In 2026 the best programming language or technology stack to learn really depends on your personal aims, hobbies, and apps you are going to create.

The use of AI is increasing. AI as a “Pair Programmer” is becoming the default. Code completion, refactoring, and boilerplate generation are used often. Devs spend more time reviewing and steering code than typing it. “Explain this error” and “why is this slow?” prompts are useful.

In prompt-Driven Development programmers describe the intent in natural language and then let AI generate first drafts of functions, APIs, or configs. Iterate by refining prompts rather than rewriting code. Trend: Knowing how to ask is becoming as important as syntax.

Strong growth in: Auto-generated unit and integration tests and edge-case discovery. Trend: “Test-first” is easier when AI writes the boring parts.

AI is moving up the stack. Trend: AI as a junior architect or reviewer, not the final decider.

AI comes to Security & Code Quality Scanning. Rapid adoption in: Static analysis and vulnerability detection, secret leakage and dependency risk checks. AI can give secure-by-default code suggestions. Trend: AI shifts security earlier in the SDLC (“shift left”).

Instead of one-off prompts: AI agents that plan → code → test → fix → retry. Multi-step autonomous tasks (e.g., “add feature X and update docs”) can be done in best cases. Trend: Still supervised, but moving toward semi-autonomous dev loops.

AI is heavily used for explaining large, unfamiliar codebases and translating between languages/frameworks. It helps onboarding new engineers faster.

What’s changing: Less manual boilerplate work
More focus on problem definition, review, and decision-making. There is stronger emphasis on fundamentals, architecture, and domain knowledge. Trend: Devs become editors, designers, and orchestrators.

AI usage policies and audit trails is necessary. Trend: “Use AI, but safely.”

Likely directions:
Deeper IDE + CI/CD integration
AI maintaining legacy systems
Natural-language → production-ready features
AI copilots customized to your codebase

1. Generative AI Continues to Mature

Generative AI (text, image, video, code) will become more advanced and mainstream, with notable growth in:
* Generative video creation
* Gaming and entertainment content generation
* Advanced synthetic data for simulations and analytics
This trend will bring new creative possibilities — and intensify debates around authenticity and copyright.

2. AI Agents Move From Tools to Autonomous Workers

Rather than just answering questions or generating content, AI systems will increasingly act autonomously, performing complex, multi-step workflows and interacting with apps and processes on behalf of users — a shift sometimes called agentic AI. These agents will become part of enterprise operations, not just assistant features.

3. Smaller, Efficient & Domain-Specific Models

Instead of “bigger is always better,” specialized AI models tailored to specific industries (healthcare, finance, legal, telecom, manufacturing) will start to dominate in many enterprise applications. These models are more accurate, legally compliant, and cost-efficient than general models.

4. AI Embedded Everywhere

AI won’t be an add-on feature — it will be built into everyday software and devices:
* Office apps with intelligent drafting, summarization, and task insights
* Operating systems with native AI
* Edge devices processing AI tasks locally
This makes AI pervasive in both work and consumer contexts.

5. AI Infrastructure Evolves: Inference & Efficiency Focus

More investment is going into inference infrastructure — the real-time decision-making step where models run in production — thereby optimizing costs, latency, and scalability. Enterprises are also consolidating AI stacks for better governance and compliance.

6. AI in Healthcare, Research, and Sustainability

AI is spreading beyond diagnostics into treatment planning, global health access, environmental modeling, and scientific discovery. These applications could help address personnel shortages and speed up research breakthroughs.

7. Security, Ethics & Governance Become Critical

With AI handling more sensitive tasks, organizations will prioritize:
* Ethical use frameworks
* Governance policies
* AI risk management
This trend reflects broader concerns about trust, compliance, and responsible deployment.

8. Multimodal AI Goes Mainstream

AI systems that understand and generate across text, images, audio, and video will grow rapidly, enabling richer interactions and more powerful applications in search, creative work, and interfaces.

9. On-Device and Edge AI Growth

Processing AI tasks locally on phones, wearables, or edge devices will increase, helping with privacy, lower latency, and offline capabilities — especially crucial for real-time scenarios (e.g., IoT, healthcare, automotive).

10. New Roles: AI Manager & Human-Agent Collaboration

Instead of replacing humans, AI will shift job roles:
* People will manage, supervise, and orchestrate AI agents
* Human expertise will focus on strategy, oversight, and creative judgment
This human-in-the-loop model becomes the norm.

Sources:
[1]: https://www.brilworks.com/blog/ai-trends-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 AI Trends to Look for in 2026″
[2]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2025/10/13/10-generative-ai-trends-in-2026-that-will-transform-work-and-life/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “10 Generative AI Trends In 2026 That Will Transform Work And Life”
[3]: https://millipixels.com/blog/ai-trends-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “AI Trends 2026: The Key Enterprise Shifts You Must Know | Millipixels”
[4]: https://www.digitalregenesys.com/blog/top-10-ai-trends-for-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Digital Regenesys | Top 10 AI Trends for 2026″
[5]: https://www.n-ix.com/ai-trends/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 AI trends to watch in 2026 – N-iX”
[6]: https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/2025/12/11/microsoft-unveils-7-ai-trends-for-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Microsoft unveils 7 AI trends for 2026 – Source Asia”
[7]: https://www.risingtrends.co/blog/generative-ai-trends-2026?utm_source=chatgpt.com “7 Generative AI Trends to Watch In 2026″
[8]: https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/12/24/artificial-intelligence-ai-trends-to-watch-in-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trends to Watch in 2026 and How to Invest in Them | The Motley Fool”
[9]: https://www.reddit.com//r/AI_Agents/comments/1q3ka8o/i_read_google_clouds_ai_agent_trends_2026_report/?utm_source=chatgpt.com “I read Google Cloud’s “AI Agent Trends 2026” report, here are 10 takeaways that actually matter”

Has any US president’s term in office in a century started as badly from a stock market perspective as Donald Trump’s term from January 20 to April 8, 2025? This has caused significant harm to investors. What makes it special is that the market turmoil can be attributed to the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration. There are also export restrictions. Technology giant Nvidia faces billions in losses due to Trump restrictions. Donald Trump’s administration has restricted the technology company’s exports of artificial intelligence chips to China. Semiconductors are at the heart of nearly all modern technology. The global race to secure component availability has been intensifying as demand for these essential parts grows.

Trump’s tariff mix is ​​causing problems for the semiconductor industry as latest tariff plans could cause significant disruption to the global semiconductor supply chain. The Trump administration aims to boost domestic production, but the measures also threaten to raise production costs and make it more difficult to obtain components. Taiwan’s TSMC, which supplies 90 percent of the world’s advanced semiconductors, could face difficulties, which will affect American technology companies such as Apple, Nvidia and AMD.

April 7th, 2025, is now being dubbed “Orange Monday,” and it’s left global markets charred and investors crying into their diversified portfolios. Trump chip tariff threat throws wrench into global supply network. The Trump administration’s steps toward extending its tariffs to the semiconductor industry threaten many business. The strategy by Apple to diversify its manufacturing from China seemed like a solid strategy, until President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” this hit many other countries, too. Trump tariffs threaten Apple’s supply chain, stock suffers steepest drop in 5 years.

Today, many automakers, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers (CMs), and electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers, face the dual challenge of keeping pace with rapid technological advancements while managing significant geopolitical risks affecting their supply chains. Trump’s planned tariffs on chip imports risk upending a global supply chain and could lead to oversupply as the US and other countries seek domestic production Pentagon leaders are calling for thousands of drones to prepare for war in the Pacific. But as Trump’s tariffs escalate tensions with China, they face an uncomfortable reality: Silicon Valley’s drone companies are addicted to Chinese components.

