In 2023, artificial intelligence (AI) applications have firmly entered the mainstream, with discussions around the technology gaining prominence among global authorities. According to McKinsey & Company's annual global survey, one-third of respondents reported integrating Generative AI into various business operations, leading to a 40% increase in AI-based investments. Statista projects the AI industry to reach $241.8 billion in 2023, with a forecasted growth to $738.8 billion by 2030 at a 17.3% compound annual growth rate.As the year draws to a close, let's delve into the top six AI applications that have made a significant impact in 2023 and are poised to extend their market presence in 2024.

ChatGPT, introduced by OpenAI in November 2022, has emerged as a prominent AI application. With over 180 million users and 1.7 billion visits in October 2023, ChatGPT utilizes NLU for instant answers, personalization, and real-time data analysis. The operational cost, as reported by SemiAnalysis, amounts to nearly $700,000 per day, translating to 36 cents per question.Google's Bard, a conversational AI feature akin to ChatGPT, is backed by the advanced large language model PaLM 2. Launched at Google I/O 2023, Bard supports 43 languages and boasts a user count of one billion, with the United States constituting 37.24% of its traffic. The estimated cost for Google in utilizing Bard is a staggering three billion dollars.

Google Assistant, developed by Google, stands out as one of the most widely used AI applications. Supporting over 50,000 smart home assistants and equipped with built-in privacy controls, Google Assistant allows users to execute tasks through voice commands. Yaguara's data indicates its widespread adoption, and the service is offered free of charge to users, with development costs being the only associated expenses.Alexa, created by Amazon, functions as a cloud-oriented virtual assistant, enabling users to carry out diverse tasks using voice commands. With support for various devices and over 100 products, Alexa is used in 41 countries. The technology incurs no additional costs, except for the Echo Dot speaker, ranging from $30 to over $200.Apple's Siri, compatible with iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS, employs AI-enabled voice recognition to respond to user queries and perform tasks across applications. Predicted to have 84.2 million users by 2024, Siri's cost structure varies from thousands to millions of dollars. The HomePod, Siri's speaker, comes at a cost close to $300.

Microsoft's Bing, a search engine integrating Microsoft Search and Bing web search, caters to family search experiences. With over 1.1 billion monthly users, Bing contributed $11.59 billion in revenue for Microsoft from search advertisements in FY22. Microsoft's pricing structure for Bing offers a range, starting from $25 per 1,000 transactions for the S1 Offering to $15 per 1,000 transactions for Bing Visual Search in the S9 Offering.As 2023 concludes, these AI applications have not only marked the year's technological landscape but are also poised to shape the future of various industries in 2024 and beyond.