2025 Predictions Mid-Year Check-In: What’s Held Up, What Got Worse, and What I Didn't See Coming

Future-Focused with Christopher Lind

Congratulations on making it through another week and half way through 2025. This week’s episode is a bit of a throwback. If you don't remember or are new here, in January I laid out my top 10 realistic predictions for where AI, emerging tech, and the world of work were heading in 2025. I committed to circling back mid-year, and despite my shock at how quick it came, we’ve hit the halfway point, so it’s time to revisit where things actually stand.

If you didn't catch the original, I'd highly recommend checking it out.

Now, some predictions have held surprisingly steady. Others have gone in directions I didn’t fully anticipate or have escalated much faster than expected. And, I added a few new trends that weren’t even on my radar in January but are quickly becoming noteworthy.

With that, here’s how this week’s episode is structured:

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Revisiting My 10 Original Predictions

In this first section, I walk through the 10 predictions I made at the start of the year and update where each one stands today. From AI’s emotional mimicry and growing trust risks, to deepfake normalization, to widespread job cuts justified by AI adoption, this section is a gut check. Some of the most popular narratives around AI, including the push for return-to-office policies, the role of AI in redefining skills, and the myth of “flattening” capability growth, are playing out in unexpected ways.

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Pressing Issues I’d Add Now

These next five trends didn’t make the original list, but based on what’s unfolded this year, they should have. I cover the growing militarization of AI and the uncomfortable questions it raises around autonomy and decision-making in defense. I get into the overlooked environmental impact of large-scale AI adoption, from energy and water consumption to data center strain. I talk about how organizational AI use is quietly becoming a liability as more teams build black box dependencies no one can fully track or explain.

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Early Trends to Watch

The last section takes a look at signals I’m keeping an eye on, even if they’re not critical just yet. Think wearable AI, humanoid robotics, and the growing gap between tool access and human capability. Each of these has the potential to reshape our understanding of human-AI interaction, but for now, they remain on the edge of broader adoption. These are the areas where I’m asking questions, paying attention to signals, and anticipating where we might need to be ready to act before the headlines catch up.

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Show Notes:

In this mid-year check-in, Christopher revisits his original 2025 predictions and reflects on what’s played out, what’s accelerated, and what’s emerging. From AI dependency and widespread job displacement to growing ethical concerns and overlooked operational risks, this extended update brings a no-spin, executive-level perspective on what leaders need to be watching now.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

00:55 - Revisiting 2025 Predictions

02:46 - AI's Emotional Nature: A Double-Edged Sword

06:27 - Deepfakes: Crisis Levels and Public Skepticism

12:01 - AI Dependency and Mental Health Concerns

16:29 - Broader AI Adoption and Capability Growth

23:11 - Automation and Unemployment

29:46 - Polarization of Return to Office

36:00 - Reimagining Job Roles in the Age of AI

39:23 - The Slow Adoption of AI in the Workplace

40:23 - Exponential Complexity in Cybersecurity

42:29 - The Struggle for Personal Data Privacy

47:44 - The Growing Need for Purpose in Work

50:49 - Emerging Issues: Militarization and AI Dependency

56:55 - Environmental Concerns and AI Polarization

01:04:02 - Impact of AI on Children and Future Trends

01:08:43 - Final Thoughts and Upcoming Updates

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#AIPredictions #AI2025 #AIstrategy #AIethics #DigitalLeadership