Trump has repeatedly called out and accused Taiwan of stealing the U.S. chip manufacturing business and touted tariffs on semiconductor imports. Trump wants to see more chip manufacturing to happen in USA. Semiconductors are at the heart of America’s strength, enabling the essential technologies that drive economic growth and national security. Semiconductors are at the heart of America’s strength, enabling the essential technologies that drive economic growth and national security. With demand for semiconductors projected to increase significantly by 2030 and beyond, semiconductor companies are ramping up production and innovation to keep pace. The Future of U.S. Semiconductor manufacturing in 2025 seems to be TSMC’s Expansion and Intel’s delay. Two major players in the industry, TSMC and Intel, stand at opposite ends of the current manufacturing landscape as the United States attempts to boost its domestic chip ecosystem. TSMC’s costly expansion and Intel’s delayed reshoring efforts represent the opposite ends of America’s semiconductor manufacturing efforts.

There are expert views that US chip production targets edge further out of reach under Trump administration because of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) on the markets now. The future of the CHIPS and Science Act and its manufacturing funding is increasingly doubtful. Donald Trump was vocal about his criticism of the CHIPS and Science Act that was meant to spur the build-out of a domestic semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. The CHIPS Act has become a cornerstone of U.S. policy to revitalize domestic semiconductor manufacturing. When it was announced, a flurry of investments from semiconductor manufacturers quickly accumulated to over $400 billion. While its passage and funding allotment did not occur as quickly as initially planned—something noted by many chipmakers over the last few years—it received significant bipartisan support within the U.S. government. The president is beginning to take action against the law to pivot towards tariffs, hoping to entice companies to onshore production in a bid to avoid import tax hikes.

Reuters reports that “some officials have expressed concern Trump could seek to invalidate binding grant agreements struck in the Biden administration.” Some projects are already facing uncertain futures. There is fear that US chip production targets edge further out of reach under Trump administration. Intel’s ambitious $28 billion semiconductor factory in Ohio has experienced significant delays. Originally planned as a cornerstone of Intel’s strategy to restore chip manufacturing to the U.S. and part of the CHIPS and Science Act’s push for government approval, the delay in Ohio raises questions about Intel’s ability to meet its goals for American chip production. The delay also raises questions about the future stability of the semiconductor industry in the U.S. for companies that don’t have the same capital as giants like TSMC.

There are also some agreements that seem to show some wins with the new tariffs politics. Trump announces $100 billion investment in U.S. from TSMC. Also Nvidia aims to spend several hundred billion dollars to procure US-made chips and electronics over the next four years, the Financial Times reported.

TSMC’s New Arizona Fab! Apple Will Finally Make Advanced Chips In The U.S.

While Trump’s tariff policy might boost investments into the U.S. by semiconductor manufacturers looking to avoid added costs, it won’t solve the labor shortage impacting the industry. Solving the problem will require a combined effort from chip manufacturers, education leaders, and government support. Those will be challenges. Semiconductor Industry Association project the semiconductor industry’s workforce will grow by nearly 115,000 jobs by 2030, from approximately 345,000 jobs today to approximately 460,000 jobs by the end of the decade, representing 33% growth. Of these new jobs, we estimate roughly 67,000—or 58% of projected new jobs (and 80% of projected new technical jobs)—risk going unfilled at current degree completion rates. Intel’s Ohio project, touted as one of the most ambitious semiconductor production facilities in the U.S., has faced delays due to logistical challenges, workforce issues, and regulatory hurdles. TSMC also had to delay its Arizona production schedules when it became clear there wasn’t enough specialized labor to operate its new facilities. This situation is not inherently unique to the U.S., as China, the EU, and even chip powerhouse Taiwan face obstacles caused by the labor shortage. To create a strong domestic ecosystem, the U.S. must grow a strong workforce that can run the new facilities.

In addition to chips there is will to have move the whole electronics products back to USA from Asia. Experts doubt Trump line that tariffs will shift manufacturing from Asia. The White House is insisting that Donald Trump’s vision of Apple’s flagship iPhones being manufactured in the US will come to fruition, despite assertions from analysts and the company itself that it would not be possible.. The reason seems to be that the US does not have the workforce of other nations where the vast majority of its electronics are currently manufactured, such as China, which makes about 85% of iPhones, India and Vietnam. The Wall Street Journal reported that, based on conversations with manufacturing experts, making and assembling all the components required to build an iPhone in the US would be impossible. “But shifting some manufacturing here? Not totally insane,” wrote WSJ’s tech team. For propaganda purposes China Creates Mocking AI Video of Average Americans Working in Garment Factory.

Intel 2025: Intel is in problem, and it is expected that it will sell some of it’s parts in 2025. In March Intel Corporation announced that its board of directors has appointed Lip-Bu Tan, an accomplished technology leader with deep semiconductor industry experience, as chief executive officer. The cutting-edge High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography tools is not expected to be production-ready until 2027 for a later node, designated 14A. It is expected that before that Intel would be forced to rely on existing Low NA EUV technology for 18A, likely employing complex and costly multi-patterning techniques. But new feature in Intel’s 18A is the utilization of BSPDN (Backside Power Delivery) that can give improved power efficiency along with signal integrity. Intel’s 18A is said to report an SRAM density equal to that of TSMC’s N2 process, signaling a massive breakthrough for the IFS and its semiconductor ambitions. Nvidia and Broadcom are running manufacturing tests with Intel, using the company’s most advanced production techniques, known as 18A. AMD is also evaluating whether Intel’s 18A manufacturing process is suitable for it.

TSMC-Intel semiconductor race is pretty much on, and it looks like the competition is going to get a lot more fiercer. Dutch company ASML – the sole global supplier of all EUV lithography machines – High NA EUV represents the next generation of this critical technology. TSMC gained ground by adopting EUV and at the same time, Intel extended the life of older DUV technology with complex multi-patterning, ultimately losing its process leadership.

Intel reported a 2024 net loss of $18.8 billion, its first since 1986, driven by large impairments. Intel was trying to get in on the AI ​​bandwagon and invested a lot in it. It turned out that they have no chance of getting in on the AI ​​bandwagon and ARM chips are still eating their x86 CPU market. This is a big business problem. Intel is expected to sell some of it’s parts. Multiple companies have expressed interest in buying parts of Intel. Intel is likely to be broken up into at least two, possibly even three or more pieces. Who will get Altera in 2025? Was the first question that was answered. Intel’s breakup begins with sale of $8.75B-valued Altera to private equity giant Silver Lake. Then we are waiting for the next move in Intel’s plan to shed non-core assets and reinvent itself. Hell freezes, pigs fly: Rumor has it that Intel could merge with AMD’s former foundry in potential multi-billion deal with GlobalFoundries or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and the world’s number two chip design firm Broadcom divide its assets up. We will sew that is happening later this year.

The buildout of AI infrastructure in the US has reached a macro-level scale, and ensuring continuous growth will require ample availability of capital. There is a fear that the economic uncertainty induced by Trump tariffs could become the single largest barrier to American AI supremacy because economic uncertainty often leads to delays, and delays leads to contractions. Fortunately, on a micro level, research indicates that the tariffs will not impact (for the most part) the competitiveness of the United States in AI infrastructure costs but rather through capital accessibility. Let’s wait to see how changing tariffs, loopholes, and global trade for AI-related infrastructure equipment. Cost of capital is rising, with soaring 10 year interest rates, and the tightening of financial conditions could likely lead to a short-term slowdown in the AI infrastructure buildout.. Tariffs can potentially have major short-term impact on US hyperscalers if they affect the key components. At the moment GPU servers are largely exempted from tariffs, but optical module costs will increase by 25-40%. Some manufacturers are significantly better positioned than others. Mexico is already a large assembly hub and will take a central role in this new world order. Datacenter construction costs could increase by mid-to-high single digits – but the TCO impact for GPU cloud operators is likely less than 2%.increase. Retaliatory tariffs targeting US Big Tech are possible.

