These 5 major tech advances of 2023 were the biggest game-changers
A crowd examining the Microsoft Surface Studio 2+ at the company's New York City event in September.
2023 has been the year of many things; Artificial intelligence took the world by storm, prompting major shifts in businesses, small and large, the mixed reality market saw a key entrant looming in the form of arguably the world's most influential technology company, smartphones appeared in all shapes and sizes, including lapel clips(?), and there was plenty of finger pinching -- I'll explain.
Also: How generative AI will deliver significant benefits to the service industry
Over the past 12 months, this relentless pursuit of technological innovation has ushered in several breakthroughs in how we conceive, communicate, and interact with the hardware and software surrounding us. Five of which I've listed below will be deep-seated in the minds of developers, engineers, designers, and investors going into 2024 -- as companies rush to create the next best thing.
1. On-device AI will be a win for everyone
DALL-E 2 walked so generative AI could run. Following the overnight success of OpenAI's several AI-powered services in late 2022, advancements in artificial intelligence saw tremendous and rapid growth in 2023. You can expect more of that going into the new year, with a particular focus on local, on-device AI functionality.
From smartphones to personal computers to electric vehicles, companies like Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm -- the latter of which produces chipsets to run neural networks on some of today's most capable gadgets like the Meta Quest 3 -- have already suggested the future deployment of AI on the edge. This will enable users to generate images via text, perform real-time translations, and gain access to helpful AI assistants without needing an internet connection or cloud server running in the backend.
Also: Next year's Samsung Galaxy smartphones to feature live AI translations of calls
Running AI applications locally yields four major advantages: 1) All information, including personal, financial, and medical, are stored and processed within the device, not externally, 2) Location data and user preferences and activity can be leveraged to create more personal AI assistants, 3) There will be a noticeable drop in latency and processing times, and 4) The omission of cloud computing significantly reduces the energy consumption of data centers, a betterment for environmental sustainability.
"The idle power consumption of a single fully populated AI-accelerated server can approach one kilowatt of power while the peak power consumption can approach several kilowatts of power. This number multiplies by the number of servers required to run a generative AI model and the number of times a model is run, which is increasing exponentially," says Jim McGregor, Principal Analyst at TIRIAS Research. On-device AI solves this problem by keeping most, if not all, of the friction within our devices -- which will be plenty capable come next year.
2. Generative AI for professional workflows
Separately, generative AI has broadened the toolkit for professional content creation, from coding to photo and video editing. A handful of companies, including Canva, Apple, and Adobe, have implemented AI tools across their creative suites that are meant to empower rather than overtake the work of artists, videographers, designers, and more.
Some tools include Wix's AI Site Generator, capable of generating full-scale websites via text prompts, and Adobe Sensei, which features a "Denoise" setting in Lightroom that intelligently reduces graininess in photos (especially ones taken with a high ISO) while supporting text-based editing in Premiere Pro for a more efficient way to trim, cut, and reorder clips. At a recent event, Adobe also unveiled Project Fast Fill, a generative AI tool that will soon allow users to remove subjects and add new props in videos.
Review: MacBook Pro (M3 Max): A desktop-class laptop for an AI-powered age
Such workloads, especially as companies fine-tune these large language models, often require pushing the GPUs (graphics processing units) and RAM in computers and servers to the max, setting a precedent for an AI arms race between the world's largest semiconductor companies -- Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm included. Expect more "for AI" computers, chipsets, and fancy comparison charts in 2024.
3. Wireless TVs take cord-cutting to the extreme
It sounds like a CES pitch, and it very much was when upstart company Displace and LG Electronics demoed wireless TVs to ZDNET in January, but almost a year later, the cord-cutting appliances are finally hitting the open market.
With wireless TVs, a nearby base station, usually set within 30 feet proximity of the display panel to communicate visual and audio information, is the not-so-secret sauce. The box -- much like the existing One Connect Box on higher-end Samsung TVs but wireless -- often houses I/O ports including HDMI, USB-A, optical, LAN, and more, effectively becoming a transmitter for the TV.
Also: OLED breakthrough could mean cheaper TVs
Naturally, one of the big questions with wireless TVs is how latency factors into the viewing experience, especially when near-instant input responses are vital to gamers, a demographic that manufacturers are catering more and more toward. Exactly how pixel-perfect can the onboard speakers sound when there's no longer a wired connection? And can Displace's finger-pinch gestures truly replace the remote control? Those are things we're eager to test when more variants arrive in the coming year.
That said, wireless TVs are certainly not priced for the mainstream; the Displace TV lists for $4,499, and the LG OLED M will run you upwards of $35,000. But for your closest look at a future without cords and cables dangling off walls, this may well be the best place to start.
4. A Copilot for every PC user
Microsoft's big Copilot push was evident when the company spent most of its September event discussing ways its AI assistant would revolutionize creating, browsing, and interacting with the web on a Windows PC. More recently, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to Ignite to announce the rebranding of Bing Chat to Copilot. "We are the Copilot company. We believe in a future where there will be a Copilot for everyone and everything you do," said Nadella.
Also: What is Copilot (formerly Bing Chat)? Here's everything you need to know
The vision was straightforward; with a single click from the taskbar, more than half a billion Windows 11 users could access the company's Bing Chat-powered assistant for creative support across Microsoft 365 products, shopping advice on Edge, meeting summaries on Teams, and much more. There's no third-party application or extension required to use Copilot, positioning it as one of the most accessible and natural entryways for users to experience generative AI applications.
At the base level, Copilot on Windows 11 can save users dozens of clicks every day, now that the AI assistant can help navigate those sophisticated location paths to tweak display resolutions, set dark theme timers, and do other mundane tasks. For businesses and enterprises, Copilot will be capable of tackling cybersecurity threats, from risk identification with machine learning algorithms to automated response mechanisms for near-instant defense.
5. Pinching the air will become normal
What do these things have in common: Sprinkling salt with your fingers, writing with a pencil, opening a door with a key, and navigating on Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro headset? The act of pinching is one of the most ubiquitous (and essential) hand gestures; we use it so often that it's become a mindless action. That makes it the most natural replacement for the mouse, trackpad, and any other capacitive touchscreen, as demonstrated on the Apple Watch, Vision Pro headset, Meta Quest 3, and Humane AI Pin.
Also: Humane launches $699 AI-powered projector to replace your phone. That's not the craziest part
In all four instances, pinching is the new "clicking," allowing users to select, drag, and expand windows and interfaces without ever needing to physically interact with the actual hardware. Where they differ is how the pinching is detected. The Apple Watch leverages its wrist sensors to track changes in blood flow specific to your index and thumb fingers, while the Vision Pro uses a new R1 chip and sensors to visually map out the skeletal data of your hands. Humane does something similar with on-device depth and motion sensors to track swipes, pinches, and other gestures.
The big question with pinching is how multidimensional such a basic gesture can become, if necessary. Will devices like the Vision Pro or Meta's next MR headset pause my movie when I'm simply picking up a piece of popcorn? And what's the next best option for users who can't tap their fingers? Based on existing technology, a new age where pinching the air becomes the norm feels more realistic and closer than ever.