2024: The Year AI Took off
What comes next?
What a remarkable year for AI! 2024 truly marked a turning point in many ways.
Generative AI has become mainstream, transforming into an affordable tool for nearly everyone in the developed world. For just a few dollars a month, you can have a personal assistant that listens, sees what you share, and provides round-the-clock support tailored to your needs.
But how did we reach this point? What were the key milestones that shaped AI's incredible journey throughout 2024? Instead of a weekly digest, I present you now my annual retrospective. Let’s take a moment to look back and reflect…
✍️ In This Issue ✍️
This Year in AI: The Take-off
Deep Dive: My Top 5 Tech Trends in 2025
AI Tools We Love: My AI Toolset 🛠️
Culture Corner: Foundation
Quote for You: Isaac Asimov💡
This Year in AI and Tech
January: Elon Musk In Our Head
Elon Musk's startup Neuralink implants their first microchip into a human brain.
The first successful cloning of a rhesus monkey is reported by scientists in China. Are humans next?
An AI-based study reveals, for the first time, that fingerprints from different fingers of the same individual share strong detectable similarities.
A robotic sensor able to read braille with 87.5% accuracy and at twice the speed of a human is demonstrated.
February: AI Value Soars
Nvidia’s market capitalization surpasses $2 trillion, cementing its dominance in AI hardware. This leap comes after a record-breaking Q4 2023 fueled by demand for GPUs in AI applications.
Google renames AI chatbot Bard to Gemini, and makes it available on mobile.
Researchers use artificial intelligence to forecast plasma instabilities in fusion reactors up to 300 milliseconds in advance.
March: EU Shapes AI Governance
The European Union officially adopts the AI Act, establishing the first comprehensive framework for regulating AI technologies. The legislation includes provisions for transparency and banning high-risk applications.
SpaceX successfully launches the Starship spacecraft, but loses the rocket upon re-entering the atmosphere.
April: AI Hardware Intensifies
Nvidia introduces its Blackwell GPU architecture, designed to optimize training for large AI models. Analysts project a 40% efficiency improvement over its predecessor. First the chip struggled with overheating issues, but later on it fuelled NVIDIA's growth even further.
May: AI Breakthrough in Life Sciences
Google introduces AlphaFold 3, a new AI model for accurately predicting the structure of proteins, DNA, RNA, ligands and more, and how they interact.
A cubic millimetre of the human brain is mapped at nanoscale resolution by a team at Google. This contains roughly 57,000 cells and 150 million synapses, incorporating 1.4 petabytes of data.
OpenAI reveals GPT-4o, its latest AI model, featuring improved multimodal capabilities in real time.
June: AI Becomes the King of Wall Street
Nvidia becomes the world’s most valuable company, surpassing Microsoft and Apple, with a market cap of $3.3 trillion. Its dominance is fuelled by skyrocketing GPU sales to tech companies.
Nvidia GPUs are so popular in 2024 that some companies reportedly paid double their retail price on the gray market.
July: Meta Joins the Race
Meta launches Llama 2, an open-source large language model, aiming to democratize AI capabilities. It gains traction among developers for its ease of integration.
The world's first fully automated dental procedure on a human is reported by Boston company Perceptive.
August: AI Talent Wars
John Schulman, OpenAI co-founder, joins Anthropic to focus on AI alignment, citing a desire for deeper exploration into ethical AI.
A study on the terraforming of Mars suggests that releasing metal nanorods into the planet's atmosphere could warm it by 30 K, and would be far more efficient than trying to do so with greenhouse gases. I think it's even 'slightly' better than Elon Musk's idea to terraforming Mars by detonating nuclear bombs above its poles to release trapped carbon dioxide, thereby thickening the atmosphere and warming the planet...
September: OpenAI Unveils o1
OpenAI releases its o1 model, designed for advanced reasoning and autonomous task execution. Early tests show a huge improvement in complex problem-solving and science skills over GPT-4, and even expert humans.
Researchers at ETH Zurich demonstrate an image-based AI model able to solve Google's reCAPTCHA v2, one of the world's most powerful tools for determining whether a user is human in order to deter bot attacks and spam.