Sources:

https://futurism.com/elon-musk-trouble-donald-trump-tariffs

https://www.salkunrakentaja.fi/2025/04/trump-tullifarssi-aloitteleva-sijoittaja/

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/orange-monday-2025-stock-market-crash

https://trib.al/3SqaBJz

https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/why-are-people-calling-today-orange-monday-memes-inspired-by-the-2025-stock-market-crash-explained

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-war/Trump-tariffs/Trump-chip-tariff-threat-throws-wrench-into-global-supply-network

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-20/nvidia-will-spend-hundreds-of-billions-on-chips-made-in-us-ft

https://yle.fi/a/74-20156456

https://wccftech.com/intel-18a-process-reportedly-comes-with-sram-density-on-par-with-tsmc-n2/

https://www.semiconductors.org/chipping-away-assessing-and-addressing-the-labor-market-gap-facing-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/

https://futurism.com/elon-musk-trouble-donald-trump-tariffs

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/03/tsmc-to-announce-100-billion-investment-in-us-chip-plants.html

https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/trump-biden-chips-act-future-federal-cuts-layoffs-musk/741052/

https://etn.fi/index.php/opinion/17239-trumpin-tariffisekoilu-aiheuttaa-ongelmia-puolijohdealalla

https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/17249-tunnelin-paeaessae-naekyy-jo-valoa

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-05/trump-calls-for-end-to-52-billion-chips-act-subsidy-program

https://www.eetimes.com/trumps-revamp-of-chips-act-aims-at-big-investments/

https://www.techradar.com/pro/hell-freezes-pigs-fly-rumor-has-it-that-intel-could-merge-with-amds-former-foundry-in-potential-multi-billion-deal

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https://wccftech.com/intel-18a-process-reportedly-comes-with-sram-density-on-par-with-tsmc-n2/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIltX9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYvnrhR4eesq60Y5LSNJolLapE3d5cLhC_nGCgoVHz228stCegxQkjiEzw_aem_H4OUKANJtC2QMgoj7aB83A

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TV market: Chinese makers have now pretty much taken over the global LCD TV market, as Chinese manufacturers of LCD TV panels, such as BOE, TCL CSOT and HKC, now control over 70% of global production capacity, up from 65% last year. LG Display officially sells off last LCD TV panel factory. Following Samsung Display, LG Display has officially sold its last remaining LCD TV panel factory to China’s TCL, marking the end of an era for LCD TV panel production in South Korea.

Projectors: Advancements in laser and LED projection are set to enhance brightness and color accuracy. While 4K is already a standard for premium projectors, 2025 could see 8K projectors enter the mainstream. By 2025, expect to see more ultra-portable projectors featuring foldable designs, integrated stands, and improved battery life. The rise of smart projectors equipped with built-in operating systems like Android TV and compatibility with popular streaming apps is expected. Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology and AI are set to revolutionize projector usability. Features like real-time autofocus, automatic keystone correction, and obstacle avoidance will start to become standard. LG’s latest projector is also a lamp and a Bluetooth speaker – and there’s a tiny new 4K projector too.

Camera sensors: Canon pushes the limits of 35mm with record 410-megapixel sensor 24,592 x 16,704 pixels. Canon develops CMOS sensor with 410 megapixels, the largest number of pixels ever achieved in a 35 mm full-frame sensor. Omnivision’s latest OV50X image sensor wot 50MP resolution is of the largest (~1 inch) type that can currently be integrated into a smartphone.

HDMI: HDMI 2.2 officially revealed at CES 2025. HDMI 2.2 can support up to 96Gbps bandwidth and 16K resolution. HDMI 2.2 is said to support a multitude of resolutions including 4K, 8K, 10K, 12K and even 16K, the latter two of which are new for HDMI 2.2. It will also have improved bandwidth, reaching 96gbps compared with HDMI 2.1′s 48gbps and DisplayPort’s 80gbps. HDMI 2.2 will also support 4K at 480Hz. HDMI also confirmed that the Ultra96 HDMI cable, which supports 96gbps and HDMI 2.2 features, will be available later in 2025. The first product supporting HDMI 2.2 are expected in first half of 2025.

GPMI: China launches HDMI and DisplayPort alternative called GPMI. China’s tech industry is pushing a new cable format called GPMI. It is to handle video, power, and data at once. New 480W and 192Gbps GPMI format signals China’s broader move beyond USB-C and western cable standards. There is a group of over 50 Chinese tech companies – including major TV makers like TCL, Hisense, and Skyworth – have come together to launch a new connector standard called GPMI (General Purpose Media Interface), so there is a possibility that it catches support in at least Chinese market. There are two versions: GPMI Type-C and GPMI Type-B. The Type-C version looks and works a lot like USB-C and already supports up to 96Gbps of data and 240W charging. The Type-C version of GPMI has already been licensed for use under the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum), so it should be compatible with existing USB-C ports. The larger Type-B port can push up to 192Gbps and 480W. Existing competing standards are HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps with no power delivery) and DisplayPort 2.1 (80Gbps with up to 240W power). I don’t expect HDMI to go away any time soon in the light of GPMI.

Beyond RGB: A new compression format called Spectral JPEG XL might finally solve this growing problem in scientific visualization and computer graphics when working with special cameras that capture light your eyes can’t even see. Spectral imaging is imaging that uses multiple bands across the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectral JPEG XL compression is a new image file format that efficiently stores invisible light data. JPEG XL Image Coding System is a royalty-free open standard for a compressed raster image format that compresses extremely well (lossless, if you want) and, unlike JPEG, also allows storage of 16 bit (even up to 32 bit) image files. Major operating systems, web browsers, and image editing software are increasingly adopting support for this efficient compression technology.

Physical media: Physical Media Is Dead, Long Live Physical Media. Much has been written about the demise of physical media that was long considered the measure of technological progress in audiovisual and computing fields. Not all is well in this digital-only paradise, as the problems with having no physical copy of the item which you purportedly purchased are becoming increasingly more evident – increased service costs, privacy, items being removed or altered without your consent. Our movies, series, books, games and software will be more and more locked behind what are essentially leasing services. Off-line, physical media is once again increasing in appeal to a lot of users. The death and second life of physical media. All of which points to that the physical formats of the future will likely remain CDs, Blu-rays and even vinyl records and cassette tapes as the most popular formats. Digital media-as-a-service will not go away, as it has too many advantages. Especially in terms of low distribution cost.

The early 2000s were the halcyon days of physical media, but they are still here. One of the unexpected things to happen in the music industry is how an obsolete formats have came to be the great saviour of the music industry. Vinyl records, once consigned to the rubbish dumps, have become the format of choice among audiophiles and hipsters alike. Cassette tapes are also having a resurgence among some music fans. Why Are Cassette And CD Players So Big Now?

CD: Despite the ease and accessibility of apps like Spotify and Apple Music, over the past few years we’ve seen the humble CD make something of a comeback. CD outsells vinyl. There are several Reasons Why CDs Still Rule Over Streaming. But some of the new CDs are not everywhere like they used to. Your new CDs could be lighter, weaker, and worse. Certainly in Europe there has been no noticeable drop in disc manufacture quality. Also Everyone Thought the Loudness War Was Over, but They Were Dead Wrong

Cassette: Cassette tapes are clicking and clacking their way back to the trends. It’s Not Just Vinyl and CDs; Cassette Tapes Are Also Making a Quiet Comeback

Blue-Ray: Sony is killing off its blank Blu-ray discs. This effectively could mean that Sony discontinues recordable Blu-ray media with “no successor” planned. After 18 years, Sony’s recordable Blu-ray media production draws to a close. The company already ended the production of recordable consumer Blu-ray and optical disks in mid-2024. Verbatim and I-O Data have pledged to continue to support the recordable optical media market. Verbatim pledges ‘stable supply of optical disks’ after Sony Japan’s recordable Blu-ray exit. Also the pre-recorded Blue-Ray is fading out. Sony is also stopping to include Blue-Ray drive to their newest PS5 Pro gaming console because the popularity of physical disks have dropped.

Minidisc:MiniDiscs for recording, MD data for recording, and MiniDV cassettes will also be abandoned. Sony shuttered its last Japanese facility where it manufactured these data storage media.

Piracy: If you think streaming has killed music piracy, think again. Despite having more legal options than ever, fans are increasingly turning to illegal downloads and stream-ripping sites. Music piracy surged in 2024, with over 17 billion visits to piracy sites. The most used of which are stream-ripping sites, especially those that convert YouTube videos to MP3 files, which now make up almost 40% of all music piracy. This is not just about avoiding payment. It’s more about the users’ frustrations with a system that doesn’t meet their needs. Millions of Users Are Returning to Music Piracy and the Industry Only Has Itself to Blame.

