Disinformation Wars, Enhanced Reality, Babysitting Robots: Welcome to 2025 

By  Yemi Olagbaiye 

 Sci-fi visionary Isaac Asimov predicted humanity would have solar power beaming in from space stations by now. Arthur C Clarke, meanwhile, believed dinosaurs would have been cloned from DNA and that we would have landed on Mars. Neither got their timeframes quite right, but that doesn’t change the fact that 2025 looks set to be another year where facts outpace fiction regarding technological advancement. 

The critical change agent is Generative AI (GenAI). However, it’s not an isolated driver of disruption – the foundational models’ rate of progress is widely expected to slow over the coming year as current systems start to reach the limits of how far they can advance without a lot more intensive investment and development. Meanwhile, parallel advances in robotics, virtual reality and cloud-based communications could make 2025 and beyond look very different at both a consumer and an enterprise level. 

Here are five stand-out trends to watch out for:  

1. From AI agent to autonomous company: 2025 is when AI will start to take responsibility for specified boundary-defined tasks, a development which has far-reaching consequences. Anthropic has shown us the direction of travel with its latest version of Claude, which can take over key functions on a personal computer and operate them autonomously. We will increasingly start to see AI agents being connected into a seamless workflow. Suddenly, it is possible to envisage entire businesses being run by a network of AI agents. Where does this lead? With individual roles such as the COO already being mooted as potentially suitable for outsourcing to AI, in the future, there may be organisations built around AI, run by just one person. While this has implications for jobs, it also opens up new possibilities around how humans can use their skills and capabilities in much more creative and fulfilling ways.
2. An escalation in the disinformation wars: AI has been moving so fast that everybody has been playing catch up. Interesting experiments such as Davinci Production’s unauthorised and deliberately speculative Dior ad have showcased AI’s capabilities in creating a plausible fake brand ad featuring AI versions of Emilia Clarke and Rihanna. However, 2025 is the year when regulators and compliance divisions will start introducing frameworks that do more to protect consumers. This includes placing greater emphasis on disinformation security. The Guardian recently reported on the growth of illegal voice cloning, but what we’re really facing is the prospect of wholesale business impersonation, with AI being used to facilitate fraud on a massive scale. The defence against disinformation – and attempts to establish trustworthy AI – will become a pivotal battleground in 2025.
3. AI becomes embedded in software development: Post ChatGPT, there has been some flirtation between AI and software development. But 2025 will see this relationship stabilise and expand – with 2040 as a critical watershed. Put simply, AI will become a standard feature of software development from the requirements gathering stage right through to testing, deployment, and the whole life cycle. AI will accelerate the development cycle, create efficiencies and reduce headcount. Developers encouraging AI may seem like turkeys voting for Christmas, but companies won’t be able to compete if they don’t have AI fully embedded throughout their software development lifecycle. If you haven’t heard the term, get used to more developers talking about ‘TuringBots’.
4. Ready player one? There have been several false dawns for AR and VR – including that giant rabbit hole, the metaverse. But there’s a growing sense that immersive AR/VR is finally poised to have a meaningful impact on enterprise. Innovations like the Xreal Air 2 Pro glasses open up a world of spatial computing that until now has been elusive. Barely distinguishable from regular glasses, they allow users to operate in an enhanced digital world without especially drawing attention to themselves.

The merging of IRL and deep digital worlds is set to be a game-changer in retail, which will move beyond omnichannel towards elevated customer experiences. This kind of extended reality also has implications for the way training is delivered.  

5. The rise of the robots: For a while, it looked like hyper-powerful computing/communications had consigned robots to carpet cleaning and car manufacturing. But Elon Musk (who else?) plans on having humanoid robots for sale by the end of next year. What’s exciting about the Tesla Optimus Humanoid Robot, is how it combines AI and robotics, deploying computer vision and deep learning together with sensors to help negotiate its environment; the robot also uses the same AI systems as Tesla cars, which means it can improve future interactions because it can remember previous environments. Costing in the region of $20,000-$30,000, Optimus could soon be mowing your lawn or babysitting your kids if Musk gets his way. 

Final thought 

2025 is set to be a hugely exciting year in tech development: however for businesses, the pace and scale of technological innovation can feel overwhelming. While awareness of trends coming down the track is a must, avoiding the hype and asking how new technologies can genuinely add value to your business is key to successful GenAI and other tech implementations – and to your organisation’s collective sanity!

About the Author

Yemi Olagbaiye is a senior commercial executive working in the digital transformation space for Softwire, a leading professional services technology consultancy. Yemi has over 15 years of experience in working with top brands, businesses and emerging startups to achieve growth through digital innovation and cutting-edge technology. As a seasoned digital strategist, Yemi has been pivotal in shaping and delivering a number of Softwire’s go-to-markets, including Generative AI, and Product CX amongst others. Yemi’s approach centres on collaborating with clients and stakeholders at all levels, to effectively use technology, tooling, and talent, to drive impactful transformation of their business.