As an ITIL Master and PeopleCert Ambassador, I’ve had early access to the ITIL Foundation Version 5 material, and I need to share this: this isn’t an incremental update. It’s a fundamental transformation for the AI era.
Here’s what makes ITIL 5 a genuine paradigm shift:
1️⃣ Industry 5.0 Mindset 🌍
We’ve moved beyond Industry 4.0’s obsession with automation and efficiency. ITIL 5 embraces Industry 5.0 principles: human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. The shift? From “humans operating technology” to “humans collaborating with technology,” with sustainability as a core pillar, not an afterthought.
2️⃣ Complexity- and AI-Native 🤖
ITIL 5 doesn’t just mention AI. It’s built for it. The framework introduces the ITIL AI Capability Model (The 6Cs): Creation, Curation, Clarification, Cognition, Communication, and Coordination, plus a dedicated ITIL AI Governance extension. This provides practical, actionable governance for Generative AI in daily service operations.
3️⃣ Unified Digital Product and Service Management 🔗
Product and Service Management have operated in silos for too long. ITIL 5 integrates them into a single, coherent discipline with the ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle Model. This ends fragmentation, prevents the “build trap” and ensures true end-to-end value co-creation.
4️⃣ A Modern 8-Activity Lifecycle 🔄
The new lifecycle model features 8 interconnected activities: Discover, Design, Acquire, Build, Transition, Operate, Deliver, and Support. This aligns seamlessly with Lean, Agile, DevOps, SRE and product-centric delivery approaches. Finally bridging operational stability with rapid innovation.
The Bottom Line:
ITIL 5 isn’t about managing tickets or optimizing processes anymore. It’s about Digital Leadership. Equipping professionals to lead in a complex, AI-driven world where value, experience, and sustainability matter most.
As an ITIL Master, I’m genuinely excited to champion this evolution. The framework we’ve needed has finally arrived.
What aspect of ITIL 5 interests you most? 👇