As 2024 comes to a close, there is a lot to think back on. It's a year filled with advances in science, medicine and biology that have propelled us forwards.
But even more than that, 2024 was a year of tech. Artificial Intelligence took its biggest-ever leap forward, smart tech got even better and quantum computing continued to hold the number one spot for technology that will change our lives without anybody understanding it.
Unfortunately, along with the advances came just as many, if not more, bizzare movements in tech. Cryptocurrencies kept playing the game of is this a scam or a genuine currency movement, and, everyone's favourite billionaire, Elon Musk has been enacting every single idea that comes to mind... sometimes for the better, more often for the worse.
So, from a full year, what are the most notable trends in tech? Both the good and bad. We've picked out our top choices for you below.
4 trends that made 2024
Generative AI
Love it or hate it, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is the technology of 2024. We’re sick of hearing about it and you probably are too… so let’s talk about it some more. Led by OpenAI and its host of acronym-friendly products, the generative AI movement has affected everyone.
Companies are obsessed with ChatGPT and your gran is asking you about Google Gemini. We’re all being kept on our toes trying to work out what’s real and what’s fake.
While AI’s efforts in the early days were easy to laugh at – whether it was producing gobbledegook text or pictures of people with 12-fingered hands – the technology has come along quickly.
AI algorithms are passing medical and legal tests with flying colours, producing full-length podcasts from simple word prompts, and AI-powered chatbots are helping to fight the loneliness epidemic. As with any new technology, however, there are downsides.
We’re all now playing an endless game of ‘spot the fake news story’ and a huge, daunting question mark hangs over the future of many industries. There’s no doubting the monumental effect generative AI has had in 2024 and next year is likely to be even more noticeably marked by robot artists and AI-powered machinery.
Assistive tech
It has been a big year for assistive tech and yet we hardly ever hear about it. So, let’s change that. Put simply, assistive tech is any product that can make life easier for someone, especially someone with a disability.
At CES 2024, we saw a glove that could stabilise hand tremors, a belt that helps the visually impaired navigate their surroundings, and a pair of glasses that can read out signs, menus and information.
Elsewhere, we saw the University of Cambridge working with designer Dani Clode to create a third thumb prosthetic (left) to improve hand dexterity, and the Not Impossible Labs creating haptic vests for deaf gig-goers to experience the vibrations of music.
2024 was also a great year for assistive tech in gaming and beauty. We saw customisable controllers for disabled gamers, assistive attachments for different types of make-up and even brushes for people who struggle with their grip.
While it often goes under the radar, this is a trend in tech where great things are happening and, hopefully, we’ll hear more about these exciting developments in 2025.
Brain-computer interfaces
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) sound like something ripped from the pages of a sci-fi novel. In a way, they are. These devices convert your brain waves into signals that computers, robotic limbs or other external devices can understand.
This kind of technology has been around for a while, connecting the brain to a variety of gadgets, but it’s quickly becoming more mainstream. The most infamous example is the Elon Musk-backed company, Neuralink.
After a few difficulties in its early days, the company has now implanted chips into the brains of humans. Neuralink’s first human patient operated a computer by thinking and even played a game of chess by thought alone.
In California, the same technology allowed a man with ALS (a motor neurone disease) to translate his brain waves into written text. Scientists even managed to make a moving robot using a brain in a jar! But there are also companies exploring other uses for the technology.
Neurable has produced a pair of headphones that can scan your brain waves to identify your productivity levels, while others are researching the use of BCIs to keep track of brain health. This could mean a future where we spot brain-related illnesses before they develop.
Retro, reimagined
A lot of scary things are happening in the world right now and the future is unpredictable. How do we deal with that?
We could develop a more robust sense of optimism or we could retreat into the comforting embrace of nostalgia. This seems to be the route many companies took this year and honestly, we loved it.
Kodak made a modernised version of its Super 8 film camera and we saw a whole host of updated versions of cassette players. Even a few old-school hand-held gaming devices were lucky enough to get reimagined for the 21st century (right).
While it’s important to look to the future of innovation, it also feels comforting to see classic gadgets blended with today’s functionality.
6 trends we didn't like
AI assistants
As AI catapulted to success this year, companies around the world looked to capitalise on it. Of the many concepts that emerged, one of the more expected ones was ‘AI assistants’. Think Siri or Alexa, but with more pizzazz.
These were often wearables or hand-held devices, promising to make smartphones completely redundant. But, so far, none of them has lived up to the hype. First, there was Humane, a small device that clips to your clothes.
It was supposed to be able to scan objects using a built-in camera, project a display onto your hand and speak to you with a ChatGPT-powered assistant. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work.
In tests, reviewers found it was easily confused and often just wrong. It was also slow in many situations and, most noticeably, expensive. Rabbit R1 came next, a hand-held device that was said to be able to play music and games, as well as do everything your smartphone does, just without the distractions. But there was just one problem – it didn’t work.
