AI's Uses: More Practical, Less Hype in 2024

In 2024, artificial intelligence moved from being just intriguing to actually being helpful. People had been excited about AI tools like ChatGPT, but they didn't always find them useful. Now, AI is being built into many technologies we use every day, like Google search and photo editing tools. Experts say AI is becoming more practical. It's not getting dramatically better, but it's more useful. Tech companies are making AI tools that can help us in our jobs, like writing contracts or making sales. However, AI isn't perfect. It can't understand the world like humans do, and it might replace some jobs. AI is also helping in medicine. It can speed up diagnoses and even help find new medicines. But it's not always reliable. For example, AI tools can make up text when transcribing sounds. In the future, AI might work together in teams, like humans do. This is called an "agentic future. " AI tools could specialize in different tasks and work together to solve problems. Building AI systems is expensive. Tech companies are spending a lot of money on powerful computers and chips to run AI tools. But some people question if AI is worth the cost.