NEW YORK (AP) —
If 2023 was a year of wonder about artificial intelligence, 2024 was the year to try to get that wonder to do something useful without breaking the bank.
There was a ‘shift from putting out models to actually building products,’ said Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton University computer science professor and co-author of the new book ‘AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference.’
The first 100 million or so people who experimented with ChatGPT upon its release two years ago actively sought out the chatbot, finding it amazingly helpful at some tasks or laughably mediocre at others.
Now such generative AI technology is baked into an increasing number of technology services whether we’re looking for it or not — for instance, through the AI-generated answers in Google search results or new AI techniques in photo editing tools.
According to Narayanan, ‘the main thing that was wrong with generative AI last year is that companies were releasing these really powerful models without a concrete way for people to make use of them.’ He noted that 2024 has seen a gradual rollout of products that leverage AI capabilities for practical use.
Since OpenAI released GPT-4 in March 2023, there has been a noticeable change in expectations within the AI community. The idea that AI was racing toward human-like intelligence has been tempered as these significant models have stopped improving at the pace once anticipated.
AI’s Sticker Shock
Financial analysts have raised concerns regarding the costs associated with AI development and research. ‘We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars of capital that has been poured into this technology,’ said Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan.
Despite these concerns, Rangan remains optimistic, stating, ‘AI tools are already proving absolutely incrementally more productive in sales, design and a number of other professions.’
AI and Employment
Many workers are concerned about whether AI will supplement their roles or replace them. For example, Borderless AI utilizes an AI chatbot to facilitate the drafting of employment contracts without additional legal assistance.
The entertainment industry has also seen anxiety over AI’s potential to replicate performances without consent, with groups like the Screen Actors Guild voicing strong apprehensions.
Despite worries, Walid Saad, an AI expert at Virginia Tech, asserts, ‘Generative AI still can’t create unique work or completely new things.’ He emphasizes that while AI can process vast amounts of data, it lacks the common sense that defines human creativity.
The Future of AI
As the technology continues to evolve, many experts envision a future in which AI agents can collaborate to solve problems rather than function as isolated tools. Vijoy Pandey from Cisco predicts, ‘We’re getting to an agentic future,’ where various AI agents will bring their specialized skills to tasks.
AI has already impacted the medical field positively. This year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry recognized work led by Google that aims to advance drug discovery and diagnostics, making significant strides in patient care.
The road to integrating AI into everyday life is paved with both challenges and immense potential. *As technology continues to evolve, it’s crucial for the public and policymakers to navigate the complexities while embracing the transformative possibilities that AI offers.*
