Top 5 Breakthrough Technologies of 2024

It took humans more than two million years to make and use fire for cooking, yet it took just a little under seven decades to get from the first human flight to landing on the moon. And now, the speed of technological growth is faster than ever. 

Every year, we see more novel technologies breakthrough into mainstream or commercial spaces. We’ve laid out below some of the most promising areas of technology that will be coming into more circles in 2024. 

1. Generative AI

Generative AI is becoming one of the most—if not the most—popular artificial intelligence applications. Most people active on the internet have probably tried using some form of generative AI, whether they consciously did it or not. 

Some of the most popular generative AI platforms today are: 

• ChatGPT,
• Bard,
• Dall-E,
• Bing AI,

With generative AI, people can now come up with entire written stories and AI-generated images and even develop music with just a single prompt. 

Although generative AI was already fairly huge in 2023, it will become even more pervasive in daily life in 2024! Generative AI companies are constantly working on developing AI models even further to produce more human-like results, and we’re seeing the fruit of that even today. 

However, generative AI is not without its difficulties. Perhaps the priority among all others is regulating multimodal generative AI, especially as it pertains to the likeness and rights of individuals. 

If you’re active in any online circle, you’re probably aware of the concept of deepfakes. Deepfakes are essentially digitally altered versions of human beings typically made to convey malicious messages and spread false information. 

Deepfakes might have devastating impacts on the following:

• Politic/Governments,
• Music,
• Film,
• Identity Theft,

In 2024, it’s likely that we’re going to see more sophisticated multimodal generative AI technology. As a result, we will also see more negative use cases of this breakthrough technology. 

Nevertheless, the potential negative impacts of generative AI do not outweigh the benefits of its positive use. As the world grows increasingly fast-paced and busy, apps that let us delegate cognitive tasks through generative AI will become almost necessary. 

2. Intelligent Applications

Intelligent applications are applications supported by artificial intelligence to provide a uniquely personalized customer experience. These apps learn through customer interactions and data gathered from other internal and external sources. 

Popular intelligent applications you might be familiar with include: 

• Cortana,
• Alexa,
• Socratic,
• IRIS, among others.

Although intelligent applications have been around for quite a while, we’re really going to see massive breakthroughs in how applications utilize AI to improve their services. 

In a world driven by digital changes, significant upgrades in customer experience through artificial intelligence will go far in driving business growth. 

Intelligence applications typically have these hallmark characteristics: 

• Action-oriented. Most intelligent apps use predictive analytics to anticipate user behaviors and allow for a seamless yet personalized experience.
• Always improving. Because intelligent applications are in the business of providing the best customer experience possible, they are constantly upgrading and building on current services using data gathered from customers.
• Data-driven. Intelligent applications are always driven by data—whether acquired from customers or not. Through data, artificial intelligence-enabled apps can help curate services that directly help with a customer’s pain points.

We’re seeing an increased adoption of intelligent applications, and this adoption will only grow in the next year. As a result, as more people begin to use this breakthrough technology, artificial intelligence will also have more data to work with, resulting in improvements across the board. 

3. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is just a version of reality a person can “live” through digitally. Although augmented reality might be the most familiar through games and novel uses, it actually has numerous functions in daily life. 

Many apps you use probably also have augmented reality embedded in one way or the other. Some of the more popular commercial applications of augmented reality are:

• Instagram filters. Many filters (across any camera app) make use of filters to alter a person’s appearance in one way or another. Augmented reality is utilized to create a modified user appearance while in use.
• Google Maps AR Navigation. Google Maps’ Live View points you in the right direction to lead you to your destination using augmented reality. The app utilizes your rear camera to identify your current location and provide you guidance on where to go on the map.
• IKEA Place. IKEA has an augmented reality app that lets users place any IKEA furniture into their own living spaces, effectively allowing them to see what that piece would look like virtually.

4. Blockchain

Blockchain is most famous for its applications in decentralized and encrypted currencies (cryptocurrency) like Bitcoin or Ethereum. 

If you’re unfamiliar, blockchain technology is basically a method of recording encrypted transactions on a chain—allowing for increased transparency and integrity on a network.

In the following year, we’re likely to see an uptick in interest in blockchain technology and its applications in the commercial space. 

5. Sustainable Technology

Although we are in an unprecedented age of rapidly improving technology, our issues with the environment remain largely unresolved. Growing at the rate we are going, we will eventually burn through the planet’s resources—a large portion of which are unrecoverable. 

In 2024, we will continue to see sustainable technology become a more significant part of the general conversation, especially within the following areas: 

• Carbon capture,
• Electric vehicles,
• Biofuels,
• Solar panels,
• Alternative energy,
• Green computing,
• Sustainable agriculture.

And while sustainable technology isn’t new by any means, technological development has allowed us to expand our understanding of sustainability in tech. 

Hopefully, improvements in artificial intelligence will bleed into sustainability developments so technical growth and sustainability can go hand in hand. 

Conclusion

Technology has been moving at breakneck speed over the last three or so decades, maybe even more. And we are not seeing it slow down anytime soon. Every single day, we see more breakthrough technologies enter our daily lives, and it’s fantastic to witness this age of technology! 

With significant investments in artificial intelligence and machine learning, we are bound to see exponential progress in the technology space. What breakthrough technologies are you excited to see in 2024?