As we approach the final days of 2024, I want to take a moment to wish each of you a happy, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year. Thank you for reading, for engaging, and for the incredible feedback, thoughtful criticism, and meaningful conversations we’ve shared throughout the year. Your insights make this journey so rewarding, and I am deeply grateful for this vibrant community.
This has been a remarkable year for technology and AI — a year that reminded us of our power to shape the future we want to live in. As we embrace these tools, let’s commit to being architects of a better tomorrow, where innovation fuels progress, creativity, and human connection.
Now, as the year comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to look back on the 10 most popular stories by page views on shellypalmer.com. Unsurprisingly, 2024 was yet another year dominated by Generative AI. These stories capture the trends that defined the year, though there may be a few surprises along the way. And in the spirit of instant gratification, let’s dive in with the most popular story first!
1. How Much Longer Can The Agency/Client Model Survive?
While the FTE-based model is flawed and often exploited, its one saving grace is that it creates predictable billing for both sides. But there’s a new problem. With a single AI-enhanced, well-trained FTE capable of outproducing entire teams, the math changes. Now what? .
2. Things That Have My Attention For 2025
This is the time of year I try to gather my observations and write them down. Most years, I craft a trend report or enumerate my “investable theses,” but this year, I simply want to share what’s on my mind. These are not predictions or forecasts—just a collection of the ideas and concepts that have captured my attention. From the accelerating pace of innovation to the profound societal shifts driven by AI, here’s what I’m thinking about as 2024 comes to a close. .
3. Why Google’s “Dear Sydney” Ad Makes Me Want to Scream
Have you seen Google’s “Dear Sydney” Olympic ad featuring a father using Gemini AI to help his young daughter write a fan letter to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone? It is one of the most disturbing commercials I’ve ever seen. .
4. Mastering the Art of Prompt Engineering (aka Prompt Crafting) Updated
Mastering the art of prompt engineering (aka prompt crafting) is touted as the new “must learn” business skill. It is. But just because it has a fancy, technical sounding name does not mean it is complicated or hard to understand. Here’s a very short primer, guaranteed to improve the output you get from ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or most any generative AI platform. You are only minutes away from unlocking your prompt engineering superpowers. Let’s go! .
5. RAG: What Every Brand Marketer Needs to Know
Using proprietary data in AI workflows has the potential to transform brand marketing, but there aren’t any one-size-fits-all solutions. To make matters worse, the field is filled with jargon and hype. I can’t do much about the hype, but I can arm you with some high-level concepts to facilitate your AI-focused discussions. With that in mind, here’s a brief overview of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), one of the most popular ways to incorporate your proprietary data into generative AI workflows. .
6. NotebookLM Lets You Talk To Your Data (And It Talks Back)
Asking for reports is a fact of corporate life. So is requesting updates to your dashboards. But imagine if you could open a chat window and talk directly with your data. You’d just type (or say), “What’s the last day we can sell a full-priced widget in market 18 before we have to mark it down or ship it back to the manufacturer?” and the database would give you the answer. No reports, no dashboards, just a conversation. .
7. How Smart is AI? Exploring the Intelligence of ChatGPT and Beyond
No one born today will ever live in a world where they are smarter than AI. But what does that really mean? Is there a way for human beings to understand how smart AI is? Is IQ a fair test? Is it even reasonable to apply ideas about human intelligence to machines? If IQ tests aren’t right, how will we know when an AI model is smarter than we are? .
8. Intelligence Decoupled from Humanity
With all that is going on in the world — real problems, real wars, real issues that are happening in real time — it’s easy to understand why we don’t hear much about the potential socioeconomic impact of AI. There’s lots of talk about regulations, privacy, safety, ethics, and intellectual property rights, but not much talk about how AI is going to truly impact how we spend our day. Let’s explore. .
9. The AI-Native Flywheel: A Framework for Continuous Adaptation
Tomorrow will look nothing like today. By the time we wake up, 20 exabytes of data will have been generated globally, 13 zetaflops of AI workload computed, and an additional 360 billion emails sent. Even if these metrics are debated, they point to a fundamental observation: today is the slowest rate of technological change you’ll ever experience for the rest of your life. .
10. ChatGPT Canvas, Claude Artifacts, and Google NotebookLM: Which AI Productivity Tool Suits Your Needs?
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Canvas last week, adding yet another productivity tool to your AI toolbelt. Lots of people are comparing Canvas to Anthropic’s Claude Artifacts, and Google’s NotebookLM. While they are each impressive in their own right, they serve different purposes. ChatGPT Canvas offers a collaborative workspace perfect for coding and writing, Claude Artifacts excels in creativity and nuanced editing, while NotebookLM shines in managing large volumes of information. Let’s break down how each tool fits specific needs and why they might be a good addition to your workflow. .
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
