Top Conversations in Tech: May 2024

Welcome to Top Conversations in Tech, where we isolate the hottest trends, falling stars and shifting market dynamics to help technology marketers maximize their relevance. This month’s data reflects news and blog citations in May 2024 versus April 2024 and May 2023. We currently monitor 270+ topics, with data and insights going back to March 2019.

To no one’s surprise, AI continued to dominate. Artificial Intelligence was far and away the #1 driver of tech conversation in May with more than 625,000 stories – up 23% over last month. For comparison, the #2 topic Bitcoin generated more than 344,000 stories…a difference of more than 280,000 stories. AI’s continued increase was fueled by regulation questions that start with local compliance (e.g., Colorado AI proposed regulations) and end with broader, global concerns (e.g., EU). Even more noteworthy: AI’s year-over-year citation volume grew 40%, demonstrating how fast attention can shift in a single year.

Virtually all AI subtopics posted gains from April to May: #141 AI Networking rose 57% while #46 AI Security and #129 Artificial General Intelligence both rose 37%. Only Artificial Super Intelligence experienced a 10% decline.

Most of the top 10 list looks familiar: AI held steady at #1, while Bitcoin jumped to #2 despite a 10% decrease in citation volume, and Cryptocurrencies held steady at #3 with a 15% citation increase (up 15%) and more. The big changes came from #5 Multimedia (up 77%), #6 Smartphone (up 4%) and #10 Blockchain (up 20%) – which all jumped back into the top 10. Notably, #7 Drone fell from its #2 ranking in April, experiencing one of the biggest month-over-month declines (falling 67%).

The quiet rise came from #5 Multimedia—companies positioned media offerings as interactive and innovative, seeming to target creatives who feel the need to engage with audiences on more than one level. June should tell us whether the increase is a one-off or something more monumental. Other topics to watch: #168 Everything-as-a-Service (up 95% month-over-month) and #110 Data Projections/Modeling (up 87%)—both topics experienced strong month-over-month and year-over-year increases.

The recent RSA Conference earned a ‘notable mention’ in May, drawing significant interest from technology experts ranging from developers to journalists. The four-day conference generated over 6,000 stories for Cybersecurity with outlets focusing on education gaps and product offerings, like SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud Native Security and Cisco’s Hypershield.

The Bottom Line 

• AI conversations happen concurrently As companies continue to develop and advance AI technologies, legislative bodies will consider ways to regulate them.
• Multimedia conversations speak directly to media talent, ranging from journalists wanting to tell stories in new ways to creatives interested in new media.
• Big events fuel and focus attention. The RSA Conference impacted topics like cybersecurity and cyber-attacks, leading to month-over-month increases in volume.

Want in-depth insights on Artificial Intelligence? Check out the May 2024 AI deep dive and stay up to date via Big Valley’s LinkedIn channel and website.