5 Predictions for AI in 2024
The Past Year Unveiled AI's Potential, the Next Will Reveal Its Transformational Impact
We've come to the end of another dynamic and transitional year, one of the most significant in recent history.
Ten years from now we will look back and view 2023 as the year that Artificial Intelligence went mainstream and kicked off an avalanche of technological progress that forever changed society.
With momentum building and Moore’s Law proving as true as ever, here are 5 predictions on what AI will have in store for 2024.
1. AI Video Gets Featured
AI video made significant strides in 2023, transitioning from a novel concept to a powerful tool for creating compelling imagery, thanks to the release of innovative platforms like Runway Gen2, Pika 1.0, and Stable Video.
The capabilities of text-to-video and image transformation tools continue to rapidly evolve, indicating a transformative future for media creation.
In the next year, we will see the first significant feature length film produced with AI assistance, a feat made feasible by the efficiency and affordability of these tools.
This democratization of film production will empower smaller teams and budgets to explore new narratives and styles, especially in niche areas currently overlooked due to mainstream commercial constraints.
Moreover, independent creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok are set to become influential figures in long-form visual storytelling, capitalizing on their vast, youthful audiences.
2. AI Music Finds Its Stage
So far, AI music has been a bit novel in its existence and awareness within the mainstream. Google, Facebook and Stability AI all released capable models that can generate fairly impressive music and audio via text-to-audio prompting, but so far they have mostly served as lo-fi demonstrations of greater potential.
There have been a few viral moments already with the likes of Ghostwriter’s “Fake Drake” song, "Heart on My Sleeve”, that used an AI generated copy of Drake’s voice to go viral and garner millions of streams before being taken down by streaming services due to legal injunction from the labels.
But ultimately, the main use of AI in this (and other viral songs so far) has been in cloning the voice of an already famous singer or rapper and using that in a human produced song. The virality of which largely coming from piggybacking off the existing fame and following of the artist being mimicked, not the ability of AI to enhance songwriting or production.
Certainly we will see more of this type of viral AI music, but in the next year we will start to see more AI tools that enhance the music production and songwriting process itself, greatly expanding the capabilities of talented producers and songwriters.
Integrated AI tools within the digital audio workstation will help extend song sections, provide alternate versions of bridge chords, and audition contextually aware midi drum fills right within a track.
Generative synth presets manifested from text description will help to create new and never before heard soundscapes and textures. Expressive sound generations that extend the current limitations of midi input will allow performances to flow into new dimensions.
Some of these things might be realized a little later on, but I believe we will start to see their genesis very soon.
Additionally, we will begin to see AI generated functional music find more use in markets such as interactive gaming where audio adapts fluidly to the tone and context of the gameplay.
Where AI video was a year ago, AI music is today, and soon we will start to see some breakthrough new capabilities and use cases.
3. AI Copyright Law Gets Serious
As generative AI continues to proliferate into the mainstream, more and more questions are being raised regarding the usage of copyright material used to train AI models.
From the ability to replicate the art styles of famous painters and digital artists, to parroting the songwriting style of the Beatles, to using cloned vocals in derivative works, new questions about copyright and intellectual property are being revealed daily.
These emerging copyright concerns are reshaping the media and intellectual property landscape, making existing laws increasingly obsolete.
Recently, significant copyright lawsuits have started to surface, aiming to directly address the use of copyrighted works in AI training datasets, reflecting the growing legal complexities in this evolving field. A few of them include:
NY Times vs. OpenAI & Microsoft: The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for using its content to train AI without permission, challenging the "fair use" defense in AI training.
Visual Artists vs. AI Companies: Artists sued Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt, claiming unauthorized use of copyrighted images in AI training, underscoring the tension between AI innovation and intellectual property rights.
Authors vs. Meta, Microsoft, Bloomberg: Writers, including Mike Huckabee, filed a lawsuit against Meta, Microsoft, and Bloomberg for training AI systems using their copyrighted works, focusing on the illegal "Books3" dataset.
In the next year we will see more lawsuits filed and legislation discussed as the conversations and capabilities around these new questions expand.
4. AI Education Unveils Its Potential
As the power of Large Language Models grows, AI education is set to revolutionize the learning landscape, offering a hyper-personalized alternative to traditional university models.
At its core, AI's ability to craft customized learning paths tailored to individual strengths and learning styles marks a significant departure from the one-size-fits-all approach of conventional education. This shift will not only maximize learning efficiency but also align with the unique aspirations and abilities of each learner.
Learning apps are already starting to use AI augmentations with examples like Duolingo Max, which uses OpenAI’s GPT-4, offering hyper-personalized language lessons and accessible English proficiency testing at a fraction of the cost of a college language course.
In 2024 we will continue to see more expansion of hyper-personalized education that delivers specialized learning to underserved niches.
Education experts in a given field will use specifically trained AI models to guide learning toward relevant career paths based on personal skills and passions, and in turn provide more value for less investment.
Soon we will see more AI-driven educational platforms breaking down geographical and financial barriers, democratizing education for a wider audience. These platforms will provide continuously updated content and real-time feedback, keeping learners at the forefront of their fields and enabling instant adjustments for an enhanced learning experience.
5. Deepfake Danger In Politics
As the 2024 US elections draw near, the escalating threat of deepfakes poses a dire risk to the political landscape, potentially intensifying divisions and conflict among citizens.
Deepfakes, which are sophisticated AI-generated likenesses of known figure such as presidents and celebrities, blur the line between reality and falsehood, making it increasingly challenging for voters to discern truth.
Imagine hyper-realistic yet entirely fictitious videos or audio of political figures, spread across social media, sowing confusion and distrust.
In an era already rife with misinformation, deepfakes will exacerbate societal divisions, manipulate public opinion and potentially influencing electoral outcomes. They hold the power to create false narratives, incite scandals, and even provoke civil unrest.
In an already fragile balance of populous unity within Western countries like the US, further division could be deeply damaging.
Addressing this threat demands robust verification tools and enhanced digital literacy throughout the populous. The fight against misinformation is critical to preserving democratic integrity and maintaining trust in both media and the the electoral system. It's a battle not just of technology but of safeguarding the truth itself in the political discourse.
Closing
2023 brought AI to the global public stage and 2024 promises its vast expansion into our culture and economy. The upcoming year will bring not only technological breakthroughs, but also a deeper integration of AI in our daily lives, further reshaping the way we interact with the world around us.
With AI set to play a bigger role in our lives, I'm excited to journey with you into a year where technology meets everyday magic.
Happy New Year 🥳
~ Michael
Exciting Tech of The Week
Eleven Labs
Eleven Labs presents a groundbreaking approach to AI-driven text-to-voice technology. This platform stands at the forefront of synthetic voice generation, offering remarkably lifelike and natural-sounding voices from text inputs. Ideal for a variety of applications ranging from podcasting to voiceovers, Eleven Labs excels in capturing the nuances of human speech, offering customization to fit diverse needs. With its user-friendly interface, it simplifies the process of creating authentic and engaging audio content, making it a valuable asset for professionals and enthusiasts alike in the digital media landscape.
My Creative Updates
In between overindulging on Christmas cookies and holiday leftovers, I’ve been hard at work building a prototype for a new app that will be releasing in the first quarter of 2024. I’ve partnered with an inspiring writer, creator and coach on the endeavor which involves using AI to help identify niche opportunities based your personal strengths and passions.
We’ll be announcing a lot more in the new year, but in the mean time I’m heads down connecting code for a cool new project 😃