MP3: Freed At Last From Patents, Does Anyone Still Care About MP3? The MP3 format, once the gold standard for digital audio files, is now free. The licensing and patents on MP3 encoders have expired, meaning you can now include them in your applications without paying royalties. The MP3 file format was always encumbered with patents, but as of 2017, the last patent finally expired. Although the format became synonymous with the digital music revolution that started in the late 90s, as an audio compression format there is an argument to be made that it has long since been superseded by better formats and other changes. The reality is that MP3, while still relevant in certain niche areas.

Wired headphones: The Headphone Jack Is Quietly Making a Comeback Nearly a Decade After Apple Tried to Kill It. Nine years after Apple boldly declared the death of the headphone jack, an unexpected shift is taking place in the tech world. There is still development n headphone tech: Unconventional headphones: Sonic response consistency, albeit cosmetically ungainly

6G: 6G will not bring major changes for consumers. Consumers have benefited from 5G, but, for example, in the automotive industry, Industry 4.0, and healthcare, its potential has largely gone unfulfilled. Despite this, 6G development is underway – now it is time to define the technology so that it provides real business value. The technology is expected to enable the use of digital twins, for example. A model called Everything as a Service (Compute-aaS, AI-aaS) will emerge, where computing power and AI services move to cloud services. Another key development step is Ambient IoT, which is a more advanced version of IoT technology and could potentially replace RFID systems in the future. Ambient IoT is already part of the 3GPP Rel. 19 planning. Open interfaces such as the Open RAN model, which should be considered in the early stages of 6G development. Mobile network operators want to ensure that “whatever they do for 5G and 5G Advanced is going to be applicable to 6G.

Chips: Qualcomm and MediaTek hold the top places in smartphone processor ranking list. After that come Apple and Samsung. Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, G2 Gen 2, and G1 Gen 2 for gaming handhelds, saying the G3 Gen 3 offers a CPU 30% faster than the previous generation. Regarding features, the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is Qualcomm’s first G-series chip to embrace Lumen, Unreal Engine 5′s fully dynamic global illumination and reflections system.

Android: There will be some changes in Android phones because Google will develop the Android OS fully in private. The future Android OS development will now fully happen behind closed doors, but Google says it’s committed to releasing source code. Amazon will discontinue its app store for Android on August 20 this year. Xaomi is working on a tool to run PC games on Android tablet.

Duopoly: Mobile duopoly by Apple and Google is seen an emerging problem. UK competition probe of mobile browsers finds Apple-Google duopoly is ‘anti-innovation’

Smart phone camera: Realme unveiled a new Ultra concept phone that offers DSLR-level photography in a smartphone. It supports using interchangeable lenses. The device features a customized 1-inch Sony IMX989 image sensor, designed to work with interchangeable lenses. Additionally, the phone includes an ultra-wide Sony IMX890 sensor and a periscope-style Sony IMX989 sensor.

The end of proprietary chargers is near? USB-C is now effectively mandatory in Europe as the new charging era begins. Now all phones and other wireless devices sold in the EU market must have a unified USB-C port. The USB-C connector requirements apply to various device categories, such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headset microphones, handheld video game consoles, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, and earbuds or their charging cases. If a device supports fast charging, it must support at least USB Power Delivery charging technology. For laptops, the new requirements will apply starting April 28, 2026.

Energy marking: Mobile phones and tablets sold after Midsummer must have an energy label. This is an EU eco-design requirement that will come into effect on 20 June 2025. The aim is to extend the lifespan of mobile phones and tablets, increase their durability and reduce electricity consumption. In addition, the products must be easier to repair and their software must be updated for longer than before.

Smart watches: Generative AI is expected to revitalizes wearable devices and smartwatches drive wrist-worn wearable growth in 2025 even though there are some worrying about Forever Chemicals in Smartwatch Bands. Also Smartglasses and Smart Rings Poised for Growth

Foldable phones: Foldable phones are a glimpse into the future but also not really there yet. Samsung just teased a tri-fold folding phone at Galaxy Unpacked 2025.

President Donald Trump imposed 20% tariffs on China after taking office in January. Under a sweeping new plan aimed at stimulating U.S. manufacturing announced Wednesday, he added another 34% in reciprocal tariffs, bringing the total to 54%. Most of the 200 million iPhones Apple produces each year are made in China, and the iPhones could take the big hit in the price. The high end iPhone can cost soon up to $2300.

The price of Samsung phones can increase because Korea faces steep tariffs as US launches broad trade overhaul: Confusion arises as Trump cites 25% tariff for Korea, while White House document lists 26%.

President Donald Trump’s administration in the United States has shown in a short time that it is not very careful about protecting even the sensitive data of its own citizens and even their own military secrets.

More than 80% of Europe’s digital technologies and infrastructures are imported, and 70% of the foundational AI models used globally originate in the United States. Meanwhile, European companies account for just 7% of global research spending on software and the internet. These figures alone highlight Europe’s heavy reliance on other economic powers in the digital sector.

We have long assumed in Finland and Europe that the physical location of the data is essential. Now there has been a lot of discussion about which country’s legislation the entity that stores the data is subject to. Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Apple are large American cloud service providers. EU laws of course oblige them somewhat but US laws even more. The new Doge agency has sought broad access to, for example, Americans’ social security data. At the same time, experts know that critical health data of Finns is also stored on American servers.

European companies are looking for replacements for cloud services from Amazon, Google and Microsoft, among others, as trust in the US administration has eroded. The search for European alternatives for popular services from USA has started. Millions are visiting the European Alternatives siteMillions are visiting the European Alternatives site for most popular top 5 categories:
- Email providers
- Search Engines
- Cloud Computing Platforms
- Navigation Apps
- Web Analytics Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, which dominate the cloud services market, may lose their market share as European companies increasingly turn their attention to cloud services within the eurozone.

https://european-alternatives.eu/ is a site is created to help to find European alternatives for digital service and products, like cloud services and SaaS products. The european-alternatives.edu site has no ratings, but the different categories and what is in them are discussed widely

There are six Euro alternative search engines listed:
Qwant (French, uses Bing search index + their own; separate search engine for kids)
Ecosia (Germany, uses Bing or Google, depending on your preferences, has advertising but donates 80% of surplus revenue to conservation projects)
Startpage (Netherlands, uses Google & Bing results, but with focus on privacy)
Good (non-profit search engine from Germany, uses Brave search index)
Swisscows (Swiss search engine uses Bing index + self-made one)
metaGer (German metasearch combining search results from other providers)

Boycott USA: List of products to boycott, and alternative products is another site that lists European alternatives for digital products. It will help you find European alternatives for digital service and products, like email providers, search engines, cloud services and web browsers.

Europe is running the risk of falling even further behind global digital market leaders like the United States and China. The EuroStack initiative aims to counter this trend by developing Europe’s own comprehensive digital infrastructure. This industrial policy framework integrates technology, financing, economic development, political governance, sustainability and public interest considerations.

EU OS is a Community-led Proof-of-Concept for a free Operating System for the EU public sector. It is a a Fedora-based Linux operating system with a KDE Plasma desktop environment.The added value of EU OS is a common Linux OS as a base for all EU OS users with options to layer on top modifications (national layer, regional or sector-specific layer, organsation-specific layer).

Sources:

https://www.storagereview.com/news/proxmox-ve-8-3-enhanced-features-for-enterprise-virtualization

https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1ifr95c/european_alternatives_for_popular_services_from/

https://news.itsfoss.com/eu-os/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14538621/EU-ww3-ukraine-russia-europe-war-survival-kit-global-conflict.html

https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000011108658.html

https://european-alternatives.eu/

https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000011108658.html

https://euro-stackletter.eu/

https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/luottamus-usahan-rakoilee-yhtiot-etsivat-amazonille-microsoftille-ja-googlelle-eurooppalaisia-vaihtoehtoja/ddcc0e43-1fac-4274-bb0b-0da80a07b4ae

Sinäkin joudut nyt valinnan eteen – syynä Trumpin ja Muskin toiminta

https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000011106183.html

https://talk.tidbits.com/t/european-alternatives-for-digital-products-services/30609/2

https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/106324/european-alternatives-for-digital-products

https://european-alternatives.eu/

https://github.com/happysegfault/boycottusa

European alternatives for popular services

https://european-alternatives.eu/alternatives-to

https://euro-stackletter.eu/

https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/en/our-projects/reframetech-algorithmen-fuers-gemeinwohl/project-news/eurostack-a-european-alternative-for-digital-sovereignty

https://eu-os.gitlab.io

The interest in Java is dropping. February 2025 TIOBE programming community index. C++, which has long been the cornerstone of system programming and performance-critical applications, has officially overtaken Java to take second place in the TIOBE programming language popularity index. A new report from the Java vendor Azul claims that 88% of companies are considering moving off of Oracle Java to another alternative as a result of rising costs and restrictive policies from Oracle, among other issues.

