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While AI made many transformative strides in 2024, it also had its fair share of quirks and hiccups. From Apple Intelligence’s glacial release to ChatGPT’s momentary meltdown and Waymo’s self-driving cars’ horn symphonies, AI’s 2024 journey was as groundbreaking as it was entertaining.
On Thursday, we’ll explore what 2025 might have in store for us. But before we look ahead, let’s take a moment to bid 2024 a proper farewell by reflecting on its biggest wins.
In This Issue:
👀 2024 Look-Back: This year’s most notable AI advancements
✨ Tool Spotlight: Automate phone calls with Synthflow
🤩 Futurepedia Faves: Your 25 most favorited AI tools of 2024
👀 2024 Look-Back
2024’s Biggest AI Advancements
1. Contextual Understanding
More human-like interactions, sharper reasoning, and advanced data analysis significantly enhanced user experience and productivity. Key milestones include:
Claude 3 (March) improved conversational reasoning & task handling
Google’s Gemini 1.5 (February) & 2.0 (December) refined reasoning & data analysis
2. AI Assistants & Agents
Automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows catapulted both workers’ productivity and companies’ operational efficiency. Notable releases include:
Microsoft 365 Copilot (October) championed deep AI integration within workplace ecosystems — and was subsequently adopted by 70% of Fortune 500 companies
Several major companies launched AI agent platforms: Google’s Vertex AI Agent Builder (April) & Agentspace (December), Salesforce (August), & Oracle (September), & Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents (November)
3. Video, Audio, & Vision
Empowering creators with cinematic-quality capabilities and advanced editing tools revolutionized visual storytelling and audio composition. Key releases include:
2024’s intense AI video generator battleground saw Synthesia 2.0 (June), Runway’s Gen-3 Alpha (June), MiniMax (September), OpenAI’s Sora (December), Kling 1.6 (December), Google VEO 2 (December), Luma Dream Machine 1.5 (December) & more all vying for the top spot
Suno v4 (November) made waves with its ability to generate full songs — complete with vocals & instruments — from text prompts
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Advanced Voice with Vision (December) allowed for simultaneous voice interaction, image analysis, & video processing within ChatGPT
4. Open-Source Models
Democratizing access to advanced AI reduced reliance on corporate giants while promoting collaboration, transparency, & rapid AI growth.
While Meta’s Llama 3.1 (July) became the world’s largest open-source model, DeepSeek-V3 (December) has since taken the title.
5. Small Language Models (SLMs)
Task-specific AI with lower computational demands made it easier to use AI on mobile devices and in locations with limited resources.
6. AI in Science
The combination of AI and quantum computing drove breakthroughs in fields spanning drug discovery to agriculture, including:
Apple Vision Pro (February) offered high-precision visuals — becoming widely adopted in healthcare for surgical assistance, diagnostics, & more
Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold 3 (May) predicts the structure & interactions of all of life’s molecules
Google DeepMind’s GenCast (December) enhanced weather predictions to optimize farming & disaster preparedness
Which advancement do you find most impactful?
✨ Tool Spotlight
Create, Publish & Earn with Synthflow AI Voice Agents Marketplace
🤩 Futurepedia Faves
Your 25 Favorite AI Tools on Futurepedia
Curious to know which AI tools everyone else loves? We’ve rounded up the top 25 most saved tools on Futurepedia to help you discover your new favorites. 🤩
ChatGPT (freemium): Unlock productivity & innovation for nearly any task
Namelix (freemium): Give your brand the perfect name
Tome (freemium): Create stunning sales & marketing presentations
Fliki (freemium): Turn text into engaging videos
Codeium (freemium): Enhance coding efficiency
Riffusion (free): Make your own custom music
Midjourney: Create AI art masterpieces
Humata (freemium): Extract genius insights from docs
Durable: Build a stunning website
Looka: Design your own beautiful brand
Writesonic: Streamline your marketing process (Get 30% off annual plans with code WSXMAS30)
REImagine Home: Design any room in seconds
GPTGO (free): Elevate your searches with Google-ChatGPT fusion
Copy.ai (freemium): Craft compelling marketing copy
Andi (free): Get direct answers to your searches
Namecheap Logo Maker (free): Design a pro logo in minutes
Playground AI (freemium): Blend real & AI images for stunning visuals
Browse AI (freemium): Automate web scraping
Cody (freemium): Skyrocket productivity with a personalized AI assistant
Dream Interpreter (free): Analyze your dreams
Adcreative.ai: Quickly creative ads that convert (Get 50% off yearly plans until Jan 2)
Nightcafe Studio (freemium): Turn your ideas into stunning art
Tutor AI (freemium): Create custom learning pathways
Boomy (freemium): Create & monetize original music
ChatGPT Writer (freemium): Elevate your writing on any site
P.S. Haven’t saved any tools to your profile yet? It’s not only a great way to keep track of all of your favorites but helps us recommend the perfect tools just for you. 💫




