The year 2024 has reshuffled the cards in the technology sector, not so much due to the emergence of radically new technologies but because of the implementation of regulatory frameworks that are significantly changing the practices of companies and web developers. Between the European AI Act, the scheduled end of third-party cookies on Chrome, and the rollout of the Digital Services Act, the high-tech trends of 2024 can be read as much in legal texts as in research laboratories.
AI Act and Digital Services Act: the regulatory framework redefining the European web
Most technological assessments for 2024 list innovations without mentioning the legal context that conditions their deployment. Yet it is here that a decisive part is played for digital companies.
The Digital Services Act became fully applicable on February 17, 2024 for the majority of online services in the European Union. Platforms must now integrate mechanisms for reporting illegal content, justify certain moderation decisions, and enhance transparency regarding targeted advertising and recommendation systems. Very large platforms are also subject to obligations for assessing systemic risks.
A few months later, the AI Act came into effect on August 1, 2024, the first general legal framework specifically dedicated to artificial intelligence. Its approach is based on a classification by levels of risk: prohibited practices, high-risk systems, and transparency obligations for certain generative systems. For developers using AI models in their products, this means audits, technical documentation, and new compliance constraints.
These two combined regulations change the game for anyone operating a web service in Europe, and for all the information on the TechSnack site, it is enough to follow the regulatory news that has been accelerating since this year.
Third-party cookies on Chrome: a technical transition with concrete effects
Google Chrome began restricting third-party cookies in January 2024 for an initial cohort of users. This long-delayed move transforms advertising tracking practices and audience measurement.
Advertisers and web publishers must rethink their data collection strategies. Alternatives are being structured around several approaches:
- Google’s Privacy Sandbox APIs (Topics, Attribution Reporting), which offer cohort-based targeting without individual identifiers
- Strengthening first-party data, collected directly from users via accounts, newsletters, or loyalty programs
- Using server-side tracking, which shifts data collection to the server side to limit reliance on browser cookies
The disappearance of third-party cookies is no longer a promise of privacy but an operational transition. Advertising agencies that did not anticipate this shift are already losing targeting precision. Field reports vary on this point: some publishers report a decrease in advertising revenue, while others claim that first-party data largely compensates for the loss of granularity.
Generative AI in production: from agents to development assistants
Generative artificial intelligence has moved from demonstration to being integrated into software production chains. The trajectory of generative AIs leads them to not only produce text or images but to execute concrete actions in professional environments.
Two axes stand out. The first concerns AI agents capable of autonomously chaining tasks, querying databases, triggering actions, or coordinating multiple tools. The second focuses on AI systems dedicated to software engineering, which generate, test, and correct code.
The available data does not yet allow for conclusions about the actual productivity gains of these tools in production environments. Benchmarks from publishers differ significantly from feedback from technical teams in real conditions. However, adoption is progressing: companies are integrating these assistants into their development, writing, and customer support workflows.
IoT security and edge computing
The security of connected objects (IoT) remains a short-term issue. The proliferation of sensors and devices at the network edge creates attack surfaces that traditional cybersecurity architectures struggle to cover. Intelligence pushed to the edge (edge computing) allows data to be processed closer to its source but raises questions about governance and updating deployed models.
Concentration in the tech market and competitive challenges of AI
Beyond product innovations, 2024 has highlighted the dynamics of concentration around AI. European and British competition authorities are increasingly scrutinizing the massive investments of tech giants in generative AI startups.
Partnerships between large platforms and AI laboratories raise new antitrust questions. Regulators are examining whether these agreements, often structured as minority investments or exclusive licenses, create structural dependencies in the foundation model market.
For medium-sized companies, this concentration has direct effects: the cost of accessing the most performant models increases, and dependence on a few cloud providers intensifies. Choosing an AI infrastructure provider becomes a strategic as well as technical decision.
Web and technologies in 2024: what really changes the game
The high-tech trends of 2024 are characterized by a gap between media discourse, focused on the spectacular demonstrations of generative AI, and deeper transformations. The DSA and the AI Act impose concrete operational constraints. The end of third-party cookies restructures the online advertising economy. AI agents are beginning to modify workflows, with results still uneven across sectors.
The common thread of this year is not a single technology but a shift towards a structural framework for digital, where every innovation must contend with a more demanding regulatory environment. The companies that are thriving are those that integrate these constraints from the design phase rather than treating them as administrative obstacles.
