Five predictions for 2025

Hello everyone! Let’s have a bit of fun by diving into some bold predictions for 2025. As always, there’s a good chance many of these might be off the mark—but predicting the future can spark fresh thinking. So, hold me accountable if any of these fall flat, and let’s see where we land in a year’s time!

1. The last year without humanoid robots in the workforce

I truly believe 2024 was the final year we’d see no humanoid robots in the workplace. The cost of training vision and imitation models is plummeting, thanks in part to innovations like NVIDIA’s text-to-image and video models. These advancements make it far easier to develop robots that can see, learn, and act in diverse environments—whether it’s a factory floor, a warehouse, or even a customer-facing scenario.

Why It Matters

• Synthetic Training Data: We can generate thousands of virtual scenarios to help robots “learn” quickly.
• Teleoperation: People can remotely operate robots, gathering real-world training data for better AI models.
• Labour Productivity: If a country’s GDP is essentially a measure of its labour output, adding a non-stop robotic labour force could boost competitiveness and economic growth.

Out on a Limb‍

By 2040, there could be more humanoid robots in New Zealand than there are humans. While that sounds sci-fi, early examples—like Tesla’s “Optimus” robots—point to exponential manufacturing growth. BMW has robots assisting with car assembly, and Tesla aims to have thousands more in production by 2026.

2. AI replacing 90% of customer service roles

Voice agents and chatbots have become so advanced that it’s increasingly difficult for customers to tell whether they’re interacting with a human or an AI. The benefits for businesses are huge: 24/7 availability, consistent responses, and scalable solutions that can tap directly into a database to answer queries instantly.

Why People (Surprisingly) Prefer AI

• Instant Responses: No more holding in a queue; AI can handle unlimited callers at once.
• Rapid Escalation: If a query needs a human touch, the AI seamlessly passes the conversation on. The human agent sees the entire interaction, making the process smoother.

Case Study‍

One tech company recently reported using AI to handle the workload equivalent of 700 customer service reps. As natural attrition occurs and new hiring slows, the total salary budget drops—but the existing staff often earn more, reflecting the added value they bring when specialised human skills are genuinely needed.

3. First AI-created short film wins an award

With models capable of generating photo-realistic images and videos, we’re entering an age where entire film productions—or at least significant parts of them—can be AI-driven. The cost of producing a 30-second commercial can easily run into the millions, but if AI can cut those costs dramatically, anyone with a good idea can become a filmmaker.

Why This Could Happen

• Democratised Storytelling: Lower barriers to entry mean more creatives, more content, and more innovation.
• Full AI Integration: Everything from scriptwriting to final edits can be guided by AI tools.
• Brand Experimentation: Major companies like Coca-Cola are already exploring AI-created ads; it’s only a matter of time before AI-crafted content gains mainstream recognition.

I predict an AI-produced short film will bag an award by the end of 2025, with many more to follow.

4. Commercial real estate stagnates due to AI-driven work

As more white-collar tasks are automated and knowledge workers find themselves relying on AI (or working remotely), the demand for large-scale office spaces could drop significantly. This trend is already observable in the United States, where office vacancies are creeping towards 20%.

Why We’ll See This

• Hybrid & Remote Work: Professionals can do their jobs from home, aided by AI that attends or even records Zoom meetings.
• Rethinking Costs: Companies may not need to maintain huge office footprints when smaller, more agile spaces will do.
• Higher Vacancy Rates: As roles shrink or become more flexible, office spaces can remain empty, driving commercial property values down or stagnating them.

It’s likely New Zealand will follow this US trend, albeit on a slightly different timeline—our property market typically lags behind international shifts.

5. AGI is formally achieved (…in a courtroom)

Finally, I’m predicting that “AGI” (Artificial General Intelligence) will be officially declared achieved by governments and lawyers as part of some legal or regulatory action. Recent AI models already blur the lines of what we consider “general intelligence.” Once the label is formalised, we’ll see an explosion of new possibilities and debates.

What AGI Might Look Like

• Personal & Professional Life Assistants: Access to an AI in your pocket that can plan your day, forecast business strategies, and even help you solve personal challenges.
• Embodied AI: Those humanoid robots from Prediction #1 will become even more capable when paired with AGI-level software.
• New Industries: Entire fields will emerge to harness AGI, potentially creating more jobs than are lost.

This shift will redefine productivity as we know it, bringing newfound efficiency to many sectors and reshaping our economy. The eventual reality is that new forms of work—currently unimaginable—could become mainstream.

Conclusion: Buckle up for 2025

These predictions might sound ambitious, possibly even outlandish. But the rate of AI progress and its adoption in everything from customer support to manufacturing has already exceeded what many experts anticipated. So, let’s see how it all unfolds.

Hold Me Accountable‍

Feel free to call me out if I’m wrong! The fun of making predictions is acknowledging we might be very off the mark. But it’s also a chance to spur new thinking and remain open to emerging possibilities.

If you’d like to learn more about where AI could take your business or career, head over to Agentic Intelligence and try our free AI Readiness Assessment. It’s a great way to start preparing for the thrilling ride that is 2025.

Thanks for reading!