The new year raises questions. What’s going on? What topics will dominate in 2025? Are there any major changes? Most experts believe in one thing. This will be the year of artificial intelligence. But not only that. We talk about the trends of the coming months with Monika Borika from TrendRadar and Maja Musznicka-Janiec from Trendify.lab.
In 2008, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a document in which analysts tried to predict what the world would look like in 2025. “Variability more than continuity”; “US dominance will be less significant”; “the possibility of a global pandemic” – these are just a few conclusions. Some are surprisingly accurate. Can future events be predicted? Not really. But you can try.
Analysts and trend analysts are looking for answers to questions about the future – not only in December and January, but throughout the year. They observe changing trends and try to determine the spirit of the times (German: Zeitgeist) based on specific facts. What do we want, what are we afraid of, what is lacking in life, and in what areas is there abundance? Such knowledge can be very useful, for example, for brands working on new products. However, they are not the only ones who benefit.
– Reflecting on trends helps us develop long-term strategies. We can also observe potential risks and red flags and think about how to avoid them – explains Monika Boricka, analyst, founder of TrendRadar.
Interest in the following trends has been growing for some time. According to the analyst, it started around the time of the pandemic. – Perhaps the uncertainty and fears associated with this strange and unpredictable period have made us seek knowledge about how the situation can develop, – Borichka explains.
However, it is not so easy. – We live in such a dynamic time where the prevailing trends change very quickly, – he adds. – There is even talk of trending hypercycles. We don’t have time yet to learn what lies ahead, but something new is already waiting for us. In addition, the world of trends is decentralized, there are many bubbles and individual trends. Some trends shape technology, others shape culture. Some are only visible locally. But we see that certain sentiments are repeated in different parts of the world and in different industries, he says.
What is the dominant mood at the beginning of 2025?
Artificial Intelligence and Exploring Frontiers
Most analysts are sure of one thing: 2025 will be the year of artificial intelligence.
– The growing importance of AI in many areas of life will be the prevailing trend, – believes Maja Musznicka-Janiec from Trendify.lab. – From the experimental period, we enter the stage of intensive operations. This thread is really popping up all over the place. It affects not only the technological world, but also the media and culture, he explains.
On the one hand, it will be possible to assign some tasks to the AI. As Musznika-Janiec says, the so-called AI Agents. Does this mean we will spy on artificial intelligence (or will it spy on us)? NO. – AI agents are tools that perform some tasks for humans. This is a dynamically developing branch, – assures the analyst – The project needs to stay new so that AI technology does not surprise us. If we learn its tools, even basic tools, our work will be easier as we develop them. And this technology will stay with us. This will certainly raise concerns, but I expect a further increase in the use of AI, he notes.
It is true, he is worried. The increasing use of new tools creates mixed feelings among recipients. Business will test the limits of acceptance of the use of AI. We observed this recently in Poland, when one of the radio stations in Krakow organized “hosts” who were supposed to conduct programs. – There was a lot of resistance. The audience also did not like the “interview” with Wislawa Szymborska produced by AI – recalls Monika Boricka. It is the same in the world.
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– Coca-Cola was heavily criticized when it produced its Christmas ad entirely using AI. People who didn’t like the place said the company “killed the magic of Christmas.”
Michal Rusinek on talking with artificial intelligence with Wislawa SzymborskaTVN24, Mateusz Kudla, photo: Service 2/PAP
“A lie is the new truth”
A smiling woman in a chef’s uniform presents her latest baked goods: challah in the shape of a real horse. The post was flooded with congratulations on social media. However, “chałkoń” – as Internet users nicknamed him – does not exist. Both he and the bakery employee were created thanks to artificial intelligence.
The creation of “chalkonia” was supposed to be a joke, but it drew attention to a serious problem. Artificial intelligence is developing and we are increasingly wondering what is true and what is not. – The tension between reality and lies is intensifying, which is expressed by the trend “Fake is the new reality”. Monika Borichka says that it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish fiction from reality.
The elderly and others who are less familiar with the digital world will have a particular problem in identifying the generated content. The problem is getting worse. According to some reports, in 2026, 90% of the content that reaches us will be generated with the help of AI. Maja Musznicka-Janiec points out that we can already talk about a crisis of trust in what we see on the Internet.
– In the era of so-called synthetic media, authenticity and proven content will become more important, – he emphasizes. – Factchecking should be at a high level, this is what the recipients demand. On the other hand, Mark Zuckerberg has announced that his websites (including Facebook) will ease the approach to fact-checking and content moderation, he adds.
