As 2024 comes to a close, the world of AI and vector technologies stands on the brink of transformational change. What emerging trends will shape the landscape in 2025? From agentic AI systems to the growing importance of unstructured data, the next year promises significant advancements—and challenges—for businesses leveraging these technologies.
In this post, I’ve summarized key predictions from industry thought leaders and added my take on what it means for vector technologies, databases, and AI. Let’s dive into the trends to watch in 2025.
Josh Howard (Databricks Blog): Strategic Priorities for Data and AI Leaders in 2025
- Agentic AI Systems and Specialized AI Agents:
A shift towards post-training techniques is enabling AI systems to execute specialized tasks collaboratively. Agentic workflows during inference enhance debugging and quality improvement while using fewer resources. - Infrastructure Investment for AI Workloads:
Organizations are upgrading architectures to support AI workloads. Unified, silo-free data foundations are critical for seamless interaction with large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools. Robust governance and training are essential for operationalizing AI initiatives.
Source: Strategic Priorities for Data and AI Leaders in 2025, Josh Howard, Databricks Blog
Barr Moses (The New Stack): Why Agentic AI Could Be Doomed To Fail, and 3 More AI Predictions for 2025
- Challenges in Agentic AI Accuracy:
Agentic AI struggles with compounded accuracy issues in sequential tasks. Without major advancements, it risks limited adoption. - Generative AI as a Cost-Reduction Tool:
Generative AI is proving invaluable for automating repetitive tasks and addressing labor shortages. Examples include internal RAG-powered chatbots used for efficiency. - Shift Toward Proprietary AI Models:
Companies favor smaller, domain-specific models over large, general-purpose ones to reduce costs and enhance control. - Unstructured Data as a Competitive Edge:
Leveraging unstructured data is pivotal for AI success. Businesses are focusing on creating “unstructured data stacks” to unlock value and drive innovation.
Source: Why Agentic AI Could Be Doomed To Fail, and 3 More AI Predictions for 2025, Barr Moses, The New Stack
PWC: 2025 AI Business Predictions
- AI Strategy as a Differentiator: Companies embedding AI into operations will lead their industries. Success hinges on proprietary data and institutional knowledge.
- Workforce Transformation: AI agents will automate routine tasks, doubling workforce productivity and reducing reliance on outsourcing.
- Responsible AI: Governance frameworks will be vital for transparency and compliance.
- AI in Sustainability: Optimization tools will help organizations reduce energy consumption and meet sustainability goals.
- Accelerated Product Development: Multimodal AI is cutting product development lifecycles by half in key industries.
Source: 2025 AI Business Predictions, PWC
Amazon CTO Werner Vogels: Tech predictions for 2025 and beyond
- Mission-Driven Workforce: Employees are seeking purpose-driven roles. Organizations focusing on sustainability and social impact will thrive.
- Energy Efficiency Advancements: The rise of SMRs and renewables addresses the growing energy demands of generative AI.
- Combating Disinformation: AI tools will support fact-checking and promote accurate information dissemination.
- Decentralized Disaster Preparedness: Hyperlocal data will drive proactive community-based disaster management.
- Intention-Driven Consumer Technology: Tech that fosters mindfulness and user well-being will dominate.
Source: Tech predictions for 2025 and beyond, Werner Vogels, All things distributed
Gartner: Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025
Gartner’s “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025” identifies Agentic AI as a pivotal development. Agentic AI systems autonomously plan and execute actions to achieve user-defined goals, effectively serving as a virtual workforce that can offload and augment human tasks. Gartner predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI and 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI.
Source: Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025 and Intelligent Agents in AI Really Can Work Alone. Here’s How, Gartner
My take
The future of AI is deeply tied to data management, and vector technologies are the linchpin of this evolution. By enabling semantic search, similarity matching, and contextual understanding, vector databases are transforming how organizations leverage unstructured data like text, images, and videos.
Agentic AI’s accuracy challenges underscore the importance of precise data retrieval. Vector databases, with their ability to deliver contextually relevant results, can support more reliable multi-step workflows, ensuring that each decision is informed by accurate data.
In 2025, vector databases will transition from an optional upgrade to an essential component of AI-driven strategies, particularly in industries like healthcare, e-commerce, and customer support. However, as organizations adopt these powerful tools, it’s critical to ensure they remain approachable and efficient.
That’s where the data.KISS principle comes in—Keep It Simple, Stupid! This mantra reminds us to resist over-engineering solutions and instead focus on straightforward, practical implementations. Complexity can lead to inefficiencies, confusion, and higher costs, whereas radical simplicity fosters clarity, scalability, and long-term success.
By keeping data architectures simple yet robust, organizations can maximize the value of vector technologies without falling into the trap of “technology for technology’s sake.” Use case first leads to value. A streamlined approach aligns with the broader industry shift toward agile, meshed systems that adapt quickly to evolving needs.
Final Thoughts
As the year unfolds, the intersection of vector technologies and AI offers immense promise for innovation, efficiency, and value creation. How will your organization adapt to these trends? Share your thoughts or connect with us for insights on integrating vector technologies into your AI strategies.
Looking Ahead: Vector tech conferences or events
A selection of conferences or events containing vector tech sessions:
- Data Festival, 26-MAR-2025 until 27-MAR-2024, Munich
- Devoxx France, 16-APR-2025 until 18-APR-2025, Paris
- Devoxx UK, 07-MAY-2025 until 09-MAY-2025, London
- TDWI, 24-JUN-2025 until 26-JUN-2024, Munich
For more articles around Vector Tech see on my blog.
