Top 8 Tech Trends That Will Shape the World in 2025

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In 2025, we’ll see new developments in tech and trends, such as quantum computing, 6G, and advanced artificial intelligence (AI), leading the way. These recent innovations in technology promise to change industries, redefine communication, and open new possibilities we’re just beginning to imagine.

As we look ahead to 2025, we ask experts to weigh in on what they see as the biggest tech trends for the new year.

Here are the top eight technology trends you should watch out for in 2025.

Key Takeaways

  • One of the new technologies in 2025 is agentic AI, a more advanced form of AI.
  • 6G will transform many parts of society, including healthcare, especially outpatient care and remote health monitoring.
  • GenAI models trained specifically to generate malicious code will emerge in underground markets, making it possible for anyone with access to deploy malware.
  • The cybersecurity market will experience a significant shift toward unified security platforms.
Table of Contents Table of Contents
Table of Contents

Top 8 Tech Trends in 2025

Top 8 Tech Trends in 2025

8. The Year of Agentic AI

  • Agentic AI will autonomously handle complex tasks with minimal human intervention.
  • Powered by LLMs, it combines business data and IT insights for decision-making.
  • It transforms reactive IT systems into proactive, self-optimizing ecosystems.
  • Key applications include workflow automation, issue resolution, and operational guidance.

One of the emerging trends in technology in 2025 is agentic AI, a more advanced form of AI, which “will be at its reckoning,” says Priyanka Kharat, vice president of product and engineering at ScienceLogic.

“Agentic AI will enable IT teams across all industry verticals to reimagine complex operations by breaking them down as goals that will be planned, adapted and taken through decisive actions autonomously, with minimal human intervention,” she says.

Powered by large language models, agentic AI will work as an AI advisor that combines business data and IT information to guide workflows, support teams, and solve problems, according to Kharat.

It will manage complex tasks, spot potential problems, and even fix IT issues by itself, allowing organizations to run smoothly without needing human help.

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“Agentic AI tools will deliver timely, persona-based insights and be based on rich algorithmic analysis generated in a matter of seconds, setting the stage to transform traditionally reactive IT systems into proactive and self-optimizing ecosystems,” she adds.

7. AI Skills Famine Will Starve the AI Surge

  • A lack of AI expertise might hinder regulatory quality and ethical use.
  • AI proficiency will be critical for workforce competitiveness in 2025.
  • Investments in data literacy are essential to prepare for an AI-driven future.

According to Marinela Profi, global GenAI/AI strategy lead at SAS, the lack of AI skills in the workforce will affect many things, including the quality of AI regulations, the ethical use of AI technology, and people’s ability to advance in their careers.

Profi told Techopedia:

“If you consider AI expertise as the next currency determining the rich from the poor, investing in data literacy in 2025 is a critical step in ensuring an AI-fluent future workforce.”

6. Deregulation of AI Development

  • Relaxed AI regulations in the US may prioritize innovation over privacy and ethics.
  • Deregulation could accelerate advancements in healthcare, transportation, and defense.
  • Potential long-term risks include erosion of personal freedoms and ethical standards.

The new Trump administration in the US will relax existing regulations to expedite AI advancements, possibly at the expense of data privacy and security, predicts Jim Kaskade, CEO of Conversica. This streamlines processes for AI applications in healthcare, transportation, and other critical industries.

“Rather than the US taking a cue from the [European Union] with the AI Act, we eliminate safeguards requiring companies to follow strict privacy standards,” he says. “I’m not talking about policies around enforcing rules against abusive behavior. I’m talking about allowing anonymized data to be exploited for AI training and commercial purposes.”

In such areas as defense, policing, and healthcare, AI may make critical decisions, but deregulation could remove the ethical rules that guide its use, according to Kaskade.

This could result in AI focusing only on profit and power, ignoring human values and ethics.

If the US pursues AI supremacy through deregulation, prioritizing speed and innovation over caution, the country could see significant short-term gains, he says.

“However, without safeguards, the long-term risks to personal freedoms, economic stability, and societal well-being could be profound, potentially destabilizing key institutions and trust in future versions of [the US] government,” Kaskade says.

5. The 6G Revolution

  • 6G will deliver data speeds over one terabyte per second.
  • Applications include real-time AR/VR, public safety solutions, and industrial automation.
  • It will enhance healthcare, enabling remote monitoring and outpatient care.
  • 6G will support self-driving vehicles with low-latency communication.

Another of the future tech trends in 2025 revolves around the rise of 6G technology.

With 5G, industries are now able to create and use applications that respond in real-time. For example, video recognition technology can quickly identify and react to situations, improving safety and security in industrial settings, says Ananda Sengupta, manager, head of telecom at Nagarro.

Another example is the ability to collect data from many sensors at once and respond instantly, improving efficiency and saving money

6G will put these capabilities on hyperdrive, with a greater focus on sustainability and human-oriented systems with a far-reaching impact on society. He says:

“With target data speed of 1 terabyte per second or higher, unused frequency bands, along with all 5G functionality, 6G will enable a variety of applications, such as real time augmented and virtual reality (metaverse), public safety solutions, and large scale industrial automation.”

6G will transform many parts of society, including healthcare, says Alex Wyglinski, professor and associate dean of graduate studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It will greatly improve connectivity, especially for outpatient care and remote health monitoring, allowing healthcare providers to track patients’ health from home.