The growing trend in the world of software development: speed matters. C++, Go, and Rust are gaining popularity because the need for computing power increases faster than speed of CPUs is increasing, sothere is a growing interest to the fast programming languages. While C++ is establishing itself, other fast languages ​​are making significant strides. Go continues its top 10 ranking, while Rust has reached an all-time high.

Python still holds its place at the top of the programming world. Since the number of trained experts in the software industry is not enough to cover the growing need, professionals from many other fields are taking over programming skills with the help of Python. This ensures that Python maintains its position even as speed continues to be emphasized in programming language choices. Programs written with Python are often notoriously slow and inefficient. Python 3.14, due out later this year, is set to receive a new type of interpreter that can boost performance by up to 30% with no changes to existing code. Write Python like it’s 2025 and check Python Libraries That Will Make You Feel Like a Data Wizard.

There are also innovative alternatives to the popular languages are gaining steam—and one of them could be the perfect fit for your next project. Top programming languages to learn in 2025: Python, JavaScript, Rust, and more – maybe also Go. Check out also those 11 cutting-edge programming languages to learn now or decide it is better for you to not going to learn a new programming language this year.

Microsoft is actively pushing Visual Studio Code extensions for many uses and even replacing existing separate tools. GitHub Copilot is advertised as your AI pair programmer tool in Visual Studio Code. Check the Best VS Code Extensions to Boost Your Productivity.

Best Backend Frameworks for 2025: A Developer’s Guide to Making the Right Choice The stakes for choosing the right backend framework have never been higher. With the explosion of AI-powered applications, real-time processing requirements, and microservices architectures, your framework choice can make or break your project’s success.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating at an astonishing pace, quickly moving from emerging technologies to impacting coding a lot AI tools have come heavily to the coding. Coders use AI to help their coding in many ways. You can write code quickly. How to refactor code with GitHub Copilot. How To Build Web Components Using ChatGPT. There are also warnings that Using GitHub Copilot is one sure-fire way to never actually learn how to do coding.

The web has come a long way from static HTML pages to dynamic and highly interactive applications. When traditional JavaScript-based web apps struggle with performance-intensive tasks, WebAssembly (WASM) promises to enable near-native performance on the web. Read Why WebAssembly (WASM) is the Future of High-Performance Web Apps.

JavaScript in 2025 will see advancements in serverless architectures, integration with WebAssembly, adoption of microfrontends, and more. JavaScript is also a fighting field. Deno filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Oracle’s trademark in November 2024. Oracle will not voluntarily release its trademark on the word “JavaScript”. Building Modern React Apps in 2025 – A Guide to Cutting-Edge Tools and Tech Stacks

The open source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment Node.js will soon support TypeScript by default, without extra configuration. Node 23 will be able to run TypeScript files without any extra configuration. Express is an extremely commonly used web server application framework in Node.js.

Open Source in 2025: Strap In, Disruption Straight Ahead article takes a look for new tensions to arise in the New Year over licensing, the open source AI definition, security and compliance, and how to pay volunteer maintainers. For good news check out Top Open Source Projects to Watch in 2025 and 13 top open-source tools you must use for your next big project in 2025.

The Mobile Development Tech Stack for 2025 selection is important because the right tech stack can make or break your mobile app. The mobile development tech stack for 2025 is rich with opportunities.

Must-Know 2025 Developer’s Roadmap and Key Programming Trends article says that in the world of coding trends, one thing is clear: classic languages like Java, Python, and JavaScript are still important, but they’re being joined by new favorites such as Go and Rust. And when you ask “Is JavaScript or Python 2025?” the answer is rarely simple – and could be that you need both.
Here are some points:
Python’s Growth in Data Work and AI: Python continues to lead because of its easy-to-read style and the huge number of libraries available for tasks from data work to artificial intelligence. Tools like TensorFlow and PyTorch make it a must-have.
JavaScript and Its Ongoing Role in Building Website: JavaScript (and by extension, TypeScript) is the basic building block. JavaScript is still essential for web work, running both the parts you see on a site and the behind-the-scenes work, but many coders are now preferring TypeScript for business projects. Try building a small web app using React.
The Rise of Go and Rust: For those looking at future coding languages 2025, Go and Rust are getting a lot of attention.
Java, C++, and C#: The Reliable Favorites: Even in 2025, there’s no ignoring that languages like Java, C++, and C# are still important. Java continues to be a top choice for large business applications and Android app development, while C++ is key in systems work and game development.
There are several shifts that every aspiring coder should keep in mind:
Adding Artificial Intelligence to Coding: The future of coding is closely linked with AI
Building for the Cloud: With cloud computing becoming common, languages that handle many tasks at once and run fast (like Go and Rust) are more important than ever.
The Need for Full-Stack Skills: Coders today are expected to handle both the front part of websites and the back-end work. JavaScript, along with tools like Node.js and modern front-end libraries, is key.
Focus on Safety and Speed: With online security becoming a big issue, languages that help avoid mistakes are getting more attention. Rust’s features that prevent memory errors and Go’s straightforward style are good examples.
Keep Learning and Stay Flexible: One thing that never changes in tech is change itself. What is popular in 2024 might be different in 2025.

Here’s a simple table that sums up some facts in plain language:

Best Dev Stacks to Learn in 2025lists the top development stacks for 2025 to be:
1. MERN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js)
2. MEVN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Vue.js, Node.js)
3. JAMstack (JavaScript, APIs, Markup)
4. T3 Stack (Next.js, TypeScript, tRPC, Tailwind CSS, Prisma)
5. Flutter Stack (Flutter, Firebase)
6. PERN Stack (PostgreSQL, Express.js, React, Node.js)
7. Django Stack (Django, PostgreSQL, React/Angular)
8. DevOps Stack (Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Terraform)
9. AI/ML Stack (Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, FastAPI)
10. Blockchain Development Stack (Solidity, Ethereum, Hardhat)
11. Spring Boot + React Stack

10 hot programming trends — and 10 going cold
Hot: Repatriation
Not: Cloud bills
Hot: AI partners
Not: Human pair programming
Hot: Rust
Not: C/C++
Hot: Wasm
Not: Interpreters
Hot: CPUs
Not: GPUs
Hot: Zero-knowledge proofs
Not: Digital signatures
Hot: Trustworthy ledgers
Not: Turing-complete ledgers
Hot: GraphQL
Not: REST
Hot: Static site generators
Not: Single-page apps
Hot: Database configuration
Not: Software programming

What’s trending in Software-driven Automation (SDA) in 2025? Here are some predictions:
1. Virtual Safe Control – A new and novel concept introduced by CODESYS and SILista, making it possible to implement Functional Safety controller reaching SIL2 or even SIL3 level, using generic hardware with help of software virtualisation. This will significantly decrease cost of hardware and speed up development cycle.
2. Open platforms – This trend started already last year, and now we’re seeing more and more automation vendors coming this way. #ctrlXOS opened the game, and there are other vendors like Phoenix coming the same way with their PLCnext Virtualised.
3. Model-based Design (MBD) – An old concept but not yet fully utilised in development. Maybe because lack of well integrated toolchains in the past. But now we’re seeing more and more industrial players adopting the methodology in their product development.
4. AI, of course, but how? Naturally AI can assist in efficient software development and testing. Also some algorithm optimisation and condition monitoring with AI and ML has been seen.

