Earlier this year, I shared takeaways from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report, which showed how AI is reshaping business at a macro level. Building on that, Google Cloud’s 2025 AI Trends highlights five forces that will directly impact companies in the year ahead.
AI is no longer experimental. It is restructuring markets, reshaping customer expectations, and redrawing competitive boundaries. Here are five AI trends CEOs are preparing for now:
1. Multimodal AI: Smarter, More Human-Like Understanding
What it is: AI that can use many types of input at once—text, images, video, voice, and sensor data.
Applications:
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Consumer Products: combine purchase history, social content, and images to tailor product recommendations.
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Healthcare: analyze scans and medical notes together for faster diagnosis.
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Manufacturing: detect problems early by analyzing sensor readings, video, and sound.
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Retail: give personalized recommendations based on customer behavior.
Next steps for CEOs:
Using the Growth Gears approach, begin by deepening your insight with richer data streams, then set clear priorities for strategic integration, and finally execute in the areas where combined intelligence will deliver tangible business results.
2. AI Agents: Moving Beyond Chatbots
What it is: AI “agents” that can plan, remember, and complete tasks, often working together in teams.
Applications:
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Customer service: 24/7 support across chat, voice, and video.
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Employee support: answer HR or IT questions quickly.
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Data and software: analyze information or speed up coding.
Next steps for CEOs:
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Find repetitive, high-cost tasks that could be automated.
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Train staff on how to work effectively with AI.
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Start with pilot projects that have clear cost or time savings.
Leverage the Growth Gears: build foundational insight into workflow gaps, choose a focused automation strategy, and execute with measured pilots that enable faster scaling and learning.
3. Assistive Search: A New Way to Find Answers
What it is: A search engine that goes beyond keywords, enabling users to ask questions naturally through text, images, or voice.
Applications:
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Employees: quickly find documents, reports, and insights across the company.
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Customers: use photos, voice, or natural language to search for products or support.
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Finance and healthcare: deliver role-specific insights instantly.
Next steps for CEOs:
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Replace outdated search systems with AI-driven ones.
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Utilize AI search to streamline reporting and reduce manual data entry.
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Embed it in customer-facing tools to improve conversion and service.
Growth Gears will help you gain insight into your team’s information bottlenecks, craft a search adoption strategy tied to business goals, and execute in phases to demonstrate impact quickly.
4. AI-Powered Customer Experience: Seamless and Personalized
What it is: Customer experiences that are so smooth and tailored that people barely notice AI is behind them.
Applications:
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Omnichannel service: consistent experiences across websites, apps