Kathy Gibson reports – We are in for a bumpy ride in 2025, with artificial intelligence (AI) just one of the many global trends influencing the world around us.
Indeed, futurist Dion Chang, founder of Flux Trends, describes 2025 as “stepping into the void”.
He outlines the current state of the world and what to expect this year under six headings: technology, retail, economy, the natural world, diplomacy and socio-cultural trends.
Speaking at an Infobip event, Chang kicked off his predictions with the elephant in the room – AI. With generative AI (GenAI) giving way in 2025 to agentic AI, he warns that we could soon find it in command of our companies’ operations.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he warns.
Where some companies have relinquished operational control to AI, with good results, there could be a host of negative outcomes too.
For instance, Chang points out that a big selling point of AI has been that it performs boring, repetitive tasks so workers are freed to perform more creative and higher-level functions.
“And this has happened to some extent. But we are starting to see the first AI redundancies start to happen.”
Some examples include teacherless colleges and reporterless news outlets.
A World Economic Forum survey demonstrates that 41% of employers intend to downsize their workforce because of AI.
“And now AI is also moving into the creative space,” he points out.
The second headline trend, retail is seeing a digital marketing overload. Chang says this market is growing rapidly.
AI is making itself felt here as well, with more and better targeting and personalisation, as well as drip pricing.
In the near future, AI agents will not only be able to identify customers, but will also be able react to their moods and emotions to further personalise messaging and pricing.
“It’s starting to get a little creepy,” Chang says.
On the non-tech side of retail, we are seeing a shift in perceived value from traditional luxury brands to preservation value – or the value of an item in the future.
This holds true around the world, and is seen in the trend towards thrift or vintage shopping in South Africa.
The economy is a big trend influencer, and is itself influenced by several factors.
One of these is the hermit consumer, those that have never fully returned to the physical shopping environment after the Covid lockdown. This has resulted in less footfall and a subsequent loss of revenue for retail malls.
This trend has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis that has seen consumers tighten their belts even further.
This is playing out in the fact that Gen Zs – people now in their 30s – are failing to demonstrate the usual adult markers like buying a house or a car. And often this is because they simply can’t afford them.
Instead, this population segment is “doom spending”, blowing what money they have on things like holidays.
And, in a world where buying groceries is seen as a luxury, they are no longer willing to “hustle” or work long hours.
“This means the inter-generational conflict is a huge bugbear,” Chang says. “They believe society can no longer evolve, regardless of how hard they try, and this causes repercussions in management, human resources and more.”
The natural world is, literally, a hot topic right now, with climate change visibly taking a toll.
When disasters like the recent Los Angeles fires take place, traditional insurance models just can’t work any more, so insurers are having to come up with new ideas.
A water crisis will soon be upon us as well, with “water wars” already starting to erupt where water sources are disputed.
When even Kariba Dam runs dry, causing Zambia to turn off the turbines that provide most of its electricity, it’s time to recognise this is a crisis.
An interesting result of the natural disasters is the rise of eco-chaplains, spiritually-minded individuals who help people to deal with climate anxiety.
When it comes to diplomacy, the challenge is vast: the 2025 Global Threat Index reveals that 61% of people have grievances in that they feel excluded and unheard, and that things that help others hurts them.
Indeed, the index demonstrates that people are generally pessimistic, with only 36% thinking life will improve for the next generation.
And this is playing out in the fact that many people and countries are preparing for war. Conscription has increased in much of the world, including conscription for young tech workers to engage in digital warfare.
On the socio-cultural front, we are seeing the effect of aging populations around the world. With birth rates down, younger generations have become more secluded and less socially active.