Reflections of the Future
Let's look to the past and reflect!
Introduction: From 2024 to 2025 – A Moment of Transition
Welcome to 2025! The future holds both the promise of innovation and the lessons of the past. As we stand on the threshold of 2025, let’s take a moment to reflect on what’s behind us and envision what lies ahead.
A year ago, I wrote about the transformative impact of generative AI and compared it to historical, technological revolutions like the printing press, inspired by James Burke’s Connections.
2024 was indeed a year of building. We saw creators, innovators, and dreamers harnessing AI tools to construct what once seemed impossible. Yet, with every opportunity came challenges, and with every breakthrough, more than a few MISTAKES.
Before I share my projections, though, I want to revisit the lessons we’ve learned and share my hopes for the next chapter of our journey.
Reflecting on 2024: The Year of Building
Last year, we embraced the power of creation like never before. I know I did! Generative AI tools gave rise to a wave of innovation: entire applications coded in days, AI-assisted art that left us speechless, and models capable of human-like conversations that many cannot discern as machine or human.
One of my highlights was seeing more people adopt tools like Pinokio for experimenting locally and Perplexity.ai for intuitive research, to name a few.
Many more people still have yet to discover the value of these tools, but it’s great to know that it’s been helpful and that I’m helping readers like you find the most impactful opportunities!
But let’s not ignore the bumps along the road. AI MISTAKES reminded us of the importance of attention and humility.
AI MISTAKES: Lessons Learned in 2024
Here’s a quick top 10 of what I saw as the biggest AI MISTAKES of 2024:
Google Gemini image model errors (they shut it down)
Google AI Overview giving bad answers from Reddit.
Twitter (X) AI based “Explore” feature summarizing tops posts
Academia trusting plagiarism detectors as AI detectors (and punishing innocent students because of it)
Article generation with bad facts (toxic mushrooms, sports magazines and more!)
Microsoft’s Recall (which was such a privacy blunder they had to recall it)
AI models faking alignment
Using AI for scams (from bots, to phone calls, to images; CEOs and more)
Misconfiguration of AI tools like copilot, exposure data that should never be accessible to the whole organization
Job application interviews using an AI to ask the questions.
These are in no particular order, but it’s safe to say that while the innovations keep coming, not all AI releases and deployments in 2024 were good. Given the pace of innovation, I’m confident that 2025 will offer ample opportunities to learn from others. However, let’s also not be afraid to make MISTAKES and explore new ways to use AI to be a force for good in the world.
Also, I’ve built a new ontology to evaluate the many AI MISTAKES like these, so look for new and improved AI MISTAKES case studies in 2025.
These lessons underscore the need for responsible experimentation, ethical foresight, and continuous learning. I believe it’s possible to make great progress, learn valuable lessons, and do so responsibly and appropriately.
So, What’s Ahead in 2025?
If 2024 was about building, 2025 will be about agents. “AI Agents” will redefine productivity, tackling everything from task automation to strategic problem-solving. Imagine tools that don’t just respond to you but actively anticipate your needs, executing tasks as your digital collaborators.
I’ve already been working with these tools in 2024, but we’re far away from peak AI Agent territory. I think we’re really just getting started. This feels a bit like playing with GPT 3.0 at this point. While there are some places where it’s a mature experience (using Perplexity.ai’s Pro capabilities is definitely like having a research assistant), other features like Anthropic Claude’s PC control still have much work to be done before it’s wise to trust it to complete tasks without accidentally running batch command to format your HDD.
I believe we are quickly approaching a point where it will be easy to tell which organizations have a clear vision and direction for their goals and which are just following others' lead.
If you haven’t yet discovered your vision, maybe you need some help. You might need to use the MISTAKES Framework or something even more detailed (like the Learn from MISTAKES with AI course, launching a fresh update in 2025).
“AI Agents” aren’t the only development we will see in 2025. While they will most likely get the most attention, I’m afraid to say that the problem with phone call spam is only going to get worse.
In 2024 we saw multiple solutions around AI models being able to conduct phone calls. This can be good for you if you are the one making the calls. I can’t promise this is going to be good for anyone on the receiving end, but there are other solutions that you can deploy for taking calls, they even use AI.