According to Monika Boricka, we will consider more and more trust costs. – They are borne not only by the recipients themselves, but also by companies and brands, who must increasingly prove that their messages are genuine and unbiased. That no one imitates them – Borichka adds. – Identity verification can also become more difficult. Creating a digital “twin” is no longer a problem. And from there it’s just a step to use such an AI-generated token, for example in a working zoom – he adds.
A few months ago, this was demonstrated by the famous American entrepreneur and podcaster Reid Hoffman. As part of the experiment, he “communicated” the artificial intelligence with previous parts of his program and talked to his “digital twin”. – It was not easy to separate them, – Borichka says.
Befriend a bot
What if the person gradually stops being needed? “We observe the tension between man and machine,” Borichka confirms. – AI tools accompany us more and more in our lives, so questions and doubts arise as to who will prevail: people or advanced technology – he adds.
Some ordinary interpersonal contacts are replaced by contact with a virtual person. All you need to do is call a hotline to “talk” to a bot, a machine. Online stores are willing to use virtual assistants. This technology will continue to develop.
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– There is a growing interest – especially from investors – in humanoid robots, i.e. robots that resemble people, for example, designed for similar movement – Borichka explains. – The goal of many technology companies today is to introduce them to mass production, but mass use, to turn them into general purpose robots. Many experts indicate that this will be achieved in the coming years, he says.
An example is the Optimus produced by Tesla. It is advertised as a “general purpose bipedal humanoid robot capable of performing dangerous, repetitive or boring tasks”. It costs about PLN 30,000. dollars (120,000 PLN) and able to walk the dog, wash the dishes or clean the house. Celebrities have also noticed this trend. – Recently, Kim Kardashian took a photo with Optimus on her Instagram – laughs Borika.
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With such an intensity of trends related to advanced technology, it is not surprising that the opposite trend has emerged – valuing life outside the Internet and seeking activities in the real world. No phone calls or constant reports of your life on social media.
“A few years ago, we did not see anything bad in social networks, but more and more we observe that instead of uniting, instead of uniting, they divide and polarize,” says Maya Musznica-Janiec. – The more technology plays a role in our lives, the more we get tired of it. Constant connection to the network, constant notifications, work and relationships are carried out on the network. We don’t know what we can do in this situation and that leads to frustration. The big tech companies are doing everything to make sure we spend as much time in this world as possible, but we need to get out into the “real” world as much as possible. In the digital world we need real relationships, opportunities to meet face to face, experiences. We are looking for solutions that will allow us to do this, he predicts.
Monika Borichka also observes this trend. – We wonder how many moments of our lives can be experienced on the Internet. The concept of social media is daunting for many groups. Younger generations are looking for other ways to spend time online. Facebook doesn’t exist for them, Instagram is getting boring and TikTok can be dangerous. He says there is a desire to reconnect outside the network.
There are already examples of how this trend can be in practice. – In Amsterdam, there is a cafe where phones are left at the entrance. In Los Angeles, the chess club has become a summer hit. Some teenagers want to use the so-called Dumbphones: you can call, send text messages, but not connect to the Internet – says Borichka. — Caution in the use of technology is returning. Australia raises the age limit for social media use, and mobile phones are banned in some Scandinavian schools, he explains.
Somewhat forgotten, “analog” occupations are also returning: mushroom picking, knitting and crocheting. Rebellion against technology may be growing in the newest generation, called the beta generation. These are people who were born in a time when artificial intelligence is becoming ubiquitous.
Mocha or maybe cherry color?
The trends of the coming months are determined using interesting phrases, descriptions, but also through color. For twenty-five years, Pantone has announced a few weeks before the start of the new year, which experts believe best reflects the mood of the time. In 2025, it will be “Mocha Mousse” – loosely translated, foam with chocolate. Color should be associated with softness, warmth and appeal to our desire for comfort.
Pinterest users have a different opinion, according to which 2025 is described as the best dark cherry. Searches for “cherry vibe” are said to have increased by 325 percent.
– An important dominant mood is the feeling that we are operating between many strong currents. We see this in different fields, says Monika Borichka. But he adds that trend analysts do not predict the future. – We can point out possible directions for change, ask questions starting with “what if”. However, it must be remembered that trends are alive, they change under the influence of circumstances and evolve over time. Their trajectory can change – emphasizes Monika Borichka.
