These 4 technologists of the year drove useful innovations in 2024

People within organizations charged with harnessing innovation have always had to consider a technology’s practicality, maturity, and ROI. And today, as AI and computing power smash through assumptions about the limitations of technology, the same executives must increasingly consider implications that include regulations, ethics, social responsibility, sustainability, and societal impact. These technologists brought that kind of thinking to their work in 2024.

Andy Parsons, AdobeFor bringing transparency to AI-generated contentAs AI has taken content creation and alteration light years beyond the digital airbrush, there’s a clear mandate to label what it has played a part in creating. Adobe’s Andy Parsons, senior director of the Content Authenticity Initiative, leads an industrywide effort to promote trust and transparency around digital content. The coalition he’s driving spans over 3,000 members spanning hardware, software, AI, and media companies. Content Credentials, which he drove across Adobe products, has laid the foundation for the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, where he represents Adobe in furthering the open standard designed to fight misinformation.

Natalya Lopareva, AlgorizedFor detecting humans in dangerAlgorized has developed software that uses human-presence detection technology to locate people trapped under bricks and walls. CEO Natalya Lopareva led the evolution of the company from research at the University of Zurich, where a team spent months analyzing buildings, environments, and how children and adults breathe and move. The company has now formed strategic partnerships with major manufacturers of ultra-wideband chips and conducted four paid pilot programs in the automotive and industrial automation sectors.

Daniela Herrmann, DynexFor democratizing access to quantum computingToday, most quantum computers are acquired by institutions such as governments, tech giants, universities, and research labs. But Dynex seeks to democratize the technology’s leading-edge capabilities via a pioneering publicly accessible option: the company’s neuromorphic quantum computing cloud. Cofounder Daniela Herrmann drives the company’s goal of sustainability-conscious innovation. In mimicking the neural structure and function of the human brain, the company has set a world record for graph solving, and says its technology—offered via subscription for $99 per month—is up to 90% more affordable than conventional supercomputers.

Valentyn S. Volkov, XpanceoFor bringing a new focus to lensesSpatial computing could be compelling enough to propel us past the smartphone, but anything worn on the face can’t give away that it’s overstuffed with electronic components. Xpanceo cofounder and CTO Volkov’s research led to the development of an optical biosensor that can detect molecule-level changes in light refraction. That breakthrough enables the creation of smart glasses and smart contact lenses that offer a private, unlimited field of view for apps and digital objects while seamlessly enhancing our ability to see distant objects and in dark environments.

The companies behind these technologies are among the honorees in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards for 2024. See a full list of all the winners across all categories and read more about the methodology behind the selection process.