With 2025 on the horizon it's time to focus on the upcoming trends to look forward to in the new year. While we've already discussed design and packaging trends, the hot topic on everyone's lips is AI, and who better to ask for 2025's hot AI trends than the original trendsetter itself, good ol' artificial intelligence?
Using the prompt "Can you give me a prediction for the 5 AI trends of 2025?", I consulted Copilot, Gemini and ChatGPT for their infinite wisdom. As you'd expect, each model was unsurprisingly favourable towards AI, strategically choosing to leave out concerns around copyright, job security and threats to human creativity. However, if you can choose to ignore the obvious blaring irony of this experiment, some surprisingly thought-provoking points were made.
01. The rise of generative AI
All three models predicted a great uprising for generative AI – well, sort of. In less existential terms, AI predicts that it will continue to develop, becoming a multimodal tool in the creative industries – what it fails to address are the concerns around generative AI replacing human jobs. "Generative AI will likely become even more prevalent, with applications extending beyond text generation to encompass image creation, music composition, and even video synthesis," predicts Gemini.
"Generative AI models, like ChatGPT, will continue to evolve and find more applications. The next version, expected to be ChatGPT-5, will offer significant improvements in multimodal functionality, processing not just text but also images, audio, and video," Copilot explains.
ChatGPT expects to see these advancements taking over the content creation sector, predicting, "As these models become more accurate and customizable, the need for human creators will shift toward overseeing the creative process rather than generating everything from scratch."
02. AI automation
There was also consensus around the future of AI automation. ChatGPT projected that AI autonomy could bring improvements to transport and robotics, hopefully as an application to aid human skills. "The autonomous systems industry will see substantial progress by 2025, with self-driving cars, trucks, drones, and robotic systems for manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics becoming mainstream. AI algorithms will improve in decision-making, safety, and reliability, making these systems more efficient and safe in real-world environments," ChatGPT reports.
Gemini agreed, suggesting, "As AI algorithms continue to refine, we can expect a significant surge in AI-powered automation across various industries. This could involve automating routine tasks, optimising supply chains, and personalising customer experiences."
"Hyper-automation, coupled with self-learning systems, will become a cornerstone of operational transformation. These systems will streamline operations, eliminate silos, and improve flexibility and productivity," Copilot suggests.
03. AI-powered healthcare and research
Rather flatteringly, AI positioned itself as a sort of saviour when it comes to aiding in healthcare. "AI will play an even bigger role in revolutionizing healthcare by 2025. From advanced diagnostics (like detecting cancer, neurological conditions, etc.) to personalized treatment plans powered by patient data, AI will enable precision medicine tailored to an individual's genetic makeup and lifestyle," ChatGPT predicts. "Additionally, AI systems will assist in drug discovery, identifying new compounds faster and with higher accuracy. As regulatory frameworks mature, the use of AI in healthcare will become more widespread," it adds.
Similarly, Copilot predicts that scientific research will reap the benefits of AI technology in 2025. "AI will play a more significant role in scientific research, helping to solve complex problems and accelerate discoveries. This will be particularly impactful in fields like healthcare, where AI can analyze medical images alongside patient history for more accurate diagnoses," it explains.
04. AI ethical regulation
One trend I think many creatives will be happy to see is increased regulation and ethical practice. Gemini explains "With the growing influence of AI, concerns around ethical considerations and responsible AI development are likely to intensify. We can expect to see a rise in regulations and guidelines aimed at ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI systems.
AI Ethics and Regulation in 2025."
"Expect new global regulatory bodies and national policies to emerge that govern how AI is developed and deployed. Companies and governments will need to balance innovation with societal impacts such as fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability," ChatGPT claims. "As AI technologies become more ingrained in everything from decision-making to surveillance, there will be mounting pressure to ensure these systems are used responsibly. Ethical AI development, bias mitigation, and transparency will be central topics of discussion, as citizens and organizations demand more safeguards against misuse and inequality," it adds.
05. AI sustainability and climate solutions
I've slipped this one in as a bit of a treat only because I feel it's a trend that deserves attention. ChatGPT – the ever-generous provider that it is – suggested AI sustainability and climate solutions as a special bonus trend, making an important case for the functional uses of AI for pattern spotting and data handling. While I can see the benefits of AI from a practical sense, I still feel there needs to be a layer of human-led critical thinking to effectively tackle environmental concerns.
"AI will be a crucial player in tackling climate change by 2025. From optimizing energy usage in industries to predicting environmental shifts and creating sustainable agricultural practices, AI will be central to solving global sustainability challenges. Models will improve our ability to track carbon footprints, manage natural resources more efficiently, and predict and mitigate climate-related risks," ChatGPT explains.
"With mounting pressure to address climate change, industries will increasingly look to AI to drive efficiencies and innovations that contribute to sustainability goals. AI's data-crunching ability will help create more intelligent solutions to monitor and protect the environment," it adds.
While it's understandable that AI models are pro-AI, it's worth considering a balanced approach to the technology. AI's practical applications like data handling, pattern recognition and workflow streamlining present us with game-changing tools, but many of these predicted AI trends require the nuance and critical thinking of humans. AI is less so the fix-all magic solution to the world's issues that it seems to suggest in these predictions, but rather an extension of human skill and ingenuity that will help to expand our potential.
