AI in Q4: Transformative Trends for Businesses
As 2024 draws to a close, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to drive significant change for business leaders, PR professionals, and communications experts. This quarter has seen key developments such as the rise of autonomous AI agents, advancements in generative AI tools, and increasing focus on ethical considerations and regulatory compliance. These trends enhance efficiency and creativity and raise important questions about governance and innovation. In this newsletter, we explore the most impactful AI trends from Q4, tailored to help you navigate the evolving landscape of AI in business and communications.
AI Agents
In Q4, a major trend shaping the AI landscape is the rise of “agentic” tools. OpenAI is set to release a new AI agent, codenamed “Operator,” in January 2025 as a research preview. This innovative tool is designed to complete multi-step tasks, such as writing code or booking travel, with minimal supervision, marking a shift toward AI that acts independently on users’ behalf. This move is part of a broader industry push, with companies like Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google unveiling similar solutions to empower users through more efficient task automation. As the pursuit of increasingly advanced AI models faces diminishing returns, this pivot toward practical, agent-driven applications signals a new chapter in AI innovation, prioritising functionality and user convenience.
At Microsoft ’s annual Ignite event, CEO Satya Nadella further underscored this trend by unveiling the company’s vision for autonomous AI agents. Designed to go beyond traditional generative chatbots, these agents aim to handle complex tasks like reviewing customer returns and managing supply-chain operations. While this marks a significant step forward, it has also attracted criticism, with some competitors accusing Microsoft of acting hastily. Nonetheless, the focus on autonomous AI tools reflects a growing industry ambition to overcome the limitations of current large language models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, pushing AI into a realm of greater independence and utility.
AI Watermarking: Google SynthID
谷歌 DeepMind’s SynthID is a toolkit for watermarking AI-generated content, now available as open-source. It uses advanced deep learning models to embed imperceptible digital watermarks in AI-generated text, images, audio, or video. These watermarks allow identification without compromising content quality, creativity, or accuracy. The tool addresses critical challenges in AI safety, such as misinformation and misattribution, by promoting trust in AI-generated information. SynthID achieves this by subtly adjusting the probability scores of predicted tokens during text generation, ensuring seamless integration into the content. Currently in beta, SynthID is being integrated into various products, including Google’s Gemini chatbot.
New AI training techniques
AI companies, including OpenAI, are developing new training techniques to overcome limitations in current models, such as the challenges of scaling, high costs, and resource constraints. These techniques, exemplified by OpenAI’s o1 model, aim to replicate human-like reasoning and break down tasks into manageable steps. Instead of simply increasing model size and training time, these methods focus on making AI systems more efficient and accurate by enhancing their decision-making capabilities. Innovations like “test-time compute,” where models generate multiple answers in real-time, could drastically improve AI performance. As AI models become more powerful and efficient, this shift may impact the AI hardware market, potentially challenging current leaders like Nvidia and leading to increased competition in the field.
Overview of AI Act National Implementation Plans
The EU AI Act, which sets out rules for transparency and compliance in AI usage, is becoming increasingly relevant for communication professionals. Key provisions include mandatory disclosure of AI-generated content, whether created by providers (developers of AI tools) or deployers (users of these tools for content creation). Since its implementation on August 1, 2024, Member States have been working to meet the Act’s requirements, including the designation of three types of national authorities by August 2, 2025. These authorities include a Market Surveillance Authority to ensure product compliance with EU law, a Notifying Authority to oversee conformity assessment bodies, and National Public Authorities for Fundamental Rights to monitor high-risk AI systems.?
The structure of these authorities varies across Member States. For example, Spain has established a centralised Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency, while Finland employs a decentralised model involving ten pre-existing agencies. Currently, Malta is the only Member State to have designated both required authorities. Eight others have partially progressed, and 18 have yet to formalise their plans. ?? This evolving resource invites contributions to track updates and ensure its completeness.?
Crisis Communication in the Age of AI
AI is reshaping crisis communication by offering both significant advantages and new challenges. On one hand, AI enables organisations to monitor crises in real time, offering unparalleled situational awareness by processing vast amounts of data rapidly. This allows for quicker responses and more informed decisions. On the other hand, AI can also amplify risks, such as deepfake videos, misinformation, and the rapid spread of disinformation online. We must navigate AI’s rapid changes with clarity, creativity, and responsibility. By preparing thoroughly, safeguarding trust, and using AI as a tool rather than a replacement, we can effectively manage crises in this fast-evolving landscape.? ? ? In our webinar, Effective Crisis Communication in the Age of AI, experts Iskren Lilov, our Head of Marketing and Communications; Ana Adi, Professor at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences; and Christina Forsg?rd, Founder of Netprofile, explored how AI is transforming crisis communication. They discussed the critical skills communicators need to thrive and highlighted real-world case studies demonstrating these principles in action.
Want to Supercharge Your Workflow with AI?
Discover the AI tools that have become our team’s go-to solutions for tackling challenges and sparking creativity in 2024. From tools that translate search strings into multiple languages to those that generate stunning visuals and uncover hidden data patterns, our team has shared their top picks that make their workdays smoother and more productive.?
Get the Latest Insights Delivered to Your Inbox
These trends highlight the growing maturity of AI, where it’s not just about exploring new capabilities, but also optimising existing solutions and navigating complex ethical landscapes. As AI continues to expand, keeping an eye on these trends will be crucial for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest insights, tools, and trends in AI, tailored for PR and communications professionals.
Stay curious.