I must admit that I really hate it when I read industry pundit predictions for the next year. No, seriously, I really hate the predictions because they're generally based on nothing but conjecture or the hope of filling a page or perhaps starting a flame war to drive up page views.

I enjoy writing pieces like this as much as I enjoy writing an article in "corporate speak" or the latest marketing buzzword-laden rant about some aspect of mundane technology. I do rather enjoy being an "in your face" antagonist of sorts. Maybe it's age. Maybe it's my own personality flaw. Or maybe it's my techno-lingo-jaded self that wants to scream every time I hear terms such as single pane of glass, hyper-converged architecture, or quiet cutting. Yeah, it's that last one, for sure.

Wait no longer. Here are my 10 technology predictions for 2024 and beyond. Be warned that these predictions are chock-full of corporate speak, buzzwords, and my own sarcastic creations.

1. Industry pundits will predict massive artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across all business sectors.

2. Technology companies will make more "tough decisions" and perform more quiet cutting of their US-based workforce.

3. An industry pundit will predict "The 2024 Tech Boom."

4. A different industry pundit will predict "The Great 2024 Tech Crash."

5. A technology writer will post an article titled "2024: The Year of the Linux  Desktop."

6. Industry analysts will predict that AI will replace tech workers.

7. Someone will write an article titled "The 10 Best Tech Stocks to Invest in Right Now."

8. A major financial magazine will publish an article discussing "The Great 2024 Tech Stock Selloff."

9. There will be a new Facebook hoax that will hit the national newsfeeds as fact.

10. Elon Musk will buy the Moon and charge us a monthly subscription fee to look at it.

Yes, these predictions are meant to be humorous, but I wish someone would give me $10,000 for each one that comes true. I wouldn't be able to retire, but I'd have a nice vacation and some new camera equipment to show for it.

I've predicted for 20 years that tech workers will someday band together and create a Tech Workers Union. I know there have been a couple of solid attempts over the years, and there might still be one or two out there, but they haven't made enough of an impact to gather a big following. I attempted to start such a union in the early 2000s but was threatened by my employer, so I scrapped the project. Organizing a union does me no good if I have no oppressive and exploitative job to defend myself against. The company also sent a very strong message to all others with similar aspirations. I'm still hopeful that, someday, tech workers will unite and protect themselves, but perhaps by then, the prediction of mass tech worker extinction at the hands of AI will have come true.

Whatever technology predictions come true for 2024, you can place your money on one sure thing – none of them will benefit the tech worker in any capacity. We are at the bottom of the corporate food chain, supply all the labor, and keep the business running from the trenches, and yet, we are the ones that have targets on our backs. I think it would be far more profitable to keep the lowly tech workers employed and replace our highly paid overlords with their much lower cost AI alternatives. Think of the millions of dollars that move would save. But I predict that it won't happen. Not in 2024 or my lifetime, anyway.

Ken Hess * ADMIN Senior Editor