AI in 2025: Five Defining Themes
https://news.sap.com/2025/01/ai-in-2025-defining-themes/
Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating at an astonishing pace, quickly moving from emerging technologies to impacting how businesses run. From building AI agents to interacting with technology in ways that feel more like a natural conversation, AI technologies are poised to transform how we work.
But what exactly lies ahead?
1. Agentic AI: Goodbye Agent Washing, Welcome Multi-Agent Systems
AI agents are currently in their infancy. While many software vendors are releasing and labeling the first “AI agents” based on simple conversational document search, advanced AI agents that will be able to plan, reason, use tools, collaborate with humans and other agents, and iteratively reflect on progress until they achieve their objective are on the horizon. The year 2025 will see them rapidly evolve and act more autonomously. More specifically, 2025 will see AI agents deployed more readily “under the hood,” driving complex agentic workflows.
In short, AI will handle mundane, high-volume tasks while the value of human judgement, creativity, and quality outcomes will increase.
2. Models: No Context, No Value
Large language models (LLMs) will continue to become a commodity for vanilla generative AI tasks, a trend that has already started. LLMs are drawing on an increasingly tapped pool of public data scraped from the internet. This will only worsen, and companies must learn to adapt their models to unique, content-rich data sources.
We will also see a greater variety of foundation models that fulfill different purposes. Take, for example, physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), which generate outcomes based on predictions grounded in physical reality or robotics. PINNs are set to gain more importance in the job market because they will enable autonomous robots to navigate and execute tasks in the real world.
Models will increasingly become more multimodal, meaning an AI system can process information from various input types.
3. Adoption: From Buzz to Business
While 2024 was all about introducing AI use cases and their value for organizations and individuals alike, 2025 will see the industry’s unprecedented adoption of AI specifically for businesses. More people will understand when and how to use AI, and the technology will mature to the point where it can deal with critical business issues such as managing multi-national complexities. Many companies will also gain practical experience working for the first time through issues like AI-specific legal and data privacy terms (compared to when companies started moving to the cloud 10 years ago), building the foundation for applying the technology to business processes.
4. User Experience: AI Is Becoming the New UI
AI’s next frontier is seamlessly unifying people, data, and processes to amplify business outcomes. In 2025, we will see increased adoption of AI across the workforce as people discover the benefits of humans plus AI.
This means disrupting the classical user experience from system-led interactions to intent-based, people-led conversations with AI acting in the background. AI copilots will become the new UI for engaging with a system, making software more accessible and easier for people. AI won’t be limited to one app; it might even replace them one day. With AI, frontend, backend, browser, and apps are blurring. This is like giving your AI “arms, legs, and eyes.”
5. Regulation: Innovate, Then Regulate
It’s fair to say that governments worldwide are struggling to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI technology and to develop meaningful regulatory frameworks that set appropriate guardrails for AI without compromising innovation.

12 AI predictions for 2025
This year we’ve seen AI move from pilots into production use cases. In 2025, they’ll expand into fully-scaled, enterprise-wide deployments.
https://www.cio.com/article/3630070/12-ai-predictions-for-2025.html
This year we’ve seen AI move from pilots into production use cases. In 2025, they’ll expand into fully-scaled, enterprise-wide deployments.
1. Small language models and edge computing
Most of the attention this year and last has been on the big language models — specifically on ChatGPT in its various permutations, as well as competitors like Anthropic’s Claude and Meta’s Llama models. But for many business use cases, LLMs are overkill and are too expensive, and too slow, for practical use.
“Looking ahead to 2025, I expect small language models, specifically custom models, to become a more common solution for many businesses,”
2. AI will approach human reasoning ability
In mid-September, OpenAI released a new series of models that thinks through problems much like a person would, it claims. The company says it can achieve PhD-level performance in challenging benchmark tests in physics, chemistry, and biology. For example, the previous best model, GPT-4o, could only solve 13% of the problems on the International Mathematics Olympiad, while the new reasoning model solved 83%.
If AI can reason better, then it will make it possible for AI agents to understand our intent, translate that into a series of steps, and do things on our behalf, says Gartner analyst Arun Chandrasekaran. “Reasoning also helps us use AI as more of a decision support system,”
3. Massive growth in proven use cases
This year, we’ve seen some use cases proven to have ROI, says Monteiro. In 2025, those use cases will see massive adoption, especially if the AI technology is integrated into the software platforms that companies are already using, making it very simple to adopt.
“The fields of customer service, marketing, and customer development are going to see massive adoption,”
4. The evolution of agile development
The agile manifesto was released in 2001 and, since then, the development philosophy has steadily gained over the previous waterfall style of software development.
“For the last 15 years or so, it’s been the de-facto standard for how modern software development works,”
5. Increased regulation
At the end of September, California governor Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring gen AI developers to disclose the data they used to train their systems, which applies to developers who make gen AI systems publicly available to Californians. Developers must comply by the start of 2026.
There are also regulations about the use of deep fakes, facial recognition, and more. The most comprehensive law, the EU’s AI Act, which went into effect last summer, is also something that companies will have to comply with starting in mid-2026, so, again, 2025 is the year when they will need to get ready.
6. AI will become accessible and ubiquitous
With gen AI, people are still at the stage of trying to figure out what gen AI is, how it works, and how to use it.
“There’s going to be a lot less of that,” he says. But gen AI will become ubiquitous and seamlessly woven into workflows, the way the internet is today.
7. Agents will begin replacing services
Software has evolved from big, monolithic systems running on mainframes, to desktop apps, to distributed, service-based architectures, web applications, and mobile apps. Now, it will evolve again, says Malhotra. “Agents are the next phase,” he says. Agents can be more loosely coupled than services, making these architectures more flexible, resilient and smart. And that will bring with it a completely new stack of tools and development processes.
8. The rise of agentic assistants
In addition to agents replacing software components, we’ll also see the rise of agentic assistants, adds Malhotra. Take for example that task of keeping up with regulations.
Today, consultants get continuing education to stay abreast of new laws, or reach out to colleagues who are already experts in them. It takes time for the new knowledge to disseminate and be fully absorbed by employees.
“But an AI agent can be instantly updated to ensure that all our work is compliant with the new laws,” says Malhotra. “This isn’t science fiction.”
9. Multi-agent systems
Sure, AI agents are interesting. But things are going to get really interesting when agents start talking to each other, says Babak Hodjat, CTO of AI at Cognizant. It won’t happen overnight, of course, and companies will need to be careful that these agentic systems don’t go off the rails.
Companies such as Sailes and Salesforce are already developing multi-agent workflows.
10. Multi-modal AI
Humans and the companies we build are multi-modal. We read and write text, we speak and listen, we see and we draw. And we do all these things through time, so we understand that some things come before other things. Today’s AI models are, for the most part, fragmentary. One can create images, another can only handle text, and some recent ones can understand or produce video.
11. Multi-model routing
Not to be confused with multi-modal AI, multi-modal routing is when companies use more than one LLM to power their gen AI applications. Different AI models are better at different things, and some are cheaper than others, or have lower latency. And then there’s the matter of having all your eggs in one basket.
“A number of CIOs I’ve spoken with recently are thinking about the old ERP days of vendor lock,” says Brett Barton, global AI practice leader at Unisys. “And it’s top of mind for many as they look at their application portfolio, specifically as it relates to cloud and AI capabilities.”
Diversifying away from using just a single model for all use cases means a company is less dependent on any one provider and can be more flexible as circumstances change.
12. Mass customization of enterprise software
Today, only the largest companies, with the deepest pockets, get to have custom software developed specifically for them. It’s just not economically feasible to build large systems for small use cases.
“Right now, people are all using the same version of Teams or Slack or what have you,” says Ernst & Young’s Malhotra. “Microsoft can’t make a custom version just for me.” But once AI begins to accelerate the speed of software development while reducing costs, it starts to become much more feasible.

