The world of artificial intelligence is set for a big year, as 2025 is being viewed by many as the year it goes truly mainstream, fundamentally changing the way everyone uses technology.
Vice Chairman and COO at Dell Technologies, Jeff Clarke, called 2024 a “grand slam year” for tech. That said, he still expects 2025 to be even greater still. With anticipation high, Clarke has made some predictions about where the industry is headed over the next 12 months.
First, he sees AI delivering a meaningful return on investment, bringing it well and truly out of the ‘test and learn’ phase. He cites a recent survey by Morgan Stanley which found that most companies are already seeing an ROI on their GenAI solutions that’s either at or above their expectations. These reports are only set to improve, not just as more enterprises start to see a return, but also as those already seeing positive results witness further increases as they scale up.
Second, Clarke anticipates 2025 being the year when AI becomes the most important part of a PC architecture. There will be a shift, he supposes, from the data centre and cloud down to the individual device. AI computers running processes locally will offer a solution that’s not only faster and more secure, but more cost-effective too.
Finally, Clarke envisions a future where humans become managers of AI agents. These agents, he explains, are “software systems that can plan, make decisions and take action to achieve pre-defined goals.” The anticipation is that agents will soon evolve from their current position as somewhat passive applications requiring human input, to instead become multifaceted systems able to operate independently. Computer users will then become managers of these agent teams, each working on their own tasks and systems.
“The industry is unlocking new levels of productivity and capabilities every day,” Clarke enthused. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in my four decades in technology.”
