The tech storylines of 2025
What will the biggest tech stories be in 2025? What can we expect in the year ahead?
From the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S. to the rapid advancements of artificial intelligence and tech policy under a new Administration, 2025 promises to be a year of unrelenting tech news…and this is only what we can foresee right now.
In our first newsletter of 2025, we examine nine major storylines for the year ahead that will shape the future of the internet.
// #1: The uncertain future of TikTok
The sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations will be a major storyline in 2025. Not only could it herald an era of new and different government regulation over social media platforms, but it could spark questions surrounding free speech and put on center-stage the geopolitics of our data. In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, starting on January 10th, when the ban is set to take effect. On December 27th, President-elect Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the upcoming federal law. Meanwhile, The People’s Bid for TikTok remains a leading option if ByteDance decides to sell.
// #2: The new social media landscape
The landscape of social media platforms is rapidly changing. Platforms like X are losing users (a decline of 8% of daily active users since October), and new entrants like BlueSky are rapidly growing. But the shifts underway in social media go beyond just redistributing users and shifting people into likeminded “filter bubbles.” New platforms are considering new economic models, new policies around data portability, and new ways for users to protect their privacy and ensure the youngest users are safe. One prominent example is WeAre8, which has partnered with Frequency blockchain. On WeAre8, its users (called "citizens") participate in a revenue-share whenever they watch ads on the platform, have greater control over their privacy and safety, and can take their content with them to other platforms. In addition to WeAre8, there are dozens of platforms in the “Fediverse,” the growing group of open-protocol social media platforms.
// #3: Data as the new (digital) gold
Our data can feel abstract, but its power is unmistakable. As we explored in December, we’re in the early days of a new economic revolution similar to the industrial and digital revolutions of the past. This is the data revolution. Two research studies from Project Liberty Institute found that majorities around the world—and in the U.S. specifically—are concerned about the amount of personal information that social media companies and internet businesses know about them.
// #4: The growth & ethics of AI
The growth in the adoption and sophistication of AI tools has been one of the biggest storylines of the past few years, and it will remain front and center in 2025. Four dimensions stand out:
- Is AGI near? Sam Altman of OpenAI wrote a blog post last weekend that he's confident that OpenAI can now build and deploy AGI—Artificial General Intelligence. Is this the year when we'll reach a new form of superintelligence?
- The rise of AI-generated misinformation: While concerns ended up being overblown that AI-generated misinformation could sway the 2024 U.S. presidential election, AI-generated misinformation is widespread and hard to identify. It will continue to be a major challenge in 2025.
- The emergence of AI agents: 2025 could be the year of AI agents, or super-powered AI bots that can take actions on a person’s behalf. That’s the contention of Daniel Howley, the Technology Editor for Yahoo! Finance. AI agents could transform the workforce, leverage web3 technology, and raise questions around liability.
- The ethical use of AI: As AI gets more powerful, it will spark important conversations about its ethical use. A teen’s suicide in 2024 after being in consistent conversation with a CharacterAI chatbot raised serious questions about responsible AI use and the safety concerns of artificial intelligence companions.
// #5: Reigning in Big Tech: The antitrust agenda
2024 was a big year for antitrust cases against Big Tech. In August of last year, a Federal Judge ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search. In December, Google returned with proposed fixes, and the company will wait in 2025 for Judge Amit Mehta to decide on remedies. His decision could not only shape Google’s business, but also the digital economy and online search more broadly. Meanwhile, there’s another antitrust case against Google’s ad business with rulings set for 2025, an antitrust case against Meta, and one against Amazon.
// #6: U.S. tech policy under a new administration
What’s ahead in U.S. tech policy under a new administration? One hot-button issue for U.S. tech policy will be the tradeoffs between free speech and online content moderation. In 2024 U.S. states attempted to pass laws preventing platforms from removing harmful content that they argued suppressed conservative perspectives. The tensions between speech, censorship, and online safety will continue in 2025 as a new Trump Administration will have to grapple with the legality and precedents of removing content that’s considered by some to be offensive. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, has indicated he wants to do away with many of the liability protections for tech companies under Section 230.
// #7: Crypto & the decentralized web
Bitcoin prices have surged in recent months as crypto gains broader adoption across the financial system. Many in the crypto industry believe that the second Trump administration will ease crypto regulations and embrace a more crypto-friendly posture. The decentralized web could continue to flourish in 2025 and embrace more AI tools and agents. Project Liberty partner Filecoin Foundation believes a decentralized web is a more resilient web, and it’s working with its sister organization Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web to invest in innovations that will strengthen resilience and expand user control over their online experiences.
// #8: Geopolitics of tech
The geopolitics of tech have been heating up for years. The U.S. is considering a ban of TikTok based on the concerns of Chinese surveillance. The Chinese have recently opened up an antitrust investigation into the U.S. AI company Nvidia. Europe continues to produce some of the most restrictive tech laws in the world, creating a de facto Brussels Effect for tech policy. We will be watching how the transnational nature of tech collides with the geopolitical borders of the physical world.
// #9: The rise of The People's Internet
Finally, our vision and prediction for 2025 is that it will be a year of major progress in building The People’s Internet. We’re in a multi-year shift from an internet powered by big tech to an internet powered and governed by people. The People’s Internet puts people back in control of their digital spaces, giving them a voice, a choice, and a meaningful stake in their online experience.
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What do you hope to see in 2025? Reply with your biggest hope or prediction!
