If our grandparents were told that all their everyday problems will be solved by a machine that can analyze tons of information faster than they have time to make a coffee, they would hardly believe such a fantastic story. But today, all these events happen instantly, making up an ordinary day of our everyday life.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing all areas of human activity, and if you still think that it is just a thing that gives out the necessary information with the help of a quick and “smart” Google search, then you are clearly underestimating the situation. Today, AI is our assistant who manages everything: write a report, find the shortest way through traffic jams, remind a colleague about his birthday in time, and even find an answer to the question of whether we are the only ones in the universe.
The year 2024 has become another growth point for artificial intelligence in the world. He no longer just beats us at chess or predicts the weather, but also writes novels, makes diagnoses, designs buildings and even helps invent original excuses for being late for work. AI doesn’t take away work — it offers us superpowers, if, of course, we know how to use them. Every day, AI makes us a little more productive, healthier, and maybe even happier. So let’s try to find out what humanity together with AI managed to achieve in 2024.
Use of AI in the Armed Forces
In 2024, the Ukrainian army actively implemented advanced technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI), which significantly increase its defense capabilities and effectiveness on the battlefield. So, reconnaissance drones Vector, which are actively used in Ukraine, received the latest update using artificial intelligence. The innovative AI Receptor sensor, which is based on Nvidia’s Jetson Orin chip and equipped with several sensors, was installed on the drones. This upgrade allows drones to perform optical navigation even in difficult conditions – at night or in poor visibility. In addition, the system provides automatic detection and identification of objects, which significantly increases the efficiency of reconnaissance.
One of the key developments was the Avengers platform, created by the Innovation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. This system automatically analyzes video from drones and stationary cameras, detecting up to 12 thousand units of enemy equipment every week. This allows operators to make decisions faster, reducing the risk of errors due to fatigue.
Ukrainian engineers are actively working on improving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), equipping them with AI technologies. This allows drones to independently bypass enemy electronic warfare (EW) systems and perform tasks even when communication with the operator is lost. Such innovations increase the autonomy and effectiveness of UAVs on the battlefield.
In addition, Ukraine actively cooperates with international technology companies for the integration of AI-based solutions in the defense sphere. In particular, the Helsing company proposes to strengthen software solutions to counter the rapid development of the enemy’s EW, which will help unmanned aerial vehicles to hit targets even when communication is lost.
In 2024, there are also tests of fire control systems using AI, in particular for Caesar self-propelled artillery installations. The integration of AI allows you to reduce ammunition consumption by 30%, increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of artillery strikes.
At the same time, Ukrainian developers are working on equipping FPV drones with machine vision technologies, which allows drones to independently recognize and follow targets without constant operator control. This increases the effectiveness of strike drones and reduces dependence on the human factor.
A great interviewer and assistant – Chat GPT
The year 2024 became an important milestone for the development of ChatGPT. Every day, the functionality of the platform changed, making it even more integrated into daily tasks and communication. Thanks to the joint efforts of developers, users can now communicate with artificial intelligence not only in text, but also through audio and video. The platform is able to support a conversation on any topic, using more detailed and up-to-date information, thanks to an integrated search on the Internet. Debating has now become easier, showing the necessary visibility on camera and using audio. Today, we are seeing ChatGPT become a powerful tool for business, education, and common day-to-day tasks. The introduction of new functions creates new opportunities for interaction with technologies in various areas.
Turning words into video: Sora’s wizard system
One of the brightest inventions in the field of AI was the release of the Sora video generator from OpenAI. Sora provides the ability to create videos from text descriptions, turn photos into videos, and use the “Re-mix” function to modify already created videos. There is also a “storyboard” feature that allows you to create scenes or video sequences from a series of prompts. Such a breakthrough gives impetus to new perspectives for educational, advertising and entertainment content.
A new generation assistant – Gemini 2.0
It was able to overcome the competition and Google, creating for its users, an advanced intelligent assistant, which is now able to process user requests much faster and more accurately, knowing more than 100 languages. This assistant meets the needs of both private individuals and corporate users. With increased performance and energy efficiency, the assistant is able, in addition to multimodal text, sound and image generation capabilities, to recognize objects and quickly find them, perform actions on behalf of the user.
Already today, we observe how AI intelligence is integrated into the work of various industries, making it fast and convenient for users: chatbots, interactive services and applications for searching and obtaining information or content are used every minute.
AI is widely used in business: to implement the process of production automation and quality control, to conduct financial analytics, to forecast trends and fight against fraudsters. This is indicated data a survey of the educational laboratory Projector Al Lab, conducted among employees of 150 Ukrainian companies:
- 51% of respondents noted that they use AI in their work “from time to time”:
- 22% of respondents use technology “often”;
- 20% of respondents indicated that they use it “rarely” or not at all.
