Happy Birthday to ChatGPT: Looking Ahead to 2024 and Beyond

Tomorrow, Nov 30th marks first anniversary of ChatGPT launched to public. I think the world has changed a lot in the last 12 months and it is getting hard to catch up to the rapid advancement of AI space even for a hard core nerdy like me :)

I couldn't help but share some of thoughts on what lies ahead of us.

Transition into Physical Realm

So far, the primary use case for AI has been digital input to digital output. The next evolution will be digital input to physical actions. If you have missed the Boston Dynamics integration of their Spot robot with ChatGPT here is a glimpse into the what lies ahead. There will be so many great applications for smart robots that could make intelligent decisions (Personally, I am really looking forward to buy a smart housekeeping robot that I don't have to explicitly program for each task :) )

Intelligence Explosion

All smart devices (TV, Speakers, Thermostat, etc.) will get a significant intelligence boost with the help of AI. There will be a new set of smart devices developed with embedded Small Language Models (SLM) without relying on current Cloud based LLMs.

Micro Startups

Tiny but highly efficient startups will continue to emerge with AI centric process at every operational level. They will pose a serious threat to the existing dominant players who could struggle to adopt to the fast changing dynamics due to legacy mindset/processes.

3D-Printing

3D printing was advancing at a rapid phase well before the AI has become mainstream. Now it will be further expedited and we can able print anything from food, toys, equipment and industrial parts simply by asking them in natural language rather than dealing with complex code or CAD designs.

Your Legacy will Live Forever

A new trend will emerge where celebrities and artists include their digital footprint into their 'final will' as Intellectual Property so their descendants will continue to benefit from their talent long after they are gone.

Wouldn't we all love the new content produced with David Attenborough's (97) or Morgan Freeman's (86) narration for the future documentaries? AI will make it possible from their digital footprint.

Explosion of New/Creative Products

Your next digital photo frame will be capable of pulling the images and animations from the best of stable diffusion and midjourney catalogs rather than that old static sliding pictures.

New line of products like Humane AI pin will continue to emerge.

Enterprise Adoption will Pick Up

Enterprise adoption of AI will accelerate. I think the large Enterprises were shocked by the rapid emergence of AI. But that shock is fading quickly and they are now looking to their left and right and realizing all their competitors are moving fast and their very existence could be at risk if they don't catch up.

I vividly remember a conversation I had about 15 years ago with the IT team of one of the world's largest multinational corporations. At that time, much of their data resided on their own servers, which were self-hosted and maintained within their premises. They were wary of the prospects of cloud computing, never imagining that most, if not all, of their data would eventually be stored in the cloud. Today, can you think of a large enterprise that doesn't use cloud technology? AI is currently in a somewhat similar phase. The only difference is that its adoption is expected to be much more rapid.

Finally, the Economics of AI

Now, for those Terminator movie fans :) am I afraid that AI will come after my job or my very existence.

Nope! Hear me out. The world for too long driven by the prospect of Fast Economic Growth at the expense of our quality of life, mental health and the environment. That needs to change. Work should become optional for everyone. No one should fear for their financial security; instead, they should be able to pursue what they enjoy doing.

AI is the only force that could make this possible. AI will make productivity abundant and every segment that will benefit humans from healthcare to food to technology will advance at unimaginable pace.

So, how do I pay my bills in full if I don't have that backbreaking job?! Well, that's where the UBI (Universal Basic Income) will come into picture. Right now, it is in experimental stage and soon could become a reality with the advancement of AI.