LAS VEGAS — 2024 was a busy year for the tech world.
The rise of generative artificial intelligence dominated headlines as companies raced to get out in front of harnessing the technology for themselves and making it available to consumers, offering a sense of excitement and possibility.
On the other hand, the tech sector was forced to face a wave of layoffs that swept through the industry during the summer months, with the aftermath leading to the layoffs being dubbed the “Great Tech Reset.”
Despite some high highs and low lows, the tech sector is still brimming with innovation and optimism for the future.
“Innovation is tangible. We can touch it and feel it. We know it when we see it,” said Brian Comiskey, senior director of innovation and trends and futurist at the Consumer Technology Association. “When we face an obstacle, a challenge or a conflict, humans adapt, create or design technology to provide solutions.”
Comiskey spoke ahead of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show on Sunday night to shine a light on a few of the emerging trends shaping technology that consumers can expect to see in 2025.
Gen Z and tech
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z represents the largest global generation ever, good for about one-third of the world’s population.
“To understand how technology changes, we first have to understand the people behind technology,” Comiskey said. “Political, economic and sociocultural shifts certainly impact tech adoption and use. However, it’s generational change that cuts at the very core of the evolution in the relationship between humanity and technology.”
For the tech industry, the rise of Gen Z represents a big change.
Why?
While millennials and Gen X are digitally fluent from the internet, Gen Z grew up with smartphones and tablets making them constantly connected and, thus, arguably the first true digital natives — and that impacts the generation’s tech purchasing patterns.
Research has shown Gen Z increasingly values sustainability and other cultural values in their purchasing habits. At the same time, the generation also engages in fast fashion and other less-than-sustainable habits, creating the idea of a value action gap.
“If Gen Z was exposed to products that had multiple sustainability values like recyclability and energy efficiency, they are two-and-a-half times more likely to purchase the product,” Comiskey said, adding that marketers and product designers will need to account for that when building the technology that Gen Z will engage with.
AI into 2025
In 2024, the AI retail market was $7 billion. By the end of the decade — only five years from now — Comiskey said the market is projected to be $30 billion.
Comiskey said that over half of U.S. consumers are using generative AI to personalize shopping, and at an individual shopper level, the use of AI generates a 40% higher likelihood of a purchase.
“AI will remain a key trend at CES this year. I don’t think that surprises,” Comiskey said. “It’s going to be about how does (AI) increase productivity?”
He added that companies like Chatbase are working to evolve AI into “AI agents” that can autonomously do business tasks such as payroll and client relationship management.
Additionally, companies like SES AI are developing batteries to power emerging humanoid robots.
It’s not just the upper-echelon of tech where AI is going to have an increased presence, either, as consumer devices are going to be equipped with stronger AI capabilities.
“AI integration in the next generation of consumer hardware — whether that’s a smartphone, a laptop, a TV or even smart glasses and vehicles — are transforming them from devices to intelligent platforms,” Comiskey said.
Human security
“Human security really speaks to human rights like environmental protection, food security, access to health care and others,” Comiskey said. “Technology has an opportunity and role to play in addressing and helping solve some of these challenges.”
He highlighted the energy transition as one avenue where he sees technology answering the bell when it comes to global challenges.
Companies are building power sources directly into our grids, with Eaton developing cooling technology for data centers and Siemens and Samsung working to automate home energy operations with the use of AI.
Another notion of human security is something that’s interconnected with energy and the environment, and that’s food security.
So, how can tech help with that?
Kubota is developing robotic technologies that help manage farmland, and John Deere on Monday revealed a host of new, autonomous machines that combine advanced computer vision, AI and cameras to help the machines navigate their environments.
“Our agriculture, construction, and commercial landscaping customers all have work that must get done at certain times of the day and year, yet there is not enough available and skilled labor to do the work,” said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer at John Deere. “Autonomy can help address this challenge. That’s why we’re extending our technology stack to enable more machines to operate safely and autonomously in unique and complex environments. This will not only benefit our customers but all of us who rely on them to provide the food, fuel, fiber, infrastructure and landscaping care that we depend on every day.”
Comfort and content in smart homes
So much attention has been given to technological advancements of transportation, and while that won’t be stopping in 2025, Comiskey posed a question for CES attendees.
What happens when you get home?
“When we’re there, we’re naturally seeking out comfort, and technology plays a role in supporting this,” he said.
There’s perhaps no better indicator of this than an item that is a staple of households across the U.S. and beyond: TVs.
Comiskey said TVs are transforming from entertainment consoles to “a smart home command center.”
“Smart home hubs will further health integration, greater energy management capabilities and deeper personalization via AI to build the home in a way that supports financial, physical and overall well-being,” Comiskey said.
Samsung, LG and Hisense are showcasing the next generation of AI-integrated TVs to help consumers manage their smart homes and flaunt the future of what entertainment could look like.
Ever envy a character’s outfit in a show or movie? Soon, you could have the capability to pause what you’re watching and buy that outfit right from your screen.
Comiskey said that video streaming services and video games will likely have more focus on live services in 2025. Netflix recently broke streaming records with the most streamed National Football League game ever in the U.S. on Christmas Day, and the success of video games like Marvel Rivals shows live services are a trend that won’t be going away anytime soon.
“We’re having our first track at the midpoint of this decade, all setting up to the 2030s,” Comiskey said. “If the 2020s is the intelligence decade, then the 2030s will be the quantum decade.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
