Technological Trends of 2025
The 21st century has truly been groundbreaking in every sense: on the one hand, senile dictators and political narcissists are trying to orchestrate a global slaughter akin to street thugs brawling in an alleyway; on the other, the already hot-headed nature of some politicians is further inflamed by rapid climate changes (this is where hundreds of billions of dollars should be directed instead of another round of the arms race!). And then there is a third force— the increasingly vocal artificial intelligences, whose cold, computerised minds are indifferent to everything... A peaceful life has definitively come to an end, but at least no one will have time to be bored.
Even the most ardent sceptics and neo-Luddites cannot deny the obvious—our civilisation is no longer standing on the threshold but is actively undergoing a new technological leap that will radically transform the lives of current and future generations of Earth’s inhabitants. The year 2025 picks up the baton from 2024, which was no less rich in technological innovations, and promises many fascinating developments—from the battle of AIs and the evolution of the Metaverse to new advancements in cybersecurity and the rise of "technological nationalism."
If you were hoping for a space-faring future in the style of Robert Heinlein (Citizen of the Galaxy), Isaac Asimov (Foundation), or Dan Simmons (Hyperion), then our civilisation has already bypassed that turning point. More likely, we are heading towards a future described by William Gibson in his cyberpunk trilogy Neuromancer and the Wachowski siblings in The Matrix. However, that will not happen tomorrow, so we still have time to reflect on the technological landscape of 2024 and what we should expect from 2025.
Major Tech Breakthroughs of 2024
Collage The Gaze by Leonid Lukashenko
The technological transformations that accompanied us last year may not have always amounted to true "breakthroughs," but they certainly attempted to improve our lives in various ways.
Artificial Intelligence
It is perhaps time to take energy generation seriously, as the development of artificial intelligence will increasingly demand more and more power. Following the successful launch of ChatGPT in 2022, a genuine boom in generative AI creation erupted among tech companies. Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, a simplified AI toolkit for millions of users, while Google released Gemini 2.0. As for OpenAI, the company that sparked the "intelligence race," it launched a new line of products, including an AI-powered search engine, the photorealistic video generator Sora, and a new model called Strawberry. Unlike its predecessors, Strawberry does not merely respond to queries—it "thinks" before answering, suggesting a capability for research and exploration.
Energy
For AI to "think" before answering, it needs a substantial energy supply, which in turn has spurred a renewed focus on nuclear power. Leading the charge are tech giants—Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. In September 2024, Microsoft helped restart operations at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and acquired its entire energy output. In October, Google followed suit, signing a deal to purchase electricity from small modular reactors developed by Kairos Power. Amazon also announced plans to invest in X Power, another company engaged in the development of small modular reactors.
Satellite Internet
One can have differing opinions about the increasingly flamboyant Elon Musk, but it is undeniable that in 2022–23, his Starlink from SpaceX significantly aided Ukrainian forces in repelling Russian aggression. Today, satellite internet technologies have become even more accessible and widespread: Starlink now guarantees high-speed internet in the most remote corners of the planet for $120 per month. However, 2024 saw the emergence of more budget-friendly options from HughesNet and ViaSat, with plans starting at just $50 per month.
Medical Diagnostics
There is also a noticeable trend of household gadgets transitioning from the category of amusing toys to a new, more serious level—as tools for primary medical diagnostics. Apple has introduced a sleep apnoea detection function in its smartwatch, while the 2024 AirPods Pro now feature a hearing aid mode. The Oura Ring has gained popularity due to its sleep and cycle monitoring functions. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Watch 3 has been enhanced with an expanded heart rate monitoring feature, allowing individuals with heart conditions to track their health and respond promptly to any deterioration.
Social Media
At last, some positive changes have begun to take place in one of Meta’s most heavily censored social networks—Facebook and Instagram. In 2024, Meta introduced new rules for teenage accounts on Instagram: accounts for users under 16 are now private by default, and additional anti-bullying features have been implemented. At the very beginning of 2025, Meta also cautiously began adjusting its content moderation and fact-checking policies, announcing changes that included the termination of third-party fact-checking programmes in the United States. According to Mark Zuckerberg, these changes reflect a "turning point… where freedom of speech is once again prioritised."
Biggest Tech Failures of 2024
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Inclusive AI and AI-Generated Waste
Google Gemini’s image-generation function was programmed for maximum political correctness, diversity, and inclusivity—often at the expense of common sense and historical accuracy. As a result, when users requested historically specific images—such as German soldiers from the Second World War—Gemini generated fashion-style posters featuring models in Wehrmacht uniforms. Meanwhile, images created on the topic of religious leaders were so wildly inconsistent—blending races, denominations, and religious symbols in bizarre ways—that even the caricaturists at Charlie Hebdo could not have imagined such surrealism. Following a wave of criticism, Google indefinitely suspended Gemini’s ability to generate images of people.
Previously, humans were quite capable of producing their own information junk, but with AI joining the game, the process reached an industrial scale. In 2024, social media platforms saw a flood of fake texts and "realistic" photos generated by artificial intelligence, created simply to farm likes and clicks. Thousands of unsuspecting users, fooled by the "realism" of these images, left comments and likes on posts from dubious accounts featuring stories about alleged war victims, natural disaster survivors, or supposedly breathtaking culinary or artisan masterpieces. In most cases, social media users had no idea that these posts depicted AI-generated people and events.
