If you go online, on social media, or just out in the world in 2024, it’ll be hard not to encounter artificial intelligence. From AI-generated art, to chatbots, virtual agents, or assistants, AI has seeped into many different facets of life, increasing efficiency and changing the way we work.

With its many advantages, AI is all but guaranteed to continue growing. But some are wondering what exactly that’s going to look like. What’s in store for the future of AI, and what AI advancements can we expect next year, in five years, or ten?

Let’s look at some of the newest AI trends and technology we can expect to see in 2024 and beyond.

1. Better Virtual Chatbots

Many businesses — especially in the tech sector — are employing AI chatbots to act as their virtual agents. With expanding AI technologies, we can expect these chatbots to become more conversational, more helpful, and more comprehensive, allowing them to be a better assistant both for the tech company (by eliminating pressure on their human agents) and on the customer (by giving them 24/7 access to answers they need).

2. Multimodal AI

Multimodal means, “having or using several modes, methods, or techniques.” For AI, it means becoming more akin to a human’s ability to register multiple input types like audio, image, and text. Essentially, multimodal AI can intake and process data from several source types and produce output in several types.

Example: You can send a multimodal AI program a photo of a soup you’re interested in and the text cue “Give me a recipe for this soup.” The multimodal AI can register both the text command and the photograph and output a recipe.

3. Proactive AI Agents

It’s been established that users can chat with an AI chatbot to get answers based on a series of known facts that have been programmed into the AI.

In the near future, it’s expected that these AI agents will grow to take on a more proactive role, with the ability to act autonomously to know and understand goals, problem-solve, and help achieve those goals. Some sources even predict that AI will be able to become a proactive assistant that can make reservations, book vacations, etc.

4. Shadow AI

Shadow AI is a potentially harmful trend — it’s the unsanctioned use of AI within a business organization that occurs without approval or oversight from the Information Technologies (IT) Department. Using consumer-grade AI technologies in business environments without IT governance can potentially spell trouble for your organization.

However, employees may be tempted to do so because of how AI makes their jobs easier. Because of this, it’s a good idea for businesses to start determining their AI usage policies and training employees as soon as possible.

5. Focusing on Ethical AI Usage

We’re currently living in the AI learning curve, and the growth pains are sometimes blatant. Just look at the viral deep fakes that have circulated in the past few years, or the claims by small businesses and artists that AI has stolen their designs.

Moving toward the future, companies should take care to assess their AI usage and ensure they’re using this growing tech in an ethical way.

A few things you can do to make your AI usage more ethical:

• Educate employees on AI
• Conduct frequent reviews of your AI usage and programs
• Ensure your AI usage is compliant with data regulations
• Partner with ethical AI program providers

6. Increased AI Regulation

AI regulation is becoming an increasingly popular topic, with many expecting 2024 to be a big year for regulation laws worldwide.

In the United States, 17 states have enacted bills looking to regulate artificial intelligence usage. And on a federal level, Congress has drawn up several bills, though none have passed yet. Globally, the European Union is currently working on the AI Act, which aims to provide clear requirements for those using AI in EU member countries.

7. More Small Language Models

We’ve seen the power of large-scale language models that can analyze text, provide translations, and generate images. While these programs can provide a hefty amount of AI content, they might not be accessible to everyone interested in using AI.

For smaller enterprises or businesses that might have a tighter budget, small-scale language and artificial intelligence models can provide similar output without requiring the computing power and cost of their large-scale counterparts.

8. AI Training in the Workplace

Whether or not you’re ready, artificial intelligence will most likely begin to seep into many workplaces around the country. Those who want to grow with the flow instead of being left behind should be prepared to train themselves on how to use artificial intelligence accurately and safely. Some workplaces may also consider investing in their employees by training them to use AI before bringing it into the workplace.

You can train your employees to use AI by:

• Showing them what program you use and how it works
• Giving examples of how they can safely use AI to perform their daily work tasks
• Teaching them about the history of AI and current AI regulations
• Explaining why you’re adopting AI at your organization

9. Open Source AI

Open-source AI means that the machine learning program’s source code is available to the public for further modification and distribution. Essentially, more Open Source AI programs mean more people will have access to these programs and can build their own AI use cases. While some Open Source AI codes started popping up in 2023, it’s expected that more and more will emerge in 2024.

10. Enhanced Speech AI Technologies

Speech AI or Language AI technology is able to take audio and accurately translate it into the written word. This can help with transcription of videos or speeches, and also help deaf and hard-of-hearing people access visual content. Speech AI is growing because of its helpfulness in making content more equitable and accessible. Here at Rev, we’re focusing on expanding our best-in-class AI transcription services to help customers expand their audience and comply with all accessibility guidelines.

11. More Generative AI

You may have seen social media posts where someone gives a prompt like “Make a wizarding school based in Louisiana,” and out pops a photo of Hogwarts in the bayou.

This is called generative AI, which means that the AI program is creating an entirely new output instead of relying on programmed information. Generative AI is already powerful (and creates much fodder for social media), but in 2024 it’s expected that generative AI trends will continue to grow to different types or more accurate and powerful output.

AI Integration: What You Need to Know

Top-of-mind for every business interested in AI: security and safety. Before taking any steps to integrate artificial intelligence into your business, you should first take the proper precautions to make sure taking part in this AI trend will set you up for success.

Here are a few key steps to take before integrating artificial intelligence into your strategy:

• Come up with a clear problem you want to solve with AI. Don’t just introduce artificial intelligence because it’s trending. Know what you want to do and find the right AI to get you there.
• Define a clear strategy based on your goals. Make sure your team is prepared with what AI is being introduced, what the goal is, and how to track it. This will make sure you don’t lose sight of your AI usage and spend unnecessary money.
• Train your employees on artificial intelligence. Training your employees on AI usage and what they can expect from it will make sure they know how to use it correctly and compliantly – and will hopefully reduce the risk of things like Shadow AI popping up at your company.

How to Stay Up-to-Date on the Latest AI Tech News

Many blogs are reporting on the newest machine learning technology and AI trends. A few good go-to’s to read about artificial intelligence:

1. VentureBeat’s AI Reporting
2. MIT Technology Review’s AI Reporting
3. WIRED’s Artificial Intelligence Reporting
4. Open AI
5. Rev

The Future is AI

Try to notice how AI is present in your day-to-day life (it’s more than you might think). Many online or virtual conversations are done via chatbots, which employ artificial intelligence to help get users what they need. Other companies use artificial intelligence to generate their logos and branding.

Here at Rev, our world-class AI can provide quick and accurate translations for your video content to help up your accessibility and up-level your content.