next decade, CTOs will increasingly focus on AI-driven decision making and automation. To prepare, they should develop AI expertise, foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and cultivate a data-driven culture to ensure successful AI adoption within their organizations and create an environment that promotes resilience and growth in the face of technological disruption. – Vipul Patel, SAP

4. Enhancing Productivity Through AI Tools

We’re at the start of the third platform shift of the computer era: the rise of AI tools. This revolution—which Bill Gates has called the rise of computers that can read and write—will completely transform the role of computers in the workplace and create opportunities for CTOs who lean into their value for enhancing productivity, creating new products and building a more resilient enterprise. – Tod Loofbourrow, ViralGains

5. Supporting ESG And DEI Goals

The role of CTO is likely to evolve to include a greater focus on environmental, social and governance and diversity, equity and inclusion values, which are becoming increasingly important for all businesses. To be successful, CTOs will need to develop a deep understanding of these areas, ensure that their technology solutions align with their company’s ESG and DEI goals and promote innovation and creativity within their teams. – Roman Reznikov, Intellias

6. Knowing How To Sell

We are all in sales. The best and up-and-coming CTOs will prepare for their role in an organization not only by staying up to date on technology, but also by learning and practicing the art and science of sales. Knowledge of sales will become an essential tool in the belt of every successful CTO in the future. – Emmanuel Ramos, OZ Digital Consulting

7. Driving Business Growth

As technology advances, CTOs play a crucial role in driving business growth. In the next decade, CTOs must identify emerging technologies that create a competitive edge and align solutions with business strategies. To remain competitive, CTOs must stay up to date with technology advancements, develop communication skills, take their place at the leadership table and hone their strategic thinking skills. – Jennifer Gold, Apollo Information Systems

8. Managing Externalities

Traditionally, CEOs have managed externalities, while CTOs were in charge of internal actions. Now, those roles are blending. CTOs are involved in externalities including investment decisions, business strategy and risk management (that is, cybersecurity). So, how can CTOs cope? Establish strong communication and collaboration channels so that in an uncertain situation, you have the support you need. – Nicholas Domnisch, EES Health

9. Ensuring Ethical Technology Use

The role of a CTO is likely to change in the next 10 years to include a greater responsibility for ensuring ethical technology use. To prepare for this shift, CTOs should stay current on emerging ethical and legal frameworks, collaborate with other departments, foster a culture of responsible innovation and invest in emerging technologies to enhance data privacy and mitigate biases. – Jagadish Gokavarapu, Wissen Infotech

10. Translating New Tech Into True Business Value

Lately, I’ve been defining “CTO” as “chief translation officer.” With technology change continuing to accelerate, CTOs will have to translate provocative tech (hello, generative AI!) into pragmatic business value—and do so responsibly and ethically. That means knowing the tech, knowing the business and having the communication skills to connect one to the other. – Don Schuerman, Pegasystems

11. Understanding The End-User Experience

With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, a CTO must learn to understand the end-user experience like a product owner. They must understand the psychology of the user experience and how curiosity, demographics and other factors influence decisions about how a project is built. All of this can impact the creation of the right ecosystem of partners and platforms to enable innovation and deliver an effective technology strategy. – Sireesha Chilakamarri, AdMedia

12. Overseeing New And Expanded Roles As Regulations Evolve

Regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation could break up the role of a CTO, with more emphasis placed on data privacy and security. As regulations evolve, certain tasks that have typically been under a CTO’s purview may grow into full-time roles (similar to the rise of information officers in recent years), meaning CTOs will have to wear more hats and oversee more things. – Jordan Yallen, MetaTope

13. Guiding The Convergence Of Top Technologies

“CTO” is a broadly defined role in many organizations. CTOs are responsible for enabling business while maintaining technology strategy, currency, standardization and effectiveness. Up to now, CTOs were focused on leveraging next-generation technology tools such as big data, AI and ML, blockchain, quantum, mobile, cloud computing and so on. In the upcoming era, the role of CTO will be focused on the convergence of these technologies. – Rajat Sharma, Zensar Technologies

14. Monitoring And Evaluating Tech Hype Cycles

I think that the role of CTO will evolve toward managing the risks associated with the growing number of hype cycles that are pressuring C-suites into serial techno bandwagon-hopping. The CTO will have to develop solid “hype filters” that help them clarify the state and potential of emerging technologies for the leadership team and the organization as a whole. – Leonard Lee, neXt Curve

15. Excelling At Human-Centric Design

CTOs will need to excel at human-centric design as the demand for personalized and inclusive tech experiences grows. This requires understanding diverse user needs, accessibility and cultural contexts. CTOs should develop empathy, engage with diverse communities and champion user research to create meaningful products and services tailored to the evolving digital landscape. – Andres Zunino, ZirconTech

This article originally appeared on Forbes.