Welcome to ZDNET Innovation Index, which identifies the most innovative technology developments of the past week and ranks the top four, based on votes from our panel of editors and experts. Our mission is to help you identify the trends that will have the greatest impact on the future.
Microsoft’s consumer AI leads the index this week, followed by some interesting developments on the AI jobs front.
Topping the charts this week was the new Surface Copilot+ PC. The ZDNET team was impressed when the company first launched the laptops at Build last month. After testing the built-in AI against the M3 MacBook Air, Editor-in-Chief Kerry Wan believes Microsoft is surpassing Apple – especially since the consumer AI laptop is still a relatively new market, the company is exactly where it wants to be with seamless AI support. AI, speed and touchscreen on the device. At least until we can compare the capabilities with what Apple Intelligence is down, Microsoft has certainly made an impression.
At number 2 there is a new wave of AI-related positions which promise upheavals in the future. Positions such as “prompt murmurer” and “data DJ” could soon be making the rounds on LinkedIn, according to a researcher. While these new titles are experimental — and even seem a little half-baked at times — they tell us something about how tech careers are evolving to meet the demands of AI.
In third place is Apple, which is make progress on extra-secure data centers for Private Cloud Compute, the differentiating foundation of its evolution towards AI. By announcing plans to let security researchers verify its privacy claims, Apple may well avoid the problems another big tech company faces around an unfortunately named company. functionality. If the data centers pass the test, the company could set a new privacy standard for consumer AI.
The week is closed by AI Oscar, a new stock picker from Singaporean bank OCBC. Trained on stock data from multiple markets, the AI platform ingests a user’s risk profile and trading habits to identify personalized stock selections. This is another example of the small tools AI can offer consumers – arguably a much more impactful change to our daily lives than larger, industry-wide announcements.