October: Record Funding for AI
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, published an essay titled "Machines of Loving Grace," where he explores the potential positive impacts of advanced AI on society. In his essay, Amodei discusses how AI could revolutionize various sectors, including biology, medicine, neuroscience, and economics, potentially compressing a century's worth of progress into a decade. This optimistic perspective contrasts with prevalent concerns about AI risks, offering a vision of AI as a transformative force for good. One of the most important reads on AI in 2024 - at least for me.
OpenAI raises $6.6 billion, achieving a valuation of $157 billion. Investors include Microsoft, Nvidia, and a coalition of venture capital firms betting on generative AI’s future.
November: AI Enters the Dow
Nvidia replaces Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, marking a milestone for AI’s integration into the traditional economy. Financial analysts call Nvidia’s inclusion “the most overdue replacement in Dow history.”
AI-generated poetry is shown to be indistinguishable from human-written poetry and is rated more favourably.
December: Text-to-Video for All
OpenAI rolls out Sora for all ChatGPT Plus and Pro users, enabling creators to generate videos directly from text prompts. It's not available in home country yet, unfortunately.
Google strikes back and launches Veo 2, which outperforms Sora, and gives users a better experience with less glitches. Check the comparison out for yourself!
By the way, if you want to complain about Sora or anything else, or if you just want to talk to OpenAI's ChatGPT, you can now simply call it via Phone or WhatsApp!
On 20th December OpenAI revealed their next latest model: o3, their second reasoning AI model, and o3-mini, a smaller, faster version made for coding. The significance of the announcement can’t be overstated: o3’s performance in math, coding, science, and reasoning problems is incredible.
What a fantastic year it has been for AI enthusiasts like myself! So much has happened, and countless new opportunities have emerged.
But what lies ahead? What will the coming years bring for AI and technology? Can we leverage AI to outsmart global challenges? Will it help us combat the climate crisis and reduce environmental pollution? Could it be a force for decreasing inequality and eliminating poverty? Or will humanity misuse this powerful tool—perhaps the most influential lever in history—for harm, destruction, and oppression?
In this deep dive, I’ll explore these pressing questions. Join me as we navigate the possibilities and challenges of the future. Read on!
Deep Dive: 2025 and Beyond - The Evolution of AI and Emerging Technologies
The year 2025 is going to be very exciting in the world of technology, with artificial intelligence leading the charge. The developments and innovations expected in the coming year promise to reshape industries, tackle pressing global challenges, and redefine the relationship between humans and technology.
There are tons of research papers, predictions for the next year of AI. I constantly collect them, you can access all papers right here.
For the sake of this article, I've compiled the most interesting ones, and their predictions for 2025 regarding the trends are quite interesting.
Check out this summary and comparison!
What the heck...? Is there anything in common in all these trends? It seems like all players think in a different way, they have different focus areas. Or, they try to differentiate themselves in a desperate way, try to give the readers a unique look.
If they can, we can, too, right? Let me try to look through the chaos and give you my personal list of most important trends for 2025 - as I see them.
1. Generative AI and Agentic AI: Poised to Become Mainstream
AI is multifaceted and it is not even new. My company builds since over 10+ years AI based predictive models for financial forecasting, or pricing optimisation, for example. But Generative AI is the real game changer for many enterprises. These systems, once considered cutting-edge, are now essential for enhancing customer engagement, automating creative tasks, and supporting enterprise decision-making.
Almost every week we have experienced the advancement of LLMs: OpenAI released GPT 4o, then o1, outsmarting even expert humans in most science areas. Claude, Llama2 have also developed a lot, and Agentic AI systems appeared also, solving more complex tasks than ever.
Beyond LLMs, smaller, more efficient language models are also gaining popularity, offering cost-effective alternatives to larger systems like GPT-4. And, I'm pretty sure, the multimodality will explode in 2025, combining text, sound, video and code analysis and creation in super cool tools. It will be fun!
2. Augmented Organizations and Workforce
Enterprises are integrating AI into IT systems and customer service processes, leading to enhanced productivity and improved efficiency. For example, in financial services, AI wealth advisors now handle routine portfolio management tasks, enabling planners to focus more on client relationships. In healthcare, AI-enabled triage systems are cutting emergency room wait times by prioritizing critical cases.
Studies indicate that by 2028, 15 percent of daily workplace decisions will be made autonomously by AI systems, a sharp rise from today’s negligible numbers. Companies adopting AI have reported operational efficiency gains of up to 28 percent, underscoring its transformative potential.
