The 10 Most Important AI Trends in 2024
-
In 2024, the development and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into our lives will only accelerate.
As businesses learn to unlock its potential, individuals use it to enhance productivity, and legislators grapple with its regulation, AI will become increasingly ubiquitous in everything we do.
The 10 most important AI trends in 2024 that everyone must prepare for. Image source: ADOBE STOCK
By 2024, we hope to make progress in addressing some of the thorny issues surrounding this technology. While the barriers to entry may have lowered in recent years due to cost and ease of use, challenges remain in areas such as trust, bias, accessibility, and regulation.
Focusing on solving these issues will allow us to unlock the full potential of AI in the latter half of this decade.
Beyond Text and Images
In 2023, next-generation generative AI tools will go far beyond chatbots and image generators, surprising and sometimes even frightening us. Generative AI platforms for video and music have already emerged and will become more powerful and user-friendly in the future. We will see them embedded in creative platforms and productivity tools, much like the ChatGPT technology we witnessed this year. Exciting new applications, such as generative AI design tools and voice synthesizers, will continue to emerge. The ability to distinguish between real and computer-generated content will become increasingly valuable in our skill sets.
Ethical AI
Artificial intelligence possesses disruptive potential, therefore it must be developed and utilized responsibly to minimize the possibility of harm. We are already aware of some of its risk factors—such as bias, lack of transparency, the potential to replace human jobs—and we cannot say with absolute certainty that it will never spiral out of control. In 2024, we will continue focusing on mitigating these issues while remaining vigilant about new challenges. As businesses increasingly need to demonstrate compliance with AI ethical standards and implement appropriate safeguards, the demand for AI ethicists will also grow significantly.
AI Applications in Customer Service
Customer service may be one area of business operations that involves numerous routine, repetitive procedures, occasionally interspersed with highly complex and critical tasks. This makes it an ideal testing ground for integrating AI into workflows—automating mundane tasks to free up time for issues requiring human intervention. AI can be used to categorize initial contact calls, generate personalized solutions for common queries, and produce customer interaction reports and summaries. A survey by the Boston Consulting Group found that 95% of customer service leaders expect their customers to be served by AI bots at some point within the next three years.
AI-Augmented Work
Understanding how AI can enhance human intelligence and capabilities to complete tasks faster, more efficiently, and safely will become a crucial workplace skill in 2024. If you're a lawyer, it can help you quickly summarize relevant case law or expedite contract drafting; doctors will use it to assist in writing patient notes or analyzing medical images; programmers will employ it to accelerate software development while testing and debugging outputs; students can leverage AI to organize notes and research reports; and those seeking employment can utilize it for resume writing and cover letter drafting.
AI-Enhanced Applications
This year, every company is rushing to incorporate generative AI capabilities into their software and applications. From search engines like Bing and Google to office tools like Office, social apps like Snapchat, and industry-specific platforms like Expedia (travel) and Coursera (education), AI-enhanced chatbot features are becoming an effective strategy to drive the next generation of customer experiences. Due to uncertainties around data protection and customer privacy, service providers may have been hesitant, but as AI providers adjust their services to meet market demands, these issues should begin to be resolved. One example is Adobe integrating generative AI into its Firefly design tool, which is trained entirely on proprietary data to alleviate concerns about copyright and ownership potentially becoming issues in the future.
Low-code and no-code software engineering
As early as 2019, the authoritative research firm Gartner predicted that by 2024, 65% of application development would be done through low-code or no-code methods. This prediction is likely to hold true, as generative AI tools like ChatGPT enable anyone to create and test applications in minutes. However, I don't believe coding and software engineering jobs will disappear in 2024 (after all, someone still needs to build AI tools), but those with great ideas, a problem-solving mindset, and limited technical skills will have more opportunities.
AI jobs
If you want to work in AI but don't want to become a computer scientist, the good news is that 2024 will bring a wave of new job opportunities for you. Beyond the engineers and technicians needed to build systems, roles like prompt engineers and AI managers will be in demand—the former responsible for creating instructions for AI applications, and the latter overseeing teams of virtual employees. There will also be growing demand for AI project managers, trainers, and ethicists. On the other hand, if you're technically inclined, there are significant opportunities in fields like AI engineering and DevOps.
Quantum AI
The trend of quantum artificial intelligence won't immediately affect everyone, but quantum computing can significantly enhance computational workloads and is already widely applied in the AI field. Traditional computers represent information with bits, where each bit can only be in a state of 1 or 0. Quantum algorithms, however, use quantum bits (qubits) to process data, which can exist in a superposition of both 0 and 1 states. Consequently, quantum algorithms are far more efficient than classical ones when solving optimization problems—determining the best combination of different variables. I anticipate that 2024 will see more advancements in quantum computing applications, supporting larger and more complex neural networks and algorithms.
Enhance Skills to Embrace the AI Revolution
Today, it's often said that AI won't take jobs, but people who use AI will take jobs from those who don't. If you want to stand out, the wisest approach is to understand how AI impacts your work and develop problem-solving skills using the right tools. Forward-thinking employers have already incorporated AI skills into training programs to help employees adapt to the AI-driven transformation. If your employer hasn't done so, there are abundant online resources—many of them free—that can help you dive into AI. Believe me, you'll soon find a better employer!
AI Legislation
Lawmakers have always struggled to keep pace with technological advancements, but AI has changed the game, and it's clear they can no longer sit idle. China has already enacted laws prohibiting the use of deepfakes without consent. Jurisdictions in the EU, U.S., and India have also introduced relevant regulations. The UK has proposed a bill expected to take effect in 2024, while the EU is working on legislation likely to be implemented by 2025. Each legislative effort aims to strike a balance between protecting citizens from AI's impact on employment and personal privacy while fostering innovation and business growth. In 2024, political discussions will likely focus on defining the boundaries of AI.