Gartner: the most strategic technology trends for 2025

Gartner has released its annual list of the 10 most strategic technology trends for the coming year. These trends were selected based on their potential to disrupt traditional business models, enable new forms of innovation, and address the most pressing challenges companies face today.

The list is aimed at CIOs and other IT leaders, providing insights to help them anticipate these technologies and prepare for the future. This year, the trends were divided into three categories: AI imperatives and risks, new frontiers of computing, and human-machine synergy.

AI imperatives and risks

The rise of Artificial Intelligence agents will require advances in AI governance and the development of new tools to address disinformation. In this category, Gartner identified three emerging technology trends: Agentic AI, AI governance platforms, and disinformation security.

Agentic AI

Currently, AI models operate by generating text and other content, but to do so, they need to receive commands or “prompts”; in other words, AI is not performing the work on its own. However, this is about to change with Agentic AI.

According to Gartner, “by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include Agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024, enabling 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously by AI.”

These intelligent agents are software programs that use AI techniques to perform tasks and achieve goals. They can develop a plan and use tools to complete tasks, achieving goals autonomously.

AI governance platforms

Organizations that use AI face challenges related to AI ethics and bias, making robust governance practices essential to mitigate these risks. AI governance platforms are emerging to promote the responsible use of technology by enabling organizations to monitor AI's legal, ethical, and operational performance.

As AI expands into highly regulated industries, risks and privacy issues become increasingly challenging. Maintaining control over AI is essential to prevent it from harming certain groups, manipulating markets, or controlling critical systems.

Disinformation security

Actors spreading disinformation are using AI and Machine Learning tools to disseminate false information, creating attacks designed to deceive, confuse, and mislead groups.

Disinformation campaigns are already considered one of the leading global threats and spread rapidly across social media, potentially resulting in significant losses for companies through fraud, boycotts, and reputational damage.

According to Gartner, “by 2028, 50% of enterprises will begin adopting products, services or features designed specifically to address disinformation security use cases, up from less than 5% today.”

New frontiers of computing

Quantum computing will require new cryptographic methods, while low-cost sensors will enable innovative business models. The technology trends identified by Gartner in this category are post-quantum cryptography, ambient invisible intelligence, energy-efficient computing, and hybrid computing.

Post-quantum cryptography

The transition to post-quantum cryptography needs to begin now, as traditional cryptography is expected to become insecure by 2029. Asymmetric cryptography is present in most software, but advances in quantum computing are expected to make it fully breakable by 2034.

Cybercriminals are already collecting data today in the hope of decrypting it in the future using quantum technology. This threat makes the urgency of transitioning to post-quantum cryptography a reality.

Ambient invisible intelligence

Despite the massive volume of data currently collected by organizations, there are still gaps that need to be addressed. “Ambient invisible intelligence” refers to the growing use of small devices, such as tags and low-cost sensors, to monitor the location and status of various objects and environments.

This data is then sent to the cloud, where it is analyzed and recorded. These technologies can be integrated into everyday objects, generally in ways that are imperceptible to users.

According to Gartner, “through 2028, early examples of ambient invisible intelligence will focus on solving immediate problems by enabling low-cost tracking and sensing of items, reducing costs or improving efficiency.”

Energy-efficient computing

Energy-efficient computing, also known as green computing, involves designing and operating computers, data centers, and other systems in ways that conserve resources and reduce their carbon footprint, aligning digital transformation with sustainability.

This includes using more sustainable energy sources or migrating to more efficient systems, as well as adopting long-term strategies to meet organizations’ sustainability requirements.

Hybrid computing

Continued progress in computing requires new technologies, such as quantum, neuromorphic, and photonic computing, which are sustainable but present cost-related challenges for organizations.

In this context, hybrid computing offers an option for overcoming these limitations. At the same time, however, it requires significant effort from IT teams, which need to leverage different types of computing while seeking to mitigate environmental impact.

This technology combines multiple technologies — such as CPUs, GPUs, edge devices, ASICs, and neuromorphic, quantum, and photonic systems — to solve complex computational problems, creating a hybrid environment.

Human-machine synergy

Interactions between physical and virtual experiences will be enhanced, robots will become integrated into everyday life, and technologies that directly influence cognition and performance will become part of companies’ daily operations.

Within human-machine synergy, Gartner identifies three technology trends: spatial computing, polyfunctional robots, and neurological enhancement.

Spatial computing

Consumers’ demand for increasingly immersive experiences, as well as leaders’ search for new ways to collaborate remotely and make decisions, will be impacted by spatial computing.

This technology trend enables real-time interactive 3D experiences, seamlessly aligning physical and virtual objects. This makes it possible to create increasingly immersive environments in which people can interact based on location and context.

Polyfunctional robots

Polyfunctional robots are machines capable of performing multiple tasks by following instructions provided by humans. This technology is one of the key trends for 2025, as these intelligent robots feature versatile designs and software that allow them to perform a wide range of tasks.

According to Gartner, “by 2030, 80% of humans will engage with smart robots on a daily basis, up from less than 10% today.” Robots are also capable of “learning” new functions for which they were not originally programmed, expanding their use across multiple industries.

Neurological enhancement

Neurological enhancement is the process of improving human cognitive abilities through technology. This technology can read and decode brain activity and, optionally, write information into the brain.

As a result, it can optimize mental functions such as memory, learning, and decision-making, and even enhance cognitive performance, opening up new possibilities for medical treatments, education, and personal development.