9 IT resolutions for 2025
https://www.cio.com/article/3629833/9-it-resolutions-for-2025.html
1. Innovate
“We’re embracing innovation,”
2. Double down on harnessing the power of AI
Not surprisingly, getting more out of AI is top of mind for many CIOs.
“I am excited about the potential of generative AI, particularly in the security space,”
3. And ensure effective and secure AI rollouts
“AI is everywhere, and while its benefits are extensive, implementing it effectively across a corporation presents challenges. Balancing the rollout with proper training, adoption, and careful measurement of costs and benefits is essential, particularly while securing company assets in tandem,”
4. Focus on responsible AI
The possibilities of AI grow by the day — but so do the risks.
“My resolution is to mature in our execution of responsible AI,”
“AI is the new gold and in order to truly maximize it’s potential, we must first have the proper guardrails in place. Taking a human-first approach to AI will help ensure our state can maintain ethics while taking advantage of the new AI innovations.”
5. Deliver value from generative AI
As organizations move from experimenting and testing generative AI use cases, they’re looking for gen AI to deliver real business value.
“As we go into 2025, we’ll continue to see the evolution of gen AI. But it’s no longer about just standing it up. It’s more about optimizing and maximizing the value we’re getting out of gen AI,”
6. Empower global talent
Although harnessing AI is a top objective for Morgan Stanley’s Wetmur, she says she’s equally committed to harnessing the power of people.
7. Create a wholistic learning culture
Wetmur has another talent-related objective: to create a learning culture — not just in her own department but across all divisions.
8. Deliver better digital experiences
Deltek’s Cilsick has her sights set on improving her company’s digital employee experience, believing that a better DEX will yield benefits in multiple ways.
Cilsick says she first wants to bring in new technologies and automation to “make things as easy as possible,” mirroring the digital experiences most workers have when using consumer technologies.
“It’s really about leveraging tech to make sure [employees] are more efficient and productive,”
“In 2025 my primary focus as CIO will be on transforming operational efficiency, maximizing business productivity, and enhancing employee experiences,”
9. Position the company for long-term success
Lieberman wants to look beyond 2025, saying another resolution for the year is “to develop a longer-term view of our technology roadmap so that we can strategically decide where to invest our resources.”
“My resolutions for 2025 reflect the evolving needs of our organization, the opportunities presented by AI and emerging technologies, and the necessity to balance innovation with operational efficiency,”
Lieberman aims to develop AI capabilities to automate routine tasks.
“Bots will handle common inquiries ranging from sales account summaries to HR benefits, reducing response times and freeing up resources for strategic initiatives,”

Not just hype — here are real-world use cases for AI agents
https://venturebeat.com/ai/not-just-hype-here-are-real-world-use-cases-for-ai-agents/
Just seven or eight months ago, when a customer called in to or emailed Baca Systems with a service question, a human agent handling the query would begin searching for similar cases in the system and analyzing technical documents.
This process would take roughly five to seven minutes; then the agent could offer the “first meaningful response” and finally begin troubleshooting.
But now, with AI agents powered by Salesforce, that time has been shortened to as few as five to 10 seconds.
Now, instead of having to sift through databases for previous customer calls and similar cases, human reps can ask the AI agent to find the relevant information. The AI runs in the background and allows humans to respond right away, Russo noted.
AI can serve as a sales development representative (SDR) to send out general inquires and emails, have a back-and-forth dialogue, then pass the prospect to a member of the sales team, Russo explained.
But once the company implements Salesforce’s Agentforce, a customer needing to modify an order will be able to communicate their needs with AI in natural language, and the AI agent will automatically make adjustments. When more complex issues come up — such as a reconfiguration of an order or an all-out venue change — the AI agent will quickly push the matter up to a human rep.

Open Source in 2025: Strap In, Disruption Straight Ahead
Look for new tensions to arise in the New Year over licensing, the open source AI definition, security and compliance, and how to pay volunteer maintainers.
https://thenewstack.io/open-source-in-2025-strap-in-disruption-straight-ahead/
The trend of widely used open source software moving to more restrictive licensing isn’t new.
In addition to the demands of late-stage capitalism and impatient investors in companies built on open source tools, other outside factors are pressuring the open source world. There’s the promise/threat of generative AI, for instance. Or the shifting geopolitical landscape, which brings new security concerns and governance regulations.
What’s ahead for open source in 2025?
More Consolidation, More Licensing Changes
The Open Source AI Debate: Just Getting Started
Security and Compliance Concerns Will Rise
Paying Maintainers: More Cash, Creativity Needed

Kyberturvallisuuden ja tekoälyn tärkeimmät trendit 2025
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/11/20/kyberturvallisuuden-ja-tekoalyn-tarkeimmat-trendit-2025/
1. Cyber ​​infrastructure will be centered on a single, unified security platform
2. Big data will give an edge against new entrants
3. AI’s integrated role in 2025 means building trust, governance engagement, and a new kind of leadership
4. Businesses will adopt secure enterprise browsers more widely
5. AI’s energy implications will be more widely recognized in 2025
6. Quantum realities will become clearer in 2025
7. Security and marketing leaders will work more closely together

Presentation: For 2025, ‘AI eats the world’.
https://www.ben-evans.com/presentations

Just like other technologies that have gone before, such as cloud and cybersecurity automation, right now AI lacks maturity.
https://www.securityweek.com/ai-implementing-the-right-technology-for-the-right-use-case/
If 2023 and 2024 were the years of exploration, hype and excitement around AI, 2025 (and 2026) will be the year(s) that organizations start to focus on specific use cases for the most productive implementations of AI and, more importantly, to understand how to implement guardrails and governance so that it is viewed as less of a risk by security teams and more of a benefit to the organization.
Businesses are developing applications that add Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities to provide superior functionality and advanced personalization
Employees are using third party GenAI tools for research and productivity purposes
Developers are leveraging AI-powered code assistants to code faster and meet challenging production deadlines
Companies are building their own LLMs for internal use cases and commercial purposes.
AI is still maturing
However, just like other technologies that have gone before, such as cloud and cybersecurity automation, right now AI lacks maturity. Right now, we very much see AI in this “peak of inflated expectations” phase and predict that it will dip into the “trough of disillusionment”, where organizations realize that it is not the silver bullet they thought it would be. In fact, there are already signs of cynicism as decision-makers are bombarded with marketing messages from vendors and struggle to discern what is a genuine use case and what is not relevant for their organization.
There is also regulation that will come into force, such as the EU AI Act, which is a comprehensive legal framework that sets out rules for the development and use of AI.
AI certainly won’t solve every problem, and it should be used like automation, as part of a collaborative mix of people, process and technology. You simply can’t replace human intuition with AI, and many new AI regulations stipulate that human oversight is maintained.

7 Splunk Predictions for 2025
https://www.splunk.com/en_us/form/future-predictions.html
AI: Projects must prove their worth to anxious boards or risk defunding, and LLMs will go small to reduce operating costs and environmental impact.

OpenAI, Google and Anthropic Are Struggling to Build More Advanced AI
Three of the leading artificial intelligence companies are seeing diminishing returns from their costly efforts to develop newer models.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-13/openai-google-and-anthropic-are-struggling-to-build-more-advanced-ai
Sources: OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are all seeing diminishing returns from costly efforts to build new AI models; a new Gemini model misses internal targets

It Costs So Much to Run ChatGPT That OpenAI Is Losing Money on $200 ChatGPT Pro Subscriptions
https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-chatgpt-pro-subscription-losing-money?fbclid=IwY2xjawH8epVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeggEpKe8ZQfjtPRC0f2pOI7A3z9LFtFon8lVG2VAbj178dkxSQbX_2CJQ_aem_N_ll3ETcuQ4OTRrShHqNGg
In a post on X-formerly-Twitter, CEO Sam Altman admitted an “insane” fact: that the company is “currently losing money” on ChatGPT Pro subscriptions, which run $200 per month and give users access to its suite of products including its o1 “reasoning” model.
“People use it much more than we expected,” the cofounder wrote, later adding in response to another user that he “personally chose the price and thought we would make some money.”
Though Altman didn’t explicitly say why OpenAI is losing money on these premium subscriptions, the issue almost certainly comes down to the enormous expense of running AI infrastructure: the massive and increasing amounts of electricity needed to power the facilities that power AI, not to mention the cost of building and maintaining those data centers. Nowadays, a single query on the company’s most advanced models can cost a staggering $1,000.

