Forget the Farmer’s Almanac, here comes the 2024 Tech Forecast!

But first, just as the meteorologists do, let’s first take a look back at some key stats from a very active 2023.
On January 23, OpenAI signs a multi-billion investment deal with Microsoft to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
The partnership provides for scaling supercomputers for OpenAI’s research, deploying OpenAI’s models across all Microsoft products and integrating Azure into OpenAI’s work.
The nearly $400 million acquisition allows Meta to gain ownership of one of the last corners of the virtual reality marketplace.
The FTC loses its case against Meta contesting the platform’s acquisition of VR platform Within Unlimited.
The White House releases its national cybersecurity strategy.

Which focuses on five pillars: defending critical infrastructure, disrupting and dismantling threat actors, shaping market forces to drive security and resilience, investing in a resilient future and forging international partnerships to pursue shared goals.

AI was everywhere in 2023, and Schumer's announcement signals that the hype has finally reached Capitol Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announces that his office will lead a congressional effort to develop a framework on AI.
The U.S. Supreme Court issues key decisions on two seminal Section 230 cases, denying liability in favor of the defendants in Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh.

The decisions come as Congress is having its own debates around content moderation, and content moderation remains a focal point for state legislators, following the ”neutral viewpoint” angle seen in Florida and Texas; both states passed bills restricting social media platforms from removing certain political accounts or posts.

On June 13, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila grants the FTC’s request to temporarily block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard. (The deal was later finalized).
On June 13, a US judge grants the FTC’s request to temporarily block Microsoft’s acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard.
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter rebrands as X.

Musk’s steady disassembling of the social media app Twitter culminates in a branding change to X, as the new CEO reconsiders everything from algorithms to content moderation.

The law restricts targeted advertising, requires platforms to implement algorithmic transparency and holds online platforms legally accountable for the content posted to them.
On August 25, the EU’s Digital Services Act takes effect for very large online platforms and online search engines.
The Senate confirms Commissioners Carr, Gomez and Starks to the FCC, marking the first full slate of Commissioners in almost three years.

Alongside the Confirmation of Anna Gomez, the FCC now stands at full capacity with a democratic majority for the first time in Biden’s Administration, and a renewed net neutrality push was not far behind.

It’s the first time critical infrastructure cyber rules have been dropped.
The EPA rescinds its directive for states to inspect water utilities’ cyber readiness after industry and Republican legal challenges.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) releases its highly anticipated National Spectrum Strategy.

This comes after several months of seeking input from industry stakeholders, setting the stage for future discussions of spectrum sharing.

Currently, American and European officials are centering their collaborative efforts on developing technical standards for AI, which is expected to be a focus of the upcoming biannual meeting.
The next EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council summit will take place in Washington D.C.
Your 2024 Tech Policy Forecast:

The outlook is uncertain.

For more predictions from the Glen Echo Group’s forecasters, keep an eye on our blog.
UNCERTAIN

We expect it to be raining bills in the states, with flurries of activity (and maybe an AI squall or two) at the federal level and a stormy weather pattern in the European Union.