From AI’s unprecedented role in global elections to groundbreaking advances in quantum computing and … [+] space exploration, 2024 witnessed some of the most transformative technological developments in history.
As we reach the end of another year, it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest events, breakthroughs, and stories that shook the world of technology in 2024.
It was a year in which we saw technology play a central role in untold numbers of world-changing events. So here are the biggest game-changers, the most hyped buzzwords and the most important milestones we raced past this year. Who knows what 2025 will bring? But if it’s as fast-moving and unpredictable as this year was, we’d better hold onto our hats.
Artificial Intelligence Impacts Elections
2024 marked a significant year for democratic processes worldwide, with major elections, including India’s record-breaking democratic exercise and the closely watched U.S. presidential election. Emerging technologies, particularly AI, played an unprecedented role in shaping these electoral landscapes. Campaign teams leveraged AI for voter analysis and engagement, developing sophisticated outreach strategies and real-time response systems. However, this technological integration also brought new challenges, as election officials and tech companies worked to address concerns about deepfakes and automated misinformation. The year demonstrated how AI tools could both enhance democratic participation through improved voter engagement and simultaneously create new challenges for maintaining electoral integrity.
Future War: Technology On The Battlefields Of Ukraine
The ongoing war in Ukraine has established itself as the most high-tech conflict in human history, defined by drone warfare, robotic dog soldiers and cyber-warfare. Beyond this, we’ve seen NGOs deploying facial recognition technology to identify perpetrators of war crimes and new forms of hypersonic missiles never before used in conflict.
Amazing Discoveries And Breakthroughs In Sustainability Tech
Perhaps the most pressing challenge facing technologists in 2024 has involved developing real-world solutions for the climate emergency. One field that has seen significant advances has been the development of carbon capture technologies, such as the microbial solution demonstrated by researchers this year. Together with new developments in battery storage, renewable energy and electrocaloric cooling, which could pave the way to more energy-efficient refrigeration, important progress continues to be made.
Technology Beyond The Final Frontier
As scientists and engineers continue working towards human colonization of Mars, perhaps 2024’s most impressive space-tech achievement was the successful “catch” of the Space X Super Heavy booster Starship rocket. Following re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, the arms of the 146-meter (480 ft) “Mechazilla” tower were used to stabilize and land the rocket. In other space news, in 2024 India joined the U.S., Russia and China to become the fourth country to land on the moon.
Quantum Computing Records Smashed
While work progressed on applying quantum computing to everyday tasks and applications, back in the lab, records were once again smashed when unparalleled levels of performance were achieved. The 56-qubit H2-1 computer built by Quantinuum overtook the previous record set by Google’s Sycamore platform by a factor of more than 100. While quantum computing won’t be useful for every type of application, it has the potential to revolutionize fields such as solving optimization and cryptography, where it could enable complex computational tasks to be carried out hundreds of millions of times more quickly.
First T-Cell Therapy To Treat Solid Tumors Receives FDA Approval
Notable breakthroughs in biotechnology in 2024 included the first FDA approval for a personalized immunotherapy treatment targeting T-cells, designed to help the body’s immune system target solid tumor cells. This engineered cell therapy was granted accelerated approval following early-stage trials in which Tecelra, developed genetically modifying a patient’s own white blood cells, was found to be effective at shrinking tumors in 44% of patients.
As we reflect on 2024’s technological milestones, it’s clear that we’re living through a period of unprecedented innovation and change. While these developments bring immense promise – from revolutionary cancer treatments to sustainable energy solutions – they also present new challenges that society must carefully navigate. As we look ahead to 2025, the pace of technological advancement shows no signs of slowing, suggesting that we’re only at the beginning of what promises to be a transformative decade in human history.
