In 2024, the AI landscape is poised for significant developments and our experts at AI Ireland have identified three prominent trends that will shape the course of the year. The dominance of large language models is expected to persist, with a particular focus on the advancements in Generative AI.
Regulatory bodies are anticipated to take bolder steps as they grapple with the multifaceted challenges posed by AI, ranging from issues of bias and copyright to broader concerns like doomerism. These challenges are not merely confined to the immediate future but are set to influence the agendas of researchers, regulators and the public for years to come.
While this blog post could have delved into a myriad of trends, we have chosen to spotlight a few specific ones for 2024, and among them is the rise of customised chatbots.
Tech companies heavily invested in Generative AI are facing pressure to demonstrate the profitability of their products. To achieve this, industry giants like Google and OpenAI are embracing a strategy of scaling down, developing user-friendly platforms that empower individuals to tailor powerful language models and create personalised chatbots without the need for coding skills. Both companies have launched web-based tools that democratise Generative AI app development.
“In 2024, we anticipate a significant shift towards democratising generative AI, allowing individuals, regardless of technical expertise, to harness the power of language models and craft personalised chatbots,” says Mark Kelly, Founder of AI Ireland.
1.Tailor-Made Chatbots: Embracing the Wave of Personalised AI Experiences in 2024
In the coming year, Generative AI is poised to become accessible to the average non-tech user, leading to an increase in individuals experimenting with various AI models. State-of-the-art models, such as GPT-4 and Gemini, boast multimodal capabilities, allowing them to process not only text but also images and videos.
This expanded functionality opens the door to a plethora of new applications. For instance, a real estate agent can utilise a powerful model to generate property descriptions effortlessly by uploading text from previous listings, fine-tuning the model, and incorporating videos and photos of new listings.
However, the success of this trend hinges on the reliability of these models. Language models often generate inaccurate information and generative models are prone to biases. Additionally, they are susceptible to hacking, especially if they have web-browsing capabilities. Tech companies have yet to address these challenges comprehensively and as the initial excitement subsides, they will need to provide effective solutions for their customers to navigate these issues.
Developing user-friendly platforms that empower individuals to shape powerful language models and craft their bespoke mini chatbots tailored to specific needs, will eliminate the requirement for coding skills. Both entities have introduced web-based tools, democratising the realm of Generative AI app development and enabling virtually anyone to become a creator of AI applications.
2.Generative AI’s Next Frontier: Lights, Camera, Action in 2024!
Get ready for the cinematic revolution as 2024 heralds the advent of AI video creation’s second wave!
Runway has unveiled an annual AI film festival spotlighting experimental movies crafted with diverse AI tools. With a substantial $60,000 prize pool, the top ten films will grace screens in New York and Los Angeles. Major film studios, including Paramount and Disney, are now immersing themselves in the possibilities of generative AI across their production pipelines.
This transformative tech is not only synchronising actors’ performances with multiple foreign-language overdubs, but also reshaping the landscape of special effects. In 2023, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny featured a de-aged Deepfake Harrison Ford, marking just the beginning of AI’s impact on the big screen.
Beyond Hollywood, Deepfake tech is gaining traction for marketing and training purposes. UK-based Synthesia, for instance, offers tools that transform a single actor’s performance into an endless array of Deepfake avatars, delivering scripted lines at the touch of a button. According to the company, 44% of Fortune 100 companies now utilise this technology.
However, the versatility of this technology raises significant concerns, especially within the acting community. The use and potential misuse of AI by studios were central to the SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. Yet, the true repercussions of this technology are only beginning to surface.
“In the realm of AI, 2024 marks a groundbreaking shift towards the convergence of technology and cinema. The second wave of generative AI, particularly in video creation, is not only reshaping the way we produce movies but is also challenging traditional norms.
Mark Kelly, AI Ireland Founder, reflecting on the transformative impact of AI in the film industry said: “As we witness major studios embracing this transformative technology, the dynamics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental change.
“The potential for AI in video creation is not just a glimpse into the future; it’s a seismic shift in the very fabric of the cinematic experience. Now, we find ourselves seamlessly transitioning into the era of text-to-video—input your ideas, and presto, witness them transform into captivating videos.”
The spotlight is on Midjourney’s recent and thrilling shift from image to video creation, as announced by their CEO. This leap is nothing short of revolutionary.
Imagine crafting movie masterpieces within minutes and on a budget, a stark contrast to the traditional million-dollar and time-consuming film production.
Very soon, creating personalised movies will be quick, easy, and cost-effective. Which AI video tools have you explored?
3.Versatile Robots on the Horizon: Embracing the Multitasking Era
Drawing inspiration from the foundational principles fueling the current surge in Generative AI, roboticists are embarking on the creation of more versatile robots capable of handling a diverse array of tasks.
In recent years, the landscape of AI has shifted from employing multiple specialised models, each dedicated to distinct tasks such as image identification, drawing or captioning. Instead, there’s a move towards monolithic models, exemplified by OpenAI’s GPT-3, capable of being fine-tuned to tackle coding problems, scriptwriting, high school biology exams and beyond.
Multimodal models like GPT-4 and Google DeepMind’s Gemini demonstrate proficiency in both visual and linguistic tasks. This approach is now extending to robotics, eliminating the need to train separate robots for distinct functions like flipping pancakes or opening doors. A one-size-fits-all model could empower robots to multitask efficiently, as evidenced by several noteworthy developments in 2023.
In June, DeepMind introduced Robocat, an evolution of the previous year’s Gato, designed to autonomously generate data through trial and error, enabling it to control a variety of robot arms instead of a specific one.
Come October, DeepMind unveiled another general-purpose model for robots, RT-X, along with a substantial collaborative effort involving 33 university labs to create a comprehensive general-purpose training dataset. Other leading research teams, including RAIL at the University of California in Berkeley, are exploring similar technologies.
However, a key challenge lies in the scarcity of data. While Generative AI benefits from vast internet-scale datasets of text and images, robots face a dearth of reliable sources to learn industrial or domestic tasks. Addressing this issue, Lerrel Pinto at New York University and his team are pioneering techniques that allow robots to learn through trial and error, generating their training data in the process.
This innovative approach, already proving successful in the realm of driverless cars, is exemplified by startups such as Wayve, Waabo, and Ghost. They are leading a new era of self-driving AI, using a single large model to control a vehicle rather than multiple smaller models for specific driving tasks. This shift empowers smaller companies to compete with industry giants, akin to Wayve testing its driverless cars on the bustling streets of London.
As the paradigm of large-scale models revolutionises the field of driverless cars, a similar transformative boost is expected to ripple across robotics, ushering in an era of versatile and efficient multitasking robots.
“The synergy of generative AI principles with robotics is propelling us into a new era of versatile automation. The concept of employing a single model for multitasking robots is a game-changer, ushering in a dynamic future for the field,” notes Mark Kelly, Founder of AI Ireland.
Do you agree? Come back next year and check how we did.
AI Unleashed: Navigating the AI Revolution
Accessible for purchase on Amazon, AI Ireland’s latest book “AI Unleashed: Navigating the AI Revolution,” is your must read for 2024. For executives, policy architects or technology aficionados seeking to make sense of the intricate world of AI, “AI Unleashed: Navigating the AI Revolution” is your essential handbook. Available on Amazon Kindle or hard copy, this book furnishes you with the expertise and instruments required to employ AI both effectively and ethically.
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