Welcome to the November 2023 edition of Top Conversations in Technology, where we break down which topics are leading, rising and falling each month. Our monthly analysis is designed to help technology marketers maximize their relevance and adapt to changing market dynamics. This month’s data focuses on variations in news and blog citation volumes month-over-month (versus October 2023) and year-over-year (versus November 2022).
Happy birthday, ChatGPT: For most of 2023, Artificial Intelligence has reigned supreme, holding the #1 spot in six of 11 months this year (all but August since May), including November 2023. It has boosted a variety of topics along with it, like Generative AI, which climbed from #135 in Nov’22 to #11 in Nov’23. From driving breakthroughs in technologies like Quantum Computing to inspiring abject terror that the technology will get away from us, AI is ubiquitous in media cycles these days. So as ChatGPT reaches its first birthday, I’m circling back to quote from Warner Brothers’ The Matrix: “We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to AI.” Just something to think about. On to what else happened in November.
The top 10: The top ten conversations were largely unchanged from October to November, though more topics lost ground than gained attention. Artificial Intelligence ranked #1 and posted a mere 7% gain despite all the brouhaha that went on at OpenAI. Bitcoin held at #2 despite a 4% drop, while Cryptocurrencies (down 4%) leapfrogged #4 Smartphone (down 10%, its 2nd straight month of decline). Drones held at #5 (also down 10%). E-commerce ranked #6 and posted the most sizable gain in the top 10, climbing from #9 as the holiday hustle and bustle got into swing. #7 Supply Chain (up 6%) dropped one spot but was the only other top 10 topic to post a gain. #8 Blockchain (down 2%) and #9 Cybersecurity (down 1%) showed a similar pattern but with marginal declines. #10 Wi-Fi held rank despite posting an 8% decline.
So what is up? About 40% of topics (98 of 247) posted gains in November. The bulk of high-percentage gains occurred in the lower volume topics including #244 Utility Computing (up 318%, or about 35 stories), #220 Enterprise Browser (up 169%), and #225 Humane Technology (up 124%). Only one topic ranking in the top 150 posted a triple digit gain: #149 Customer Education (up 118%).
Higher ranking topics (Top 75) with the most notable gains included:
- #35 Ransomware (up 37%)
- #6 E-commerce (up 31%)
- #45 Digital Health (up 31%)
- #12 User Experience (up 24%)
- #53 AI + Security (up 19%)
- #11 Generative AI (15%)
- #20 Cyber Attack (13%)
Of note are the security topics: Ransomware, AI + Security and Cyber Attacks, all of which are increasingly visible issues, gained ground even as cybersecurity overall dropped slightly. Digital Health posted gains tied to CRISPR advances, along with — you guessed it — AI use in healthcare, including hospital systems and patient information. User Experience was in part tied to Elon Musk and one of his many recent battles, this time with Media Matters for America on free speech and the impact on dialogue on X (formerly Twitter). To say it politely, Musk gives no cares anymore. Although he used a different word.
What’s Falling: Of the 148 topics that lost ground in November, over half (76) shed less than 10%. A couple of large and notable shifts from October to November appeared in the middle tier topics like #145 3D Design (down 78%), #171 Passkey (down 67%) and #178 Passwordless (down 53%), all three of which reversed massive gains posted in October (though in all cases losses were less than the previous gains).
In the higher-ranking topics (Top 75) that posted losses we see a similar trend, #29 Disinformation (down 26%) and #17 Misinformation (down 18%), which were central to our October data analysis, both posted losses, as did other previous hot topics like:
- #67 Quantum Computing (down 23%)
- #43 Metaverse (down 22%)
- #65 Application Development (down 19%)
- #73 Business Intelligence (down 18%)
- #46 3D Printer (down 15%)
- #27 Layoffs/Furloughs (down 13%)
Quantum Computing has bounced around quite a bit this year, up in months with quantum AI news or chipmaker earnings, down in subsequent time frames. Looks like November was a quieter month. #43 Metaverse and #65 Application Development continued their downward slides in the wake of summer spikes, while Business Intelligence has been more in the sea-saw topic camp. #27 Layoffs/Furloughs has also marked declining numbers this year, with any luck heralding a more stable economy in 2024 and quelling fears AI is out to steal all our jobs. OK that last one might be too much to ask.
So What, Now What? November is a gateway month. A gateway to the holidays. A gateway to the new year, etc. We expect it, and December, to be a little quieter. One can only hope. As December brings predictions and projections, and we’re so focused here on AI, I asked birthday bot ChatGPT what it thinks the top topics for 2024 will be. A little tricky given its knowledge base, but the answers made sense, including: AI (cognitive self-preservation?), Cryptocurrencies (duh), Quantum Computing (good news for NVIDIA), Climate Tech (something we should all be paying more attention to), and of course Human-Computer Interactions (not like those are going away any time soon).
In January, we’ll look at both December hot topics and 2023 as a whole. Check back with us to see what the overall winners and losers were for the year, along with what’s going on in the ranks between. Meantime, wishing you a very happy holiday season and a merry new year.
Questions? Comments? See a topic we are not tracking? Please share below, and we will address in future installments.