Tekoäly edellyttää yhä nopeampia verkkoja
https://etn.fi/index.php/opinion/16974-tekoaely-edellyttaeae-yhae-nopeampia-verkkoja
A resilient digital infrastructure is critical to effectively harnessing telecommunications networks for AI innovations and cloud-based services. The increasing demand for data-rich applications related to AI requires a telecommunications network that can handle large amounts of data with low latency, writes Carl Hansson, Partner Solutions Manager at Orange Business.

AI’s Slowdown Is Everyone Else’s Opportunity
Businesses will benefit from some much-needed breathing space to figure out how to deliver that all-important return on investment.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-11-20/ai-slowdown-is-everyone-else-s-opportunity

Näin sirumarkkinoilla käy ensi vuonna
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/16984-naein-sirumarkkinoilla-kaey-ensi-vuonna
The growing demand for high-performance computing (HPC) for artificial intelligence and HPC computing continues to be strong, with the market set to grow by more than 15 percent in 2025, IDC estimates in its recent Worldwide Semiconductor Technology Supply Chain Intelligence report.
IDC predicts eight significant trends for the chip market by 2025.
1. AI growth accelerates
2. Asia-Pacific IC Design Heats Up
3. TSMC’s leadership position is strengthening
4. The expansion of advanced processes is accelerating.
5. Mature process market recovers
6. 2nm Technology Breakthrough
7. Restructuring the Packaging and Testing Market
8. Advanced packaging technologies on the rise

2024: The year when MCUs became AI-enabled
https://www-edn-com.translate.goog/2024-the-year-when-mcus-became-ai-enabled/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1_fEakArfPtgGZfjd-NiPd_MLBiuHyp9qfiszczOENPGPg38wzl9KOLrQ_aem_rLmf2vF2kjDIFGWzRVZWKw&_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=fi&_x_tr_hl=fi&_x_tr_pto=wapp
The AI ​​party in the MCU space started in 2024, and in 2025, it is very likely that there will be more advancements in MCUs using lightweight AI models.
Adoption of AI acceleration features is a big step in the development of microcontrollers. The inclusion of AI features in microcontrollers started in 2024, and it is very likely that in 2025, their features and tools will develop further.

Just like other technologies that have gone before, such as cloud and cybersecurity automation, right now AI lacks maturity.
https://www.securityweek.com/ai-implementing-the-right-technology-for-the-right-use-case/
If 2023 and 2024 were the years of exploration, hype and excitement around AI, 2025 (and 2026) will be the year(s) that organizations start to focus on specific use cases for the most productive implementations of AI and, more importantly, to understand how to implement guardrails and governance so that it is viewed as less of a risk by security teams and more of a benefit to the organization.
Businesses are developing applications that add Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities to provide superior functionality and advanced personalization
Employees are using third party GenAI tools for research and productivity purposes
Developers are leveraging AI-powered code assistants to code faster and meet challenging production deadlines
Companies are building their own LLMs for internal use cases and commercial purposes.
AI is still maturing

AI Regulation Gets Serious in 2025 – Is Your Organization Ready?
While the challenges are significant, organizations have an opportunity to build scalable AI governance frameworks that ensure compliance while enabling responsible AI innovation.
https://www.securityweek.com/ai-regulation-gets-serious-in-2025-is-your-organization-ready/
Similar to the GDPR, the EU AI Act will take a phased approach to implementation. The first milestone arrives on February 2, 2025, when organizations operating in the EU must ensure that employees involved in AI use, deployment, or oversight possess adequate AI literacy. Thereafter from August 1 any new AI models based on GPAI standards must be fully compliant with the act. Also similar to GDPR is the threat of huge fines for non-compliance – EUR 35 million or 7 percent of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.
While this requirement may appear manageable on the surface, many organizations are still in the early stages of defining and formalizing their AI usage policies.
Later phases of the EU AI Act, expected in late 2025 and into 2026, will introduce stricter requirements around prohibited and high-risk AI applications. For organizations, this will surface a significant governance challenge: maintaining visibility and control over AI assets.
Tracking the usage of standalone generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, is relatively straightforward. However, the challenge intensifies when dealing with SaaS platforms that integrate AI functionalities on the backend. Analysts, including Gartner, refer to this as “embedded AI,” and its proliferation makes maintaining accurate AI asset inventories increasingly complex.
Where frameworks like the EU AI Act grow more complex is their focus on ‘high-risk’ use cases. Compliance will require organizations to move beyond merely identifying AI tools in use; they must also assess how these tools are used, what data is being shared, and what tasks the AI is performing. For instance, an employee using a generative AI tool to summarize sensitive internal documents introduces very different risks than someone using the same tool to draft marketing content.
For security and compliance leaders, the EU AI Act represents just one piece of a broader AI governance puzzle that will dominate 2025.
The next 12-18 months will require sustained focus and collaboration across security, compliance, and technology teams to stay ahead of these developments.

The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) is a multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
https://gpai.ai/about/#:~:text=The%20Global%20Partnership%20on%20Artificial,activities%20on%20AI%2Drelated%20priorities.

Pimeän verkon keskustelut paljastavat: Tällaista kyytiä on luvassa vuonna 2025
Keskustelut paljastavat ensi vuoden uhkakuvat.
https://www.is.fi/digitoday/tietoturva/art-2000010908617.html

VPN provider NordVPN has partnered with researchers at NordStellar to predict the cyber threats of 2025. The companies analyzed the largest dark web forums to identify the most talked about and trending topics. These include:
Advanced disinformation services
Stolen digital identities
AI-based social engineering
Smart home vulnerabilities
The state of connected homes is already fragile, NordVPN warns.

Kyberturvallisuuden ja tekoälyn tärkeimmät trendit 2025
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/11/20/kyberturvallisuuden-ja-tekoalyn-tarkeimmat-trendit-2025/

Security firm Palo Alto Networks has released a comprehensive list of emerging threats and the impact of advances in artificial intelligence (AI) for the coming year. While they present their own risks, they also help malicious actors seek help to exploit the new capabilities of AI.

Cyber ​​infrastructure is focused on one unified security platform
Large amounts of data give an advantage against new entrepreneurs
Businesses are increasingly adopting secure enterprise browsers
In 2025, more attention will be paid to the energy impacts of artificial intelligence
The realities of quantum technology will become clearer in 2025
Security and marketing directors work more closely together

Kyberhyökkäykset ovat entistä laajempia, röyhkeämpiä ja vahingollisempia.
https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/?p=694453#9c1dc2d3

Cybersecurity company Fortinet has published a cyber threat forecast for 2025. According to it, threat actors will continue to rely on many traditional tactics that have been used for decades.
According to the report, the following cyber threats will be increasingly seen around the world starting next year.

Cybercriminals specialize in certain stages of the attack chain
Attacks on cloud environments are becoming more common
Automated hacking tools on dark web sales platforms
Real-life threats become part of attackers’ tactics
Anti-attack groups expand cooperation

A grim forecast for 2025
Security company warns of new-age cyberattacks.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/digiuutiset/a/3ba5142e-f0ee-43fe-8bd2-4468a9d2d5bd

According to security company Fortinet, many cybercriminals are making better attacks than before, which is not a good thing at all. In addition, old protection methods may not be enough as criminals find new ways to attack.
The company’s Fortiguard Labs team has compiled an updated threat forecast report for 2025, which underlines that cyberattacks are becoming more targeted and harmful, for example, as turnkey cyberattack services become more common.

1 Specialization
2 Cloud and artificial intelligence as themes
3 Real-life threats are part of the tactic

Fortinet reminds us that the responsibility for ensuring information security lies with everyone, not just corporate security and IT teams.
– No single organization or security team can prevent cybercrime on its own, it underlines.

Guidance to survive 2025:

Product Security Bad Practices
https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/product-security-bad-practices

MITRE shares 2024′s top 25 most dangerous software weaknesses
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/mitre-shares-2024s-top-25-most-dangerous-software-weaknesses/

Six password takeaways from the updated NIST cybersecurity framework
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/six-password-takeaways-from-the-updated-nist-cybersecurity-framework/