Tech roundup of 2024: All eyes on AI

This year was dominated by artificial intelligence, commanding headlines and transforming industries and daily life. AI became an unstoppable force — whether consumers wanted it or not.

Here’s our look at some of the biggest trends in tech this year, with AI unsurprisingly reaching the top of the list.

AI assistants

In 2024, usage of generative AI tools soared. Open AI’s ChatGPT now has over 300 million active weekly users that send over 1 billion messages per day, the company said this month. It reached 200 million weekly users just a few months earlier, in August, and hit 100 million last November.

These are three ways people are using new AI tools:

Retail: Shoppers are craving more personalization, and companies are turning to AI to meet that demand. This holiday season, more retailers, including Michael Kors, are leveraging AI chatbots, such as Mastercard’s Shopping Muse digital assistant, to let shoppers explore new trends or find the perfect outfit for an event through searching terms like “cottage core” or “New England summer.” Shopping Muse then recommends items based on keywords and a customer’s profile.

Travel: Vacations are the perfect time to unwind and relax, but booking a trip is the opposite of that. Oftentimes, people spend hours scrolling to find the best restaurant, a hotel that’s pet friendly or a hidden gem off the beaten path. That’s why 43% of Americans dislike booking travel. To simplify the planning process, travelers are turning to AI assistants. ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini can generate itineraries in just seconds, giving users suggestions on where to stay and must-see attractions. AI travel planners take simple itineraries a step further. Layla, an online travel agent, can create in-depth schedules, acting more like a human travel agent, searching for the best flights and exclusive offers to take the stress of traveling out off a traveler’s hands.

Automotive: Drivers have plenty of distractions, so AI assistants are being implemented into new cars to keep your eyes on the road. In October, Mercedes said it will use Qualcomm's chip to power future AI-based in-car information systems. Nvidia is also working on enhancing the driver and passenger experience with the help of AI, with an avatar assistant that will alert you of potential road dangers, tell you if you left any belongings in the car and even communicate in multiple languages.

Augmented and virtual reality

Smart glasses have gone from something consumers associate with the future and maybe Tony Stark’s Iron Man to an item that is widely available over the past year, mostly thanks to Meta.

Late last year, Meta collaborated with Ray-Ban and released their first model of smart glasses. Coming in at under $400, the smart glasses were a hit, becoming the top-selling product in 60% of Ray-Ban stores throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Customers love the photography feature that takes high-quality images with ease, the speaker system that connects to any music app, and the ability to give you information on whatever you are looking at.

Meta is also taking smart glasses a step further and upping the ante with its Orion augmented reality glasses. While Orion is not available to consumers and is rumored to cost $10,000 per unit to manufacture, Meta is previewing the glasses to select users and its own employees to see where the technology can be implemented. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the creation “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen,” with a primary purpose of communicating through digital information overlaid in the real world and interacting with AI.

The Apple Vision Pro, which was introduced in 2023, comes in at $3,500 and utilizes both virtual and augmented reality. The device is a spatial computer that allow users to interact with digital content and apps while also seeing the world around them when they want. Users can watch a movie, work on a spreadsheet and FaceTime a friend. Like the Orion glasses, the Apple Vision Pro could change the way we complete everyday tasks.

Self-driving cars

If you live in Phoenix, San Francisco or Los Angeles, chances are you’ve spotted a driverless ride-hailing car operated by Google’s Waymo on the road. No, you’re not imagining things — there really isn’t a driver. This once futuristic concept is now making its way to more everyday Americans.

As all roads in 2024 lead back to AI, self-driving cars rely on advanced AI systems, lidar, radar and high-resolution cameras to detect their surroundings and make split-second decisions.

While Waymo expanded markets and usage this year, many American automakers have called it quits on their investment in robotaxis. Earlier this month, General Motors announced it would stop funding Cruise, Waymo’s main robotaxi competitor. GM joined Ford and Volkswagen on a growing list of automakers that have backed out of the industry.

Now Tesla remains the only American automaker to challenge Google, Amazon and international competitors, but China’s self-driving cab fleet has continued to grow. Pony.ai recently announced it was expanding its fleet from 250 to 1,000, planning to bring cabs to larger cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.