The most active users of artificial intelligence among the surveyed companies were designers (65%). They are followed by copywriters (52%), marketing and PR representatives (49%), team leaders (39%) and development engineers (21%). With the help of AI, they solve such tasks as:
- generation of ideas -66%;
- creating images – 58%;
- creation and processing of video/audio – 8%;
- writing or editing texts – 81%;
- translation into another language – 41%;
- automation of business processes -13.
A great application in 2024 was the online electronic sales platform SmartTender, with which an electronic legal assistant quickly processes thousands of open tenders, highlighting the main tender requirements and parameters, as well as notifying the manufacturer company about compliance with the tender requirements. AI selects the most promising tenders, taking into account the market situation, analyzing competitors’ prices in a matter of minutes.
AI technology is actively used by educators, selecting learning materials and performing automatic evaluation. The top use of digital technologies by students and their teachers is as follows:
- ChatGPT – 68% of users;
- the project from “Na uroko” – 49% of users;
- Bard Google – 16% of users;
- Midjourney – 15% of users;
- Grammarly – 14% of users;
- Notion AI – 7% of users;
- Stable Diffusion – 4% of users.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation intends to further introduce artificial intelligence into the activities of public services in order to automate and accelerate service delivery. “Ukrzaliznytsia” uses GPT-chat for structuring and analyzing passenger feedback, quick problem solving, which significantly improved the company’s work. The Forbes Ukraine team actively uses AI in its projects to create illustrations and improve the quality of images.
There is also demand from transport companies. Text recognition systems (OCR) allow you to automatically read information from invoices, invoices, customs declarations and other documents. AI helps generate standard documents, analyze relevant data and integrate them into internal systems of companies for further processing.
Novelties of AI in medicine
Instead of waiting weeks for test results or guessing what your strange cough means, AI takes over. Today, specially designed algorithms analyze your health data, medical history and even genetic information in seconds to provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. A kind of “emergency service” on steroids. Some even joke that AI is already a better therapist than Google.
But a real breakthrough in home medicine was the creation of a compact multifunctional device BeamO from the French company Withings. This is a kind of magic wand that can perform all the necessary measurements of the body in 1-2 minutes. The obtained results are automatically sent to the Withings Health Mate on the smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. And you can quickly send them to your doctor. And you don’t have to wait in line just to measure the pressure.
And the exoskeleton from WIRobotics is created for the younger generation, able to help improve physical fitness and strengthen muscles, without distracting from everyday activities. Such a robot has two modes of operation:
- support, which reduces energy consumption during walking by 20%;
- resistance training, similar to walking in water, to strengthen muscles.
With the help of a special WIM program, users can create individualized walking programs by analyzing data about strength, body balance and their own posture, relying on AI processing.
“Dear little mirror, tell me. But solve my doubt: Who in the world is the cutest, the most beautiful, the whitest?” – asked the heroes of the fairy tale about the Dead Princess from the magic mirror. And now the fairy tale has become a reality thanks to the smart mirror from Baracoda. Initially, this device analyzed users’ skin and helped them choose the right cosmetics and take proper care of themselves. The developers managed to develop their device in such a way that it is able, based on the received data, to provide recommendations for improving the mental health of users, such as conducting meditations and light therapy sessions.
Modern airplane carpet
The so-called “flying taxis” intended for the transportation of passengers for short distances within cities are planned to be presented to humanity by the company Joby Aviation next year. These are the first hydrogen-electric aircraft in their class, which cover a distance of 842 km. The uniqueness of such aircraft is that this is the first ever flight of an aircraft with vertical take-off and landing using liquid hydrogen as an energy source. How many times have we read fiction, where flying machines travel between cities, and here, they seem to have come off the pages of books.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence is always hotly debated. Some see AI as a threat that can replace humans in many professions, while others believe that it is just a tool to help us become more efficient. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. AI can make us super brains, but only if we learn to use it properly and don’t expect it to solve everything for us.
Artificial intelligence in 2024 is like a superpower in your pocket. He does not wear cloaks, but saves us from routine, mistakes and even sometimes from ourselves. It does not replace people, but pushes them to be a little smarter, faster and more creative. It’s like a friend who always knows the answer to your questions. Although, let’s be honest, sometimes the answer looks like he invented the problem himself. But this is the point. After all, AI is not perfect, and perhaps this is its best feature. It makes our life easier, but leaves room for human: intuition, creativity, accidents. After all, even the most intelligent algorithm will not understand why we sometimes sit and watch the sunset instead of “being productive”.
So 2024 is not only a year of breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, but also a year when humanity got a chance to reconsider its capabilities. With AI, you have no choice but to become a better version of yourself, because there is a “smart machine” nearby that does it in minutes. But don’t worry, we still have something that AI doesn’t have, the ability to laugh at ourselves. Which is also, let’s face it, quite a superpower that helps to survive in the modern realities of life.
