Qualcomm's AI Dreams And Microsoft's Built-to-last Laptops Lead The Innovation Index

Welcome to ZDNET's Innovation Index, which identifies the most innovative developments in tech from 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 biggest impact on the future.

Topping this week's chart was Qualcomm's extremely confident AI Day media workshop, which captivated ZDNET editor Kyle Kucharski. The processor giant laid out several goals and projects for its AI future, cementing its chips as foundational to multiple current and forthcoming use cases. Qualcomm also emphasized on-device AI as the path forward -- more confirmation that the boom will trend towards seamlessly integrating with our personal tech -- and teased its ultimate vision, which it calls "embodied AI." Bottom line: the company is well-situated to be the bedrock of what's to come. 

Microsoft comes in second place with its Surface Laptop 7, which is built for maintenance and repairability like never before. iFixit went so far as to call the change "stunning" -- it's clear the company has set a new bar for product sustainability and lifespan. The design choices flip the script on the planned obsolescence we're accustomed to with most consumer tech. Besides, what could be more future-forward than tech that survives longer and impacts the environment less? 

In spot #3, we have more news on the AI job front: research shows that college grads with AI experience are increasingly attractive across almost any industry. While the pros, cons, and kinks of AI in business are still very much working themselves out, it's a useful insight for those entering their careers to consider at a time when the technology's influence on hiring is still liquid. Plus, we've got plenty of advice on the topic. 

In last (but certainly not least) place are AI-generated text detectors, which appear to be improving, according to David Gewirtz' analysis. In his experience, these tools have mostly failed, which doesn't bode well for a future where the common availability of synthetic content impacts media, politics, education, and culture. However, this latest test showed they can much more accurately identify AI-generated text from original human writing -- a heartening development for navigating an uncertain landscape ahead.