With the help of AI it becomes possible to turn every traditional organizations into an 'Augmented Organization'.
I believe in this trend so deeply, that I have written a complete book about it in 2023. I might wanna update it, because so many things happened in 2024...
3. Quantum Computing: The Next Big Thing
In 2024, quantum computing advanced significantly, reinforcing its role as a transformative technology for solving problems beyond the reach of classical computers. Companies like IBM and Google achieved milestones with processors exceeding 1,000 qubits. IBM’s "Condor" chip showcased quantum supremacy for optimization problems, while Google’s Sycamore 2 processor made strides in error suppression, bringing fault-tolerant systems closer to reality.
Quantum computing’s impact was evident across industries. In cybersecurity, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) formalized quantum-resistant encryption standards to address the looming threat of classical cryptography being compromised. In pharmaceuticals, quantum simulations accelerated drug discovery, reducing timelines for complex compounds from years to months. Materials science also benefited, with quantum simulations enabling the design of advanced materials for efficient batteries and superconductors, driving progress in renewable energy and electronics.
Looking ahead to 2025, the focus will shift to improving the reliability and accessibility of quantum systems. We can expect further advancements in quantum error correction, expanded applications in industrial sectors, and greater integration of quantum computing into hybrid classical-quantum workflows. Quantum computing will get commercialised, it will become a standard SaaS solution. As research accelerates, 2025 is set to bring us closer to unlocking the full transformative power of quantum computing.
The global market for quantum computing is projected to grow from $866 million in 2023 to $4.3 billion by 2028, reflecting the high stakes and immense potential of this technology.
4. AI and Technological Advancement: Sustainability's Chance
AI is being deployed to address climate challenges, optimize energy consumption, and promote circular economies. Smart cities are utilizing AI-powered systems to reduce energy waste in buildings, while renewable energy companies rely on advanced algorithms to enhance the efficiency of solar and wind power generation. These advancements are expected to save $30 billion annually in global utility costs, demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of AI-driven solutions.
I truly hope that technological advancements outpace the rate of environmental destruction and climate change, which are largely driven by our own human shortcomings. This might very well be our only chance to survive as a species. However, as an eternal optimist, I believe that the positive impacts of AI can outweigh the negatives, and there’s still a chance for us to turn things around. Of course, 2025 will not be a decisive year regarding that trend. But Every year counts, and I'm really excited, what kind of breakthroughs will AI bring the next year regarding sustainability.
5. AI Risk Management: Finding the Balance
With the latest announcement from OpenAI about their o3 model, I genuinely believe that 2025 might be the year when a general AI model surpasses all human experts—I'm talking about PhD-level grandmasters, not just everyday specialists—in every imaginable field. And if it doesn’t happen in 2025, it will likely occur one or two years later. That’s such a short timeframe! It means we need to act swiftly to address the regulation of AI-related risks. Thankfully, we’ve already taken some initial steps.
The European Union’s AI Act, which establishes comprehensive rules for AI technologies, is a leading example. However, regulatory uncertainty remains a significant obstacle to AI adoption, with 62 percent of companies citing it as a key concern. Still, frameworks like the EU AI Act are expected to influence 71 percent of AI-driven companies globally, highlighting the growing importance of compliance.
I strongly believe that regulating AI and managing AI-related risks are critical to our future success. However, finding the right balance is incredibly challenging. What about China and the U.S.? They are clearly leading in AI development, while the EU lags behind. Regulation is the one area where we excel, but will it be enough in a completely globalized world? Of course, we can implement very strict regulations and prohibit certain activities, but that would likely only widen the gap between the EU and the rest of the world.
I’m convinced that creating the right regulatory environment is essential for our long-term success and survival. Let’s hope we find the right balance—before it’s too late.
These are my 5 predictions for the most important tech trends in 2025. Organizations that strategically embrace these advancements while addressing societal needs will be well-positioned to thrive.
The question remains: how will your organization adapt to this transformative landscape? The future is here—are you ready to lead it?
AI Tools We love: My AI Toolset
In this issue, I'm not gonna recommend you a fancy new AI tool. There are literally hundreds of them, and every day there's a new one.
