Another 20 chances to thrive, just arrived.
(Listen to this post below + extra commentary)
As the year ends here are my top 20 tech trends for 2025. These are not to just look out for, but to act on and benefit from.
- Agentic AI – AI agents which are self directed. You don’t just give them a prompt or task, but set them objectives for which they set their own tasks, and subsequent tasks until they achieve the objective you set for them. Just like a staff member would.
- Generative AI Explosion – Now that the internet is a brain and not just a filing cabinet we are about to see unprecedented levels of creativity, automation, and efficiency in content creation, design, and problem-solving.
- Big Tech = Big Energy – Dominant AI firms are investing in nuclear energy to meet the escalating power demands of AI operations, effectively positioning themselves as future energy providers. This shift signifies a convergence of technology and energy sectors, with Big Tech start to become as dominant in energy as traditional oil companies once were.
- Post Search Society – Internet search as we know it is rapidly declining as generative AI shifts the paradigm from offering options to delivering direct answers. With live web integration enhancing real-time accuracy, traditional search engines face massive disruption, destined to become as obsolete as old media in the age of on-demand intelligence.
- Poly-functional Robots – Multi-Modal Humanoid robots. Like these will start to appear in industrial settings. They will be trained visually and verbally, be able to do everything a human can – just much better.
- Machine Customers – are autonomous systems that make purchasing decisions and transactions on behalf of people or organisations, optimizing choices based on preferences, data analysis, and real-time conditions. AI tools will emerge to do this. Many of us will start negotiating with well informed machines.
- Corporate AIs – Corproate AI systems beyond ‘co-pilot’ will emerge to be the ultimate centre of truth for every company and their history. Just ask them anything.
- Data Lake Building – Centralized repositories that store vast amounts of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data in its raw form, enabling companies to build their own AI from. Expect to hear this in corporate circles.
- Personal Digital Twins – Virtual personal replicas powered by AI will learn from our phones to replicate our behaviors and preferences, simulating decision-making and assisting with any task. They’ll handle calls in our voice, type, converse, and act on our behalf, becoming essential proactive assistants that anticipate needs and optimize daily choices. Expect Apple to launch one by the end of 2025
- Tech Regulatory Deluge – As governments and society realise that technology companies have become more powerful than any entity in history—controlling economies, information, and even behaviour—a deluge of regulations will aim to rein in Big Tech, protect privacy, and ensure ethical AI, reshaping the balance of power in the modern world.
- AI Creative Explosion – AI is unleashing a new era of creativity, allowing anyone to bring their imagination to life—whether through stunning visuals, immersive worlds, music, or art—eliminating traditional skill barriers and democratising artistic expression like never before
- The AI Director’s Chair – AI is transforming storytelling by allowing anyone to become a virtual director, crafting entire films, worlds, and narratives with just words. This democratisation of creation turns tools like generative AI into a personal Scorsese, empowering individuals to bring cinematic visions to life without traditional resources or expertise.
- Software Society (“We All Code”) – AI is redefining how we interact with computers, allowing anyone to create new forms of computation simply by talking to them. By describing what we want, we can develop software, tools, and entirely new AI capabilities, transforming software creation into a conversational process.
- AI Talent Pool Emergence – AI is giving rise to a new generation of content stars—Instagram influencers, movie actors, and models who have never existed. These hyper-realistic, AI-generated personalities eliminate traditional talent costs while captivating audiences, redefining entertainment, advertising, and the concept of celebrity.
- AI Governance Panic – As AI capabilities accelerate beyond expectations, governments and organizations are scrambling to establish guardrails, fearing misuse, ethical violations, and societal disruption. This rush to regulate is creating a global race for AI governance, marked by tension between innovation and control.
- Social Re-Wilding (Kids) – Inspired by growing awareness of the digital harms highlighted by thinkers like Jonathan Haidt, laws and cultural shifts are driving kids off screens and back into the physical world. This movement aims to reverse the social and developmental downsides of excessive screen time, fostering real-world play, creativity, and community. A shift to taking less risks online and more risks outside.
- Human Machine Synergy – The future of work is defined by seamless collaboration with AI, and even replaces us using email, document creation, and spreadsheets. This partnership amplifies human capabilities, transforming AI from a tool into an indispensable co-worker that enhances productivity and creativity in real time.
- Likeness Licensing: Famous individuals will increasingly monetise their digital selves, licensing their AI-recreated likenesses to appear in movies, ads, and virtual experiences. This trend turns celebrity into an evergreen asset, allowing stars to profit from their persona indefinitely, even after their lifetime.
- Global Robotaxi Ramp-up – Waymo and other autonomous driving pioneers are eating traditional ride-hailing services like Uber by rolling out fleets of robotaxis in key US markets. Expect rapid global expansion and a transformative shift in urban mobility starting in 2025.
- AI eyeballs – With ChatGPT and a camera, live AI assistants analyse what you’re looking at and provide instant guidance. From fixing a car to cooking or assembling furniture, these AI-powered “eyes” turn any task into a collaborative, hands-free experience, blending vision with intelligence seamlessly.
Trend that won’t happen – Labour organising in union form to push back against AI taking jobs. For 2 reasons: (1) The labour it will replace is very unorganised…. and (2) We’ll invent new jobs and revenue streams as quickly as labour gets made redundant.
Have a great holiday and keep thinking,
Steve.