I touched on these lightly, just after the election. I thought I would revisit for clarity. As we step into the future, transformative shifts are on the horizon. Here’s what 2025 could bring:

• AGI Arrives: The dawn of Artificial General Intelligence is expected to redefine industries, signaling a pivotal moment in technological evolution. Ilya Sutskever believes Super Intelligence is imminent as well. We’ll see whether Sam Altman plays up or down AGI with OpenAI this year. Oh, did I mention guardrails?

• Rivian Outpaces Tesla: With innovation and agility, Rivian could claim the crown in the EV market, leaving Tesla in the rearview mirror. I believe president musk will finally be called out on multiple conflicts of interest and Tesla will lose market share.

• The End of Streaming Wars: Consolidation and strategic pivots will mark the conclusion of the fierce battle for streaming supremacy. Bundling is happening, Media Companies are spinning off their cable channels to God knows what fate and Netflix and Amazon will dominate, including the live sports category.

• YouTube’s Viewing Dominance: With its unparalleled reach and creator economy, YouTube is poised to outshine traditional streaming platforms.

• Unregulated AI in the US: The lack of federal regulation will foster rapid AI innovation, but at the cost of ethical oversight. Damn the torpedles. Full Force all engines.

• AI Mergers Boom: The AI sector will see an unprecedented surge in mergers and acquisitions as companies race to consolidate capabilities. As GenAI and LLMs eat themselves alive, Big Tech will try to stay relevant by buying other companies with other shiny objects, besides the new ones they are promoting with high price tags. Competition drives competitive pricing. Consolidation creates monopolies and higher prices. Let’s root for the small companies in Alt Tech.

• Nvidia Faces a Crisis: A geopolitical flashpoint—China’s invasion of Taiwan—could disrupt Nvidia's dominance, shaking the global semiconductor industry. Watch this space also as watchdogs are also watching.

• The Death of SEO, Rise of GEO: That is not meant to be Geographic reference but rather a “Generative” reference. Generative Search Engines will replace traditional SEO as the next frontier in digital marketing. As we no longer will “Just Google It” I believe we will “Just Chat it out.” And yes, I just created that catch-phrase. TM Gods allow it.

• Google Breakup: Antitrust actions could dismantle Google, reshaping the digital landscape and decentralizing power in tech. If Search is Dead, what happens next. Oh, btw, how is your Google ranking? Based on what exactly..now?

• AI Vigilantism: If corporate America does not understand the ethical use of AI, assasinations may help as the masses are fed up with the courts and feel helpless. Now, killing people is the wrong solution, but watch this space as new folk heroes are rising and frustration is high. This might have a negative impact on AI adoption as distrust takes hold with another narrative rather than the dystopian T2 outcome.

2025 is shaping up to be a year of seismic change, promising innovation, disruption, and new opportunities in equal measure.

About the Author

Curt Doty is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design through CurtDoty.co. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel.

He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, HeyGen, and DALL-E. He now runs his AI consultancy RealmIQ and companion podcast RealmIQ: Sessions on YouTube and Spotify.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. He has lectured at universities including Full Sail, SCAD, Art Center College of Design, CSNU and Chapman University.

He currently serves on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and serves as the marketing director for Performance Santa Fe.