Often, nothing would happen at all and when it did, the wrong apps would open and, again, the voice assistant was slow and easily confused. After these two major flops, more kept coming. Wearables and devices to replace your phone continue to appear, but they also continue to suck.
Cryptocurrencies
Whenever we think cryptocurrency has gasped its last breath, it makes a triumphant and obnoxious return.
This past year was filled with a strange mixture of legitimate decentralised currencies, shameless scams and, in some cases, downright bizarre cryptocurrency projects. Sure, it’s Bitcoin that grabs all the headlines, but the one that caught our attention was Worldcoin.
Created by Sam Altman, formerly of OpenAI, Worldcoin is the currency powering a project simply called ‘World’. The company behind the project will gift you some of its cryptocurrency for free.
All you have to do in return is scan your eyes using one of its ominous orbs. It might sound like a joke, but a number of Worldcoin’s orbs have been sent around the world with the aim of having everyone’s eye scan on record to “keep proof of humans on the internet.”
Currently, almost 17 million people have signed up and had their eyes scanned. Taking the spot of creepiest cryptocurrency project is a true achievement in today’s oversaturated marketplace. But don’t worry, the rest of the cryptocurrency market is behaving as normal, offering up a never-ending torrent of coins named after memes, dogs and celebrities.
The Cybertruck
Elon Musk has had a busy year. Between running Twitter’s stock value down (please don’t make us call it X) and launching various things into orbit, it’s easy to forget about one of his weirder ventures: the Cybertruck.
Supposedly built for adventure, the truck was pitched as indestructible and said to be ready to take on any and all terrains. And yet, people who purchased them have struggled. The trucks are getting stuck in sand, snow and dirt, and their stainless-steel outer coating rapidly starts to rust.
Owners of the trucks have reported windows breaking in hailstorms, malfunctions in car washes and accelerator pedals getting stuck. With five rounds of recalls this year alone and thousands of the vehicles requiring multiple updates, the Cybertruck, unlike SpaceX’s reusable rockets, couldn’t quite stick its landing.
Maybe this is all just a learning curve and one day we’ll see a better Cybertruck. But for now, we can look at this oddly styled block of metal and think, do we really need a cyberpunk truck?
Humanoid robots
A lot happened in 2024, but if you looked closely there was one really unsettling trend. Okay, there were loads of them (it’s been a weird year), but the one that stood out for us was humanoid robots.
While this kind of technology has been in the works for years, the power of AI really helped it take off this year. Multiple companies are working on robots that walk, act and move like humans. Sure, they’re still constructed from metal and wires and are clearly not like us, but the robot revolution has suddenly started to look a lot more realistic.
Some of these robots have even been able to ‘think’ in the less-than-rational way that we humans do. They still have a long way to go, though – even the most advanced humanoid robots walk like babies taking their first steps.
But with their mechanical strength and complete disinterest in luxuries like food or rest, this new wave of robots is set to have a big impact on the workplace in the years ahead.
Deepfakes
In a year that was already filled with misinformation and confusion, deepfakes came along to throw fuel on the fire. For those who have managed to miss out on this technological development, deepfakes are videos and images that have been digitally generated to show people doing things they’ve never actually done.
They’ve been used to make videos of politicians delivering made-up speeches and celebrities endorsing products. The tech can even be used to make it sound like one of your family members is calling you to ask for money.
Unlike most other technologies that have emerged in recent years, deepfake tools seem to lack any real benefits. What it does have in common with other emerging technologies, however, is its rapid improvement.
At first, these falsified files were easy to spot – you could pick out deepfaked videos, audio and images with ease. Now it’s a lot more challenging and the bad news is that this problem will only get worse with each passing year.
There is a small glimmer of hope, however: as deepfake technology improves, so does our ability to detect, tag and trace it. Unfortunately, all we know for sure is that, as much as we’d like them to, deepfakes aren’t going away anytime soon.
Smartglasses and VR
Virtual reality headsets and smart glasses are going to change the world… or at least that’s what we’ve been told every year for the past decade. Apple, Samsung, Meta, Google – all of the biggest tech companies in the world keep trying to make these technologies stick.
And yet, nothing has ever really taken off. After a few years of no real development in these areas, 2024’s spate of goggles hit the shelves with a vengeance. On paper, the Apple Vision Pro (below) and Meta Quest 3 both looked to be the complete package, finally making VR viable.
But the hefty price tags of the two headsets put many consumers off. Whether it was motion sickness or eye pain, or people once again losing interest in the limited activities available in VR spaces, sales quickly dropped for both devices. What about smart glasses? Meta came out swinging with ‘Orion’, arguably the most competent smart glasses to date.
And yet, the company doesn’t want to sell them, pointing to a lack of commercial interest. For now, Meta sees the project purely as a research tool for blending AI and wearable tech. Maybe 2025 will be the year we finally get excited about these kinds of technologies, but we doubt it.
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