But I can't just use hundred tools. I use only the best ones that fit my working style and hobbies. I'm going to show you the AI tools I use almost everyday. These are the best tools for productivity improvement for the typical white collar work.
So, here's my list.
ChatGPT Plus 🤖 This is the alpha of GenAI tools! I use it for searching, summarizing, brainstorming, solving homework for the kids, spell-checking, and rephrasing my occasionally odd English. Even the free version is great, but Plus is on another level—totally worth those few bucks a month.
Perplexity 🔍 The free version gives me 3 PRO searches a day. It’s fantastic for Internet research, with better results, solid links, and way fewer hallucinations than ChatGPT. If you need facts fast, this is your buddy.
Midjourney 🎨 The absolute king of text-to-image generators! I’m on the paid plan, and it’s worth every cent for its speed, quality, and customization options. Art lovers, assemble!
DALL-E 🖼️ My trusty second-in-command for images. Built right into ChatGPT, it’s free, fast, and super comfy to use. Perfect for when I need a quick visual.
Gigapixel AI ✨ If you’re into photo magic, this is your go-to! It upscales images like a pro—from tiny thumbnails to poster-sized masterpieces. For just a one-time $99 fee, you can take your images to the next level.
Napkin 📊 Turns text into infographics, charts, and process flows. I stick to the free version, but businesses can customize it with brand colors and logos. Visual storytelling made simple!
Runway 🎥 Text-to-video wizardry! The free version outputs short videos, but you can pay for more. Since Sora isn’t available in Hungary yet, I use this to create video illustrations for my articles—or just for fun.
NotebookLM 🎙️ This one’s a game-changer! It turns text into podcasts—like magic. I use it for The Augmented Manager Podcast: just drop in my newsletter, and Google’s free tool creates a lively podcast with two AI hosts. You wouldn’t even guess they’re not human.
Canva 🎨 The PowerPoint killer app! Sadly, PPT is the corporate world’s default (and, let’s be real, it’s kind of meh). But Canva? It’s 1,000% better. I use it for everything personal: cards, article illustrations, homework, presentations, Etsy thumbnails, social media, and more. Plus, it’s loaded with AI tools like background removal, magic expand, and text/image/video generation.
HorváthGPT 🤖This is our enterprise-grade AI Assistant, built for secure internal use. If I’m working with confidential data or client files, this is my go-to. It’s ChatGPT’s capabilities on steroids—fuelled by our own knowledge base.
All in all, I pay about 50 USD /month for ChatGPT Plus, Midjourney and Canva - all other tools I use are free (except HorváthGPT, of course). And the productivity improvement enabled by these tools? Invaluable.
Culture Corner: Foundation
Isaac Asimov is my all-time favorite science fiction author. He was a true genius, writing hundreds of sci-fi and science books and envisioning a future almost 70 years ago that we are now living in—and one that continues to unfold.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Robot and Empire novels form an interconnected series of stories spanning millennia, blending themes of history, sociology, and robotics. The saga began in 1940 with the short story "Robbie" from I, Robot, which introduced the concept of the Three Laws of Robotics, and later expanded with the Foundation series, first published as a trilogy starting in 1951 with Foundation. The final installment, Foundation and Earth (1986), ties the earlier Robot and Empire series into the greater Foundation narrative. In total, the combined saga consists of 14 novels and over 20 short stories, stretching across a narrative timeline of approximately 20,000 years. Asimov masterfully connected these distinct storylines into a grand unified vision, chronicling humanity's journey from the age of robots to the rise and fall of galactic empires.
The Writing and Vision of Foundation
The original Foundation trilogy was born from Asimov’s fascination with the cyclical nature of history, inspired by Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Asimov imagined a galactic empire in decline, proposing a science—psychohistory—to mathematically predict and influence societal trends on a massive scale. The concept of psychohistory itself is a speculative precursor to modern data-driven predictive analytics and AI modeling.
In subsequent novels, such as Foundation’s Edge and Foundation and Earth, Asimov expanded the series’ scope, delving deeper into the integration of technology with human and societal development. This included brain-computer interfaces, advanced robotics, and neural manipulation technologies—ideas that resonate with contemporary advancements in AI and neurotechnology.