Self-driving cars and humaniform robots are another area that is similar to the AI Agent developments but also decidedly different. Later this year, more than one company is expected to receive regulatory approval in multiple US markets for transportation. Jensen Huang stood on stage with many robots last year, announcing project GR00T, and I think we will see at least one company deploying robots for customer use.
Speaking of reaching reliable capability, I also think we will see significant adoption of Generative AI in large organizations. Many software and solutions providers are now able to deploy generative AI to specific use cases in a more turnkey way. It won’t be everywhere, and of course, there will be places where it reduces productivity instead of increasing it. Still, we will see significant contributions to ROI at more than an individual contributor level. The key question is: which users inside large organizations already utilize these capabilities but do so in the traditional 'shadow IT' way?
The last area I want to call out is how we use these models will change.
Looking ahead, I believe we’ll see monumental shifts in how AI integrates into our lives. Here are my predictions:
Smaller Models, Bigger Impact: Localized AI will become more accessible, empowering individuals and small organizations.
Generative Robotics: AI-driven automation will move beyond the digital realm into physical spaces, from manufacturing to personal assistance.
The Rise of Intelligent Systems: Tools like AI-powered wearables, interactive devices, and hyper-personalized assistants will make AI ubiquitous and easily accessible beyond the PC and phone.
Action Enabled Systems: Multiple integration capabilities will collide to bring an inflection point to how we use the models to take action across integrated systems. (Eric Schmidt calls it “text-to-action”)
Beyond these four key factors, some well-known founders are jumping back in and getting directly involved in developing AI technology to ensure the longevity of their companies.
These founders have returned to working directly with the companies they were previously CEOs to drive AI initiatives.
Jeff Bezos (Amazon)
Eric Schmidt, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Michael Dell (Dell Technologies)
Getting such direct attention tells me that 2025 is going to be another big year, and the news and releases will keep coming.
The entertainment industry is sure to see more rapid changes. In 2024, we saw the first fully generative AI video commercial with Coca-Cola, and I expect we will see a 25-minute program or longer) in 2025. The progress we’ve already made puts this milestone well within reach.
Lastly, I anticipate at least one breakthrough startup (with under 100 employees) achieving significant success and profitability. So many start-ups are working on these use cases that I believe at least one is statistically guaranteed to make a splash. I don’t expect it to be OpenAI, but it’s most likely to be a B2B implementation where the profits are not directly tied to vast computing power and utilization requirements.
I’ll admit that there’s no big stretch I’m taking on these predictions, but it’s also true that even without wild predictions, we could see significant and impactful changes even if just these few developments materialize.
What’s your forecast for 2025?
Build, Learn, and Experiment
I’m currently evaluating several agentic tools for coding and specific use cases. I haven’t completed my work assessing these, but since these are getting such good commentary and attention, you might like to know what I’m investigating. Who knows, maybe we can learn faster together as a community, so let me know if any of these grab your attention and keep it!
GitHub Copilot (AI coding): https://github.com/features/copilot
Replit (AI coding): https://replit.com
Windsurf (AI coding) : https://codeium.com/windsurf
Vercel v0 (AI coding): https://v0.dev
Bolt.new (AI coding): https://bolt.new
Cursor.ai (AI coding): https://cursor.ai
Relevance AI (agents): https://relevanceai.com
Abacus.AI (ai assistants): https://abacus.ai
Make HQ: (workflows)L https://make.com
ElevenLabs (voice agents): https://elevenlabs.io
Closing Thoughts
As we close the chapter on 2024 and embrace 2025, let’s remember that MISTAKES are stepping stones to growth.
Whether you’re a seasoned expert or a curious beginner, what’s ahead is your opportunity to create, innovate, and, yes, make MISTAKES.
This leads me to my final and most important point.
Let’s build together! Are you considering a particular use case? Do you have specific questions? Are you trying to solve a specific problem with AI but don’t know where to start? Let me hear from you. Call me, schedule an appointment, reply to this email (I love it when you read and reply!) or comment in the Substack app.
I’m also looking into having guests on my YouTube channel or starting a podcast. It’s fantastic what discoveries can come through great conversations, so please let me know if you are even just a little bit intrigued by this idea.
Let’s push boundaries. And most importantly, let’s keep learning.
As always, I appreciate you reading the newsletter, subscribing to the YouTube channel, and joining me at the next AI MISTAKES Community Event. Here’s to a year of growth, discovery, and transformation.
Happy New Year!
Daniel Lemire