176 THE LAST WORD For many nations around the world, 2024 presented significant challenges, from coping with political upheaval and armed conflict, to navigating economic uncertainty based upon shifting responses to environmental and political pressures. Whilst many saw a general decline in their fortunes throughout the past 12 months, others passed the year-end enjoying solid signs of economic growth. Encouraging news comes from the International Monetary Fund, which expects the global economy to grow by 3.2 per cent in 2025. Although, this prediction comes with a warning that a modestly improving picture of easing inflationary pressure and falling interest rates will be subject to ongoing political upheaval around the globe. So how can civic and commercial leaders around the world learn from 2024’s frontrunners, and structure their operations in a way which will render them more able to generate growth and prosperity in 2025? The common consensus within the technology community is that artificial intelligence will continue to be the main agent of change across all sectors and likely a key driver of economic growth. This said, as the AI adoption cycle reaches an early level of maturity, words of caution are already suggesting prudent usage of this revolutionary set of cloud-based tools. In its series Predictions 2025, Forrester Group suggests that AI early adopters should “continue to be bold in planning your roadmaps but also take into account those prior lessons learned when making decisions and plans”. Furthermore, the same report sounds a word of caution to those expecting immediate AI wins, predicting that organisations “fixated on AI” will be tempted to scale back investment prematurely in the coming year as clear wins prove slow to materialise. Even with tools as powerful as these, growth comes at a measured pace. IDC’s 2024 AI opportunity study shows that more companies expect to build custom AI solutions tailored directly to industry needs in the next 24 months, including custom copilots and AI agents. For example, retailers are increasingly leveraging tailored AI solutions to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations. Gartner’s Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2025 forecasts that by 2028, 20 per cent of digital storefront interactions will be conducted by AI agents, with 15 per cent of daily decisions being made autonomously by AI powered solutions. This shows a growing maturity in AI fluency as companies realise the value of out-of-the-box use cases and expand to more advanced scenarios. Technology will undoubtedly play an important role in transforming enterprise and public sector landscapes in 2025, with obvious impacts upon the general economic health of the planet. However, as always, the real wins will be made by those with the clearest vision and the fortitude to embrace change. How AI can boost the economy As we head into 2025, how does the technology community view the global economic landscape? BY ANDY CLAYTON-SMITH Photo: iStock/gorodenkoff
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