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Daily Tech News Show panelists recently shared their bold predictions for what 2025 would bring to the technology landscape, covering everything from artificial general intelligence breakthroughs to the death of remote work. The comprehensive forecast session featured tech commentators Tom Merritt, Rob Dunwood, Justin Robert Young, and David Spark, along with predictions from Sarah Lane.
Key Predictions
- OpenAI will announce AGI - artificial general intelligence expected to be declared by a major company in 2025
- Massive return-to-office mandates - companies predicted to require 30+ hours weekly in-person attendance
- Apple Vision Pro gets cheaper model - sub-$1,000 version expected to compete with Meta Quest
- Robotaxi expansion accelerates - autonomous vehicles predicted to make human drivers feel "waning" as an option
- AI-generated deepfakes cause market disruption - high-profile social engineering attacks expected to move global markets
Apple Vision Pro Price Cut Prediction
Sarah Lane predicted Apple will release a significantly cheaper Apple Vision Pro model to better compete with the Meta Quest's $300 price point, compared to the current Vision Pro's $3,000 cost. The panelists assigned this prediction a five-point difficulty multiplier, particularly if Apple hits the sub-$1,000 price range.
"The Quest is 300 bucks. The Vision Pro is more like $3,000. So, you know, let's let's get real people," Lane noted in her prediction.
Lane suggested the device might be called the Apple Vision SE, following Apple's pattern of lower-cost special editions in other product lines. The prediction assumes Apple won't abandon its multi-year roadmap for mixed reality despite lukewarm initial reception.
Artificial General Intelligence Breakthrough
Justin Robert Young made perhaps the boldest prediction, claiming a major company will announce artificial general intelligence in 2025. He pointed to OpenAI's recent demonstration of their 03 model, which scored 87% on AGI evaluation benchmarks while still running on GPT-4 architecture.
"We saw what they demoed today and that was 03 which according to the nonprofit that is tracking AGI it is 87% there and that is still on GPT4 not GPT5," Young explained.
Young emphasized the business incentives driving this timeline, noting that OpenAI's relationship with Microsoft materially changes once they achieve AGI status. The panelists assigned this prediction a four-point multiplier, reflecting both the technical challenges and massive commercial implications.
Return to Office Movement
Rob Dunwood predicted 2025 will see a "massive return to work initiative" across corporations of all sizes, with employees expected to spend at least 30 hours per week in physical offices. He cited Amazon's recent mandate as a catalyst for industry-wide changes.
The prediction extends beyond corporate policies to suggest fundamental shifts in urban landscapes. Dunwood argued that companies will no longer accept losses on expensive office leases, particularly as hiring managers believe in-person work drives higher productivity.
"I think that once Amazon puts this in place, every other company's going to say, 'If Amazon's doing it, we're doing it,'" Dunwood stated.
Federal government mandates are expected to accelerate this trend, with the panelists noting that remote work opponents will gain additional leverage in 2025.
Technology Adoption and Backlash
The predictions also covered emerging technology adoption patterns. Tom Merritt forecast that agentic AI - specialized AI agents designed for specific tasks rather than general chatbots - will achieve mainstream adoption comparable to smartphone apps.
David Spark predicted a significant backlash against AI-generated audio content, arguing that consumers will reject purely artificial podcasts and audio programming outside novelty uses. He cited an "uncanny valley" effect when listeners know content isn't human-generated.
Looking ahead, the panelists emphasized that 2025 could mark a turning point where AI transitions from experimental technology to essential infrastructure. The predictions will be evaluated in a year-end results show, with point multipliers rewarding more challenging forecasts. The range of predictions reflects both optimism about technological advancement and concerns about its social and economic implications.
