When we say “technology” there’s a lot more than just artificial intelligence. Yet when talking about tech trends, AI is what most executives will point to. This year, leaders are seeing many trends around AI, from coding to handling multiple steps without human intervention to regulation. And a few executives will steer away from that conversation completely. We asked our Fast Company Impact Council members what technology trends they see gaining steam this year, and received an onslaught of ideas. We share 24 of those here.
1. TOOLS TO PROTECT ETHICAL USE
In the music space, AI platforms will start incorporating more tools that protect copyright and ethical use, especially as AI tools increasingly become more integrated into artists’ workflow. While there is justified pushback and fear around AI-generated art and music, AI will continue developing rapidly, and I predict there will be much-needed parameters to prevent artist exploitation balanced against more AI tools that are especially helpful for emerging artists to assist with everything from building websites to creating visuals. — Matt Mandrella, City of Huntsville, AL
2. DEEPFAKES
The problem of deepfakes will worsen significantly, leading to increased misinformation and higher levels of social engineering that lead to major breaches, high fraud levels, and losses. To counter this, enterprises of all sizes will have to leverage AI to more proactively monitor and respond to these deepfakes on social media, the internet, and the dark web, going well beyond the enterprise’s traditional borders. Businesses will need to be able to go after attacker’s infrastructure before it can be weaponized and used against their customers and employees. — Scott Harrell, Infoblox
3. AI IN DRUG DISCOVERY
One of the most exciting trends this year is the rise of generative AI in drug discovery, with antibiotics as a powerful case study. Moving beyond early prediction and screening, today’s generative models can design new molecules by embedding potency, safety, and other drug-like parameters directly into the system. We’re using these models to design novel antibiotic candidates in silico. We’re also seeing more collaborative AI ecosystems that help these models learn and improve. Shared data and infrastructure further strengthen these systems—especially in antibiotics, a foundation of modern medicine. — Akhila Kosaraju, MD, Phare Bio
4. PERSONALIZED LEARNING
From my vantage point advising boards and C-suites in edtech, the strongest trends include AI-powered personalized learning tailored to individual needs, with skepticism around fully automated models. Leaders want augmentation, not replacement. Expect growth in tools that enhance decision-making, productivity, and workforce agility as organizations define how humans and technology work together. Align AI adoption with measurable business outcomes rather than novelty. — Alan Baratz, D-Wave
5. VERTICAL AI AGENTS
At the core of a successful retail strategy is collaboration. Specialized vertical AI agents will change the way retailers and suppliers communicate and collaborate, by surfacing alerts and by leveraging AI missions that make autonomous decisions that give retail the optimization boost it needs. Currently, retailers, suppliers, and distributors each hold only a slice of the truth due to complex workflows, fragmented data, and cross-company processes that are siloed. Vertical AI agents can automate, negotiate, coordinate, and problem-solve, turning well-defined coordination into a competitive advantage. — Are Traasdahl, Crisp
6. REGULATION AFFECTS DATA COLLECTION
Strict data access legislation will increasingly affect Europe’s competitive prospects in AI development. If companies are unable to collect enough data, they might push forward with biased AI models built on small data sets. Additionally, Big Tech companies from the U.S. and China will lobby for exemptions when operating in Europe. Its results are already seen in how the U.S. equates EU regulation with a digital tax against Big Tech. — Denas Grybauskas, Oxylabs
7. AI ADAPTING IN CONTEXT
We’re moving from AI as a novelty to AI that can actually reason and adapt in context. The next wave isn’t just chat interfaces and LLMs, it’s systems that learn from real-world behavior and actions. We’re starting to see that show up in more interactive website experiences, including empowered personalization, where sites don’t just guess what you want, but ask directly and adjust based on your response. For example, a grocery site might notice you consistently choose organic products and ask whether it should prioritize those going forward. — Kevin Laymoun, Constructor
8. AI ACCOUNTABILITY
The biggest AI trend isn’t adoption—it’s accountability. As automation accelerates, leaders need to make human ownership visible: Who is responsible for decisions if something goes wrong? Pair every AI rollout with clear responsibility and explanation. That discipline builds trust faster than speed alone. — Tyler Perry, Mission North
9. AI EMBEDDED IN THE OPERATING MODEL
AI built on secure enterprise data, not broad consumer datasets, will accelerate as companies demand automation they can trust for accuracy and real decision‑making. But the real breakthroughs will come only when AI is embedded into the operating model, in a way that reshapes workflows, roles, governance, and decision rights instead of sitting on top of legacy processes. The fastest gains are likely to show up in back‑office automation, commercial augmentation, operations orchestration, and talent systems, where AI already has a track record of compressing cycle times and increasing performance. — Alice Mann, Mann Partners
10. AI AND TRUST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
The trend I’m watching most closely isn’t a single technology; it’s the convergence of AI and trust infrastructure in the Global South. The Solvers we work with are asking how to make sure this works for communities that have historically been the last to benefit and the first to be harmed. That tension is where the most important and underreported scrappy innovation is happening right now. — Hala Hanna, MIT Solve
11. AGENTIC AI
Agentic AI is the big shift. We’re entering the era of AI that acts: agents that plan, call tools, and complete multistep tasks with humans in the loop, moving from demos to real workflows. We’re prototyping interfaces for major brands where AI navigates on behalf of users. My advice: Pick one customer journey and rebuild it as if the user never touches a menu or form. That exercise reveals how much of your current UX is scaffolding AI can collapse. The real differentiator is the trust layer: reversible actions, intent signals, data provenance, and audit trails. That separates a demo from a product people rely on. — Peter Smart, Fantasy