"Explosive" Messages
The mass detonation of pagers among Hezbollah militants was the result of one of Israel’s boldest intelligence operations in 2024. Israeli operatives created front companies that sold thousands of pager devices—rigged with explosives—to Islamist militants, who were increasingly concerned about being tracked via mobile phones. Explosions of communication devices—including not just pagers but also radios and even solar panels—occurred on 17 and 18 September 2024 in Lebanon and Syria. The first attack injured up to 4,000 people, while the second resulted in over 500 casualties. The Israeli operation significantly weakened Hezbollah’s leadership and was a prelude to the assassination of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. This event can therefore be considered both a tech failure and a technological breakthrough—albeit in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Stranded in Orbit
The reusable spacecraft Starliner successfully delivered two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) but was unable to undock after several malfunctions were discovered. In addition to helium leaks, four of Starliner’s engines failed during the flight. Due to a series of technical issues that posed a potential risk to the crew’s lives, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who arrived on the ISS for an eight-day mission, are now stranded there until approximately March 2025. Their return to Earth will be facilitated not by Boeing but by its competitor, SpaceX.
Blue Screen of Death
One of the most high-profile cybersecurity failures (excluding Russian hacker attacks) was the global system crash caused by CrowdStrike. On 19 July 2024, thousands of Windows devices in airlines, television networks, and hospitals began displaying the infamous "Blue Screen of Death." The cause was neither hackers nor malware but a boot loop issue triggered by a faulty update from CrowdStrike. One of CrowdStrike’s clients, Delta Airlines, was forced to cancel 7,000 flights due to the outage and subsequently filed a $500 million lawsuit, claiming that CrowdStrike had caused a global catastrophe by opting for uncertified and untested shortcuts in its software update.
What to Expect in 2025: Key Tech Trends
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The Battle of AIs
One of the most sensational and unexpected events at the start of 2025 was the launch of the so-called "ChatGPT killer"—the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. Initially, the introduction of this chatbot, significantly cheaper to produce than ChatGPT and offered for free, created a stir in the IT sector and caused turmoil in the stock market, leading to a 17.8% drop in shares of the American company Nvidia, a major producer of AI chips. However, as user reviews and expert evaluations started rolling in, it became clear that the Chinese challenger was not as formidable as first thought.
First, DeepSeek turned out to be heavily censored—any attempt to prompt it to generate critical content about "Comrade Xi," the Chinese Communist Party, or even communist ideology in general proved futile. The chatbot exclusively produced praise, lavishing compliments on the Chinese leader and Marxist ideas. Furthermore, DeepSeek was revealed to be little more than a Chinese "replica" of ChatGPT, featuring not only limited functionality but also suspected spyware components. As a result, the "revolutionary breakthrough" of the new neural network is now ending with its gradual ban in the US and European countries.
AI and Society
The further integration of artificial intelligence into our lives in 2025 is expected to mark a shift from universal user applications to industry-specific business solutions for commercial companies. AI will continue to automate business processes, revolutionise healthcare (diagnostics), manufacturing (intelligent maintenance), and financial services (fraud detection), demonstrating high profitability and cost savings. Additionally, we may witness the creation of real-life equivalents of Asimov’s "Three Laws of Robotics," but applied to AI. Clearly defined ethical and legal frameworks, recognised globally and regulating the use of neural networks, will mitigate existing risks and help address both AI bias and potential abuses. AI usage will become more targeted, effective, and indispensable in both business environments and everyday life. More companies will employ AI assistants. In 2025, 25% of enterprises already using GenAI will integrate AI agents into their systems, with this share expected to rise to 50% by 2027.
Generative AI will also make personal devices even "smarter." In 2025, over 30% of smartphones released on the market will feature GenAI capabilities, along with nearly 50% of laptops equipped with local AI processing.
The Development of Augmented Reality and "Streaming Fatigue"
The metaverse, also known as augmented or extended reality (XR), began to develop actively during the pandemic, when virtual tours and immersive learning gained popularity. This trend will only intensify in 2025, expanding into the gaming industry, advertising, and even spatial and interior design. Companies will also employ corporate XR applications for training, collaboration, and customer interaction in sectors such as real estate and healthcare.
An oversaturation of content produced by leading streaming platforms will lead to "streaming fatigue," potentially resulting in the gradual merger and consolidation of platforms. The number of streaming service subscriptions is expected to peak in 2025—reaching up to four subscriptions per household in the US and two in Europe—before beginning a significant decline.
Cybersecurity
The growing number of cyber threats has predictably driven companies toward proactive data protection measures, leveraging the ubiquitous presence of AI. Artificial intelligence capabilities will be used for real-time threat detection and neutralisation of cyberattacks before they cause significant harm to servers. AI is also being explored for preventive cybersecurity solutions—reminiscent of the all-knowing Machine from the cyber-thriller Person of Interest, which is no longer mere fiction. Additionally, quantum-resistant cryptography will continue to develop, making encryption methods for critical data even more complex and secure.
High-Tech Geopolitics
Moving from virtual threats to real-world dangers, the increasing international tensions are leading to a growing number of geopolitical risks. The division of nations into ideologically opposing military and political alliances will also influence technological innovations. One of the major trends of 2025 will be technological autonomy, or so-called "technological nationalism" (though Elon Musk’s recent "Bellamy salute" has no connection to this phenomenon). Leading global tech powers—the US, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Western European nations—will concentrate efforts on domestic production of critical technologies, including advanced microchips and semiconductors, to reduce their reliance on global supply chains. Additionally, new global alliances on cybersecurity and other international IT initiatives are expected to emerge to counter global threats.