Asimov’s Predictions About AI
One of Asimov’s most remarkable achievements is his exploration of AI’s role in human society. Although AI is not as overtly central in the Foundation series as in his Robot series, its influence permeates the narrative. The enigmatic figure of R. Daneel Olivaw—a humanoid robot from the Robot series who plays a pivotal role in Foundation’s Edge and Foundation and Earth—epitomizes Asimov’s vision of benevolent AI guiding humanity’s destiny. Daneel’s adherence to the "Law of Robotics" (including the "Zeroth Law": to protect humanity as a whole above individual humans) illustrates Asimov’s nuanced understanding of ethical dilemmas posed by advanced AI.
Asimov’s psychohistory—a mathematical framework to predict and guide societal behavior—can be interpreted as a metaphor for AI-driven predictive algorithms. Modern AI applications in governance, economics, and climate science mirror this concept, albeit on a smaller scale than Asimov’s galaxy-spanning vision.
Technologies in Asimov’s Works: Robots, Spaceships, and More
The Foundation series showcases a plethora of futuristic tools and technologies:
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI): In Foundation’s Edge, Golan Trevize, the protagonist enters his brand new spaceship and tries to fly it. But there is no cockpit inside. The ship can be controlled by his mind only... BCIs enable characters to interact directly with advanced computers, foreshadowing modern experiments with neural implants like Elon Musk’s Neuralink. These interfaces underscore the seamless integration of human cognition and machine intelligence.
Robotics: Asimov’s robots, especially Daneel, embody the potential and perils of AI. Unlike many dystopian depictions, Asimov’s robots are governed by ethical constraints, highlighting his optimism about AI’s capacity for good when appropriately managed. Most of the Robot stories, however, describe situations where these ethical boundaries are breached, and the Laws of Robotics seem to fail. Well, not fail exactly, but rather become misaligned with the original human intent, or robots simply apply them without truly understanding the situation. More often, it is humans who misuse robots and their strict adherence to the Laws of Robotics to harm others—without the robots even realizing it.
Spaceships and Advanced Transport: The series describes hyper-space travel and anti-gravity technologies, offering a vision of a galaxy united by rapid transit. These concepts inspire modern discussions about space exploration and the technological hurdles humanity must overcome.
Atomic Energy: Atomic power is a recurring theme in Asimov’s works, reflecting mid-20th-century optimism about nuclear energy as a limitless and transformative resource. From handheld atomic blasters to massive nuclear reactors, atomic energy is central to the technological landscape of the Foundation universe.
Computers and Databases: Asimov’s depictions of computers and their use in managing vast amounts of information are eerily prescient. The Encyclopedia Galactica project—an effort to compile all human knowledge—foreshadows modern endeavours like Wikipedia and AI-driven knowledge bases.
Societal Impacts of Technology: Spacer Worlds and Beyond
What makes Asimov’s depiction of humanity's future so future-proof, is his nuanced approach to technology's societal impact. Reading his stories help us to understand, what might await humanity. 'Spacer worlds' in
Extremely low population densities: With vast resources and advanced automation, Spacers lead lives of luxury and isolation. Asimov critiques this stagnation, warning of societal atrophy when technology removes the need for human innovation and interaction.
Cultural evolution: The Spacers’ reliance on robots for labor and companionship raises ethical and social questions about human purpose and identity—issues that remain relevant today as automation reshapes labor markets and social structures.
Asimov also explored the societal impacts of robotics and AI in the Robot series. His "Three Laws of Robotics" are a philosophical foundation for discussions about ethical AI design, addressing dilemmas like machine autonomy, safety, and human dependency.
The Apple TV Adaptation: A Modern Take
Apple’s recent TV adaptation of Foundation introduces the series to a new generation, reimagining Asimov’s universe with contemporary cinematic flair. The show takes liberties with the source material, introducing new characters and storylines while retaining core themes. The series has been praised for bringing Asimov’s ideas to life with stunning visuals and modern relevance.
My take? READ THE ORIGINAL STORIES.
Quote for You
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” — Isaac Asimov
I hope, you liked this piece.
Thanks for reading!
Wishing you all a joyful holiday season filled with peace ✨, love ❤️, and happiness 😊, no matter what you celebrate 🎉 or how you choose to spend this special time of year! 🎄🌟
✌️Until next time!
Zoltan
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