AI fueled election confusion: Social platforms struggled to remove deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation during a contentious election year, but investment in moderation may dwindle now

The year of AI: Artificial intelligence invaded all aspects of life in 2024, from work to play and generation to generation. New genAI players appeared to take on megaliths like Google and Meta. It would be a copout to say that 2025 will bring more of the same, but we expect startups to begin taking more market share from Big Tech and challenging the status quo.

Big Tech’s energy shift: Companies like Google and Microsoft are increasingly turning to nuclear energy to meet the escalating power demands of AI, but regulators could stop projects before they start.

While costly headsets falter, mobile AR is seeing strong momentum. Affordable solutions like Ray-Ban Meta Glasses offer promising pathways for consumer engagement.

Cyberattacks and overloads disrupt industries: From telecom strikes to service failures, 2024’s outages underline the fragility of tech systems and the urgent need for diversification and resilience strategies.

Claiming anticompetitive behavior, Google asks the FTC to break up the exclusive partnership, arguing that it locks rivals out and entrenches Azure’s dominance.

Regulation will disrupt some digital players, while retail media and genAI adoption will create opportunities across advertising and commerce.

AI will become deeply woven into daily life in 2025. Autonomous agents, smart devices, AR glasses, search engines, and digital twins are making AI an ambient presence in how we work, shop, browse, and interact with the world.

By framing Copilot as a budget-saver that trims staffing needs, Microsoft targets enterprise buyers but risks alienating workers.

Capable new models and supercomputer plans show progress, but releasing a breakthrough “any-to-any” model next year will test its execution under tight timelines

Lawmakers criticize HHS plan to regulate healthcare AI: Their position stands in stark contrast to physicians, who could refuse to use the tech if it’s not properly vetted.

As it transitions to a for-profit model, OpenAI’s innovations and investments promise growth, but leadership turmoil and rising competition may challenge its dominance.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 faces fierce competition as Sony, Microsoft, and PC challengers vie for dominance in a $27.97 billion market fueled by young players.

Microsoft partners with HarperCollins to train AI on books: A $5K-per-title deal offers new data for AI but renews questions about compensation and AI’s effect on creativity.

Google and Meta landed slightly below expectations in Q3, allowing a collection of hungry competitors to inch ahead. But overall, the ad industry remains healthy. Sports events drove streaming and CTV to record gains, and retail media continues to be the sector’s fastest-growing ad channel.

With revenues soaring 94% to $35.1 billion, it dominates AI hardware, but Big Tech’s in-house chip ambitions could challenge its position.

By processing AI locally, Adobe’s SlimLM reduces cloud computing costs and privacy concerns.

A forced sale could upend Google’s ad revenue streams, alter the search landscape, and open the browser market to new competition.

Resilience initiatives and advanced AI features aim to secure cloud services and cement its role in critical business and government tech.

Uncertain returns drive interest in scalable infrastructure, with power demands outpacing consumer buy-in.