“Additionally, with 6G’s advancements in low-latency communication, vehicle-to-everything connectivity will allow real-time information sharing among vehicles, enhancing situational awareness and providing the ‘sixth sense’ essential for self-driving cars to navigate complex environments alongside human-driven vehicles,” he says.

And getting more access to a wider range of frequencies will help support the increasing need for real-time experiences, such virtual reality and augmented reality, Wyglinski says.

4. Quantum Computing: From Research Labs to Industry Reality

  • Quantum computing will transition from research to practical applications in 2025.
  • Industries like finance, logistics, and research will benefit from optimization and simulations.
  • Managing quantum errors remains a key challenge for scalability.
  • Hybrid computing methods will reveal more industry impacts.

The next big trend in technology might just be quantum computing, which has the potential to change industries and push the limits of computing power.

By 2025, quantum computing will have advanced significantly from its early stages in 2020, with companies and researchers worldwide developing various competing approaches, such as transmons, ions, and neutral atoms, says Travis Humble, director, Quantum Science Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“This diversification represents a significant leap forward from the limited systems available just five years prior,” he says.

A strong global community focused on research and development has formed around quantum technology, Humble says. However, while the technology is promising, a big challenge is managing and mitigating errors as quantum systems grow.

Recent tests on small quantum computers suggest that error management methods might work, but it’s still unknown if they can be used for larger systems, he adds.

“Several companies have laid out technology roadmaps projecting production-scale systems within the next five years, with refinements in hybrid methods providing clearer insights into potential industry impacts,” Humble says.

Quantum computing will mainly benefit industries that rely heavily on knowledge, such as finance, logistics, and research, he explains. These fields can use quantum computing for such tasks as optimization, machine learning, and simulations, though many uses are still being explored.

3. Agility Key as Organizations Move to Post-Quantum Cryptography

  • Organizations must adopt crypto-agile systems to counter evolving quantum threats.
  • Automation will streamline the shift to post-quantum cryptography.
  • NIST’s standards signal a global push toward quantum-safe practices.

As organizations start moving to post-quantum cryptography in the coming year, flexibility will be essential to keep systems ready for ongoing changes, says Ray Harishankar, IBM fellow, IBM Quantum Safe. This is especially important as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US adds more post-quantum cryptography standards.

NIST’s initial post-quantum cryptography standards were a signal to the world that the time is now to start the journey to becoming quantum safe, he says.

“But equally important is the need for crypto agility, ensuring that systems can rapidly adapt to new cryptographic mechanisms and algorithms in response to changing threats, technological advances, and vulnerabilities, ideally leveraging automation to streamline and accelerate the process,” Harishankar says.

2. Cybercriminals Turn to ‘Hacker-in-a-Box’ Tools to Wreak Havoc

  • AI will enable non-experts to create and deploy sophisticated malware.
  • Automated attack generation will increase the volume and diversity of threats.
  • Democratized cybercrime will amplify global cybersecurity challenges.

This is one of the latest tech trends that will likely shape the world in a negative way.

“You won’t need to be a coder to create sophisticated malware in 2025—AI will do it for you,” says Steve Povolny, senior director, security research and competitive intelligence at Exabeam.

Generative AI models trained specifically to generate malicious code will emerge in underground markets, making it possible for anyone with access to deploy ransomware, spyware, and other types of malware with little effort, he says.

“These ‘hacker-in-a-box’ tools will automate everything from writing to deploying attacks, democratizing cybercrime and increasing the volume and diversity of threats,” Povolny told Techopedia.

1. Breaking Security Silos: The Rise of Unified Cybersecurity Platforms

  • Unified platforms will merge on-premises, cloud, and AI-driven security systems.
  • They provide cross-environment visibility and centralized threat management.
  • Businesses will benefit from streamlined resource allocation and stronger defenses.

One of the upcoming tech trends that will have an impact on security is the increase in unified cybersecurity platforms.

“By 2025, the cybersecurity market will experience a significant shift toward unified security platforms that dissolve the traditional silos between on-premises, cloud and emerging technologies like AI,” says Marc Gaffan, CEO at Ionix.

“Organizations will increasingly adopt solutions that offer cross-environment visibility and management, enabling them to better assess and mitigate actual cyber risks,” he says. “This convergence will lead to more efficient resource allocation and a more cohesive security posture across all technology stacks.”

The Bottom Line

The new tech trends of 2025 will create both opportunities and challenges.

From agentic AI driving automation to 6G and quantum computing enabling ultra-fast connectivity, these advancements will demand adaptability, ethical considerations, and a proactive approach to cybersecurity.

As these global technology trends become integral to our daily lives, their impact will drive progress while requiring vigilance to navigate the risks.

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Linda Rosencrance
Tech Journalist
Linda Rosencrance
Tech Journalist

Linda Rosencrance is a freelance writer and editor based in the Boston area with expertise ranging from AI and machine learning to cybersecurity and DevOps. She has covered IT topics since 1999 as an investigative reporter for several newspapers in the greater Boston area. She also writes white papers, case studies, e-books, and blog posts for a variety of corporate clients, interviewing key stakeholders including CIOs, CISOs, and other C-suite executives.