After several years of rapid innovation in areas like 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), health tech, and more, 2025 will be the year when these strides start to bear fruit and new technology goes from potential to proven. As 2024 ends, tech leaders will be preparing to meet new challenges and eager to claim new opportunities brought about by next year's coming tech trends.
1. AI Becomes the New Battleground for Cyber Attackers vs. Defenders
Integrating AI into cybersecurity protocols will become table stakes across industries as threat actors continue to leverage AI to advance their attacks. Organizations will lean on AI's predictive defense capabilities to analyze historical data and attack patterns to identify, forecast, and prevent threats before they manifest. As AI adoption widens, we'll start to see a gap in cybersecurity capabilities — organizations that move quickly will benefit from increased protection and stakeholder trust, while those that delay may become more attractive targets to bad actors.
2. New Tech Kicks Broadband to the Curb
Alternative solutions for connectivity, like Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), will amp up the pressure on traditional broadband companies. Thanks to 5G network improvements, FWA can replace home broadband without sacrificing speed or reliability, and without the need to lay cable or build other physical infrastructure. Ten million U.S. households are already using FWA, and the customer base has grown by about 800,000 per quarter. Large cable companies will need to innovate or join in.
3. E-sports Steal the Show
Streaming platforms garner millions of viewers every single day, and with the industry's yearly revenues reaching more than double that of film and music combined, major e-sports events are poised to take their place among other mainstream entertainment. We expect to see more recognizable e-sports commentators, more widely-viewed events — perhaps even picked up for broadcast by major networks — and increasingly valuable ad spots.
4. Healthcare Without Limits — Emerging Technologies Empower Remote Care
We expect remote care to explode in 2025, with new technologies like 5G creating greater connectivity between doctors and patients. More patients, especially elderly patients and those with mobility issues, will use remote monitoring devices to send critical health data to their physicians. At the same time, providers will be able to extend their services across a greater geographical area, expanding care access in remote regions where maintaining a physical presence is difficult.
5. Hyper-personalized Media Will Drive a Streaming Revolution
As learning from and adapting to user preferences becomes increasingly vital for streaming success, 2025 will see an accelerated shift to a hyper-personalized model. We'll see customers continue gravitating toward platforms that can host libraries of democratized content, direct users to preferred shows or videos, and offer avenues for them to engage (e.g., posting reviews and leaving comments).
6. AI Goes from Possibility to Proven — Kickstarting Adoption with Bottom Line Impact
The era of AI innovation for innovation's sake is coming to an end. Now that companies have a better understanding of AI's strengths and weaknesses, they will expect more tangible results from their AI tools. Does a particular application make sense for a particular company based on their business goals and pain points? What are they getting out of it, and how can those gains be measured?
More targeted AI use will also mean more targeted AI rules and requirements, as regulators improve their own understanding of the tech. Companies using AI will need to stay up to date as regulations evolve. Companies should codify their efforts to deepen AI use, measure related benefits, and track evolving regulations in a clear and overarching AI strategy.
7. Science Fiction No More — Quantum Computing is Here
Major breakthroughs are on the horizon for quantum computing, bringing it to the verge of practical — even everyday — use. Its most immediate applications will be in supply chain and research and development (R&D), where it can accelerate research and help companies respond to complex logistical problems. But quantum computing won't come without cost and scalability challenges of its own. Early adopters will likely include the military, well-funded academic institutions, and large tech companies. We may even start to see tech companies popularizing Quantum-Computing-as-a-Service (or QCaaS), making this technology available to organizations of all sizes.
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