12. A MOVE BACK TO ANALOG
I predict an embrace of analog. Flip phones and landlines, CDs and records, point-and-shoot cameras, and other un-algorithmic tech are gaining traction among kids who know social media is preying on them, and among parents course-correcting the “iPad kid” phenomenon. — Lindsey Witmer Collins, WLCM Studio
13. AI-POWERED LOCALIZATION
AI-powered localization and AI conversational platforms are the technology trends gaining significant momentum within creator marketing. Tools like TikTok Symphony enable one creator asset to speak 20 languages while preserving voice and authenticity, transforming the economics of global creator marketing. One strong creator relationship can now serve 20 markets through AI localization. At the same time, Gemini and ChatGPT are hiring ad sales teams from TikTok, Snap, and Meta to build new ad formats where creators will play a central role across search and conversational AI. — Ben Jeffries, Influencer
14. AI AND BLOCKCHAIN INTERSECTION
The future is at the intersection of AI and blockchain. As online activity is increasingly dominated by agents, those agents are going to need programmable money in the form of stablecoin to carry out their tasks. Blockchain technology excels at confirming authenticity, which will be highly relevant in areas ranging from validating model inputs to confirming the audit trail of a document being read by AI. — Michael Tannenbaum, Figure
15. INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC SAAS
People keep saying SaaS is dying and maybe that’s true for the big players, but there’s real opportunity for smaller, industry-specific products. We’re building agents using OpenClaw, but the process isn’t intuitive. As we build internally, it’s clear this space is just getting started, but the window to get it right is closing fast. — Kalie Moore, High Vibe PR
16. AI AS A TEAMMATE
Three trends are gaining steam. First, AI is becoming a teammate, embedded in workflows and able to act, not just advise. Second, change readiness and AI-native learning are now strategic: Continuous learning in the flow of work will define adaptability. Third, human skills rise in value. As AI expands what’s possible, human wisdom (judgment, empathy, discernment) determines what matters. The future belongs to teams where technology and talent work side by side. — Jacqui Canney, ServiceNow
17. OUTSOURCED PROVIDERS USE AI
First, there’s no need for staff increases. We are able to outsource all services without having any employees and to run our organization with the minimum of labor cost. Second, all our outsourced providers use AI extensively—our social media team in South Africa, developers in California, bookkeeping in Texas, fractional controller service nationwide, and assistant and chief of staff in North Carolina. — Larraine Segil, Exceptional Women Alliance
18. AI AND HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
The most important technology trend is the convergence of AI and human-centered design. AI is rapidly accelerating concept generation and research synthesis, but its real value depends on ethical frameworks and inclusive intent. We also see growth in accessible design, as aging populations and diverse users demand better solutions, and accessibility shifts from regulatory requirement to consumer aspiration. The firms that succeed will pair emerging technology with empathy, rigor, and measurable impact. — Ben Wintner, Michael Graves Design
19. VOICE AS THE NEW BROWSER
For two decades, the internet has been a visual experience mediated by screens, SEO, and pixels. But as conversational AI matures, voice is positioned to become the new browser. This year, we’ll see conversational AI and voice in particular really take off, as brands realize the next platform war won’t be fought over devices, but over who owns the conversational gateway to the internet. — Khozema Shipchandler, Twilio
20. TRANSLATE AI INNOVATION INTO PRODUCTIVITY AT SCALE
As AI adoption accelerates, institutional agility will determine the winners. Organizations that can reskill their workforce to take advantage of the disruptive power of AI the fastest will move ahead of their competitors. Using AI is only half the equation, and the less important half. The real challenge is redefining the work to translate AI innovation into productivity at scale. — Steve Holdridge, Dayforce
21. AI FOR WORKFLOWS
I see the design industry moving away from a scattershot mix of AI chat and image generation tools, toward integrating AI and automation into the actual design and delivery process. Major software platforms are absorbing startups or embedding AI directly into their ecosystems to improve stability and address IP risk. That consolidation is starting to replace design tool chasing with more intentional platform strategies. The firms that benefit most will be the ones building around workflows, not the novelty of the tool of the moment. — Steven McKay, DLR Group
22. AI AGENTS AS SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
AI agents for software development have improved by leaps and bounds. Instead of coding assistants, we’re now working with coding agents that have moved far beyond simple code completion. The paradigm has dramatically shifted from AI assisting human coders to human coders now assisting the AI with coding. This shift moves us away from the incremental “assembly line” model toward a true orchestration model—a new era where AI agents are becoming the primary drivers doing the tedious work of the software development lifecycle. — Alex Balazs, Intuit
23. REAL-TIME, ACTIONABLE PERSONAL HEALTH DATA
I’m watching two trends closely. One is personal health data becoming real-time and actionable. Wearables are moving beyond steps and sleep into glucose monitoring and stress tracking. People aren’t waiting for annual checkups. They’re experimenting and adjusting daily. The other is a return to physical experiences. There’s renewed interest in tangible tools, higher-end audio, vinyl, and devices that encourage offline focus. It’s not anti-technology. It’s intentional technology. People want better quality and less noise. Both trends are about control, over your body and your attention. That theme is only going to get stronger. — Logan Mulvey, GoDigital Music
24. AI AS PROPRIETARY TRAINING DATA
We are moving from AI models as the core value creation engine to novel/proprietary training data for models being the true differentiator and providing defensibility moats. — Shely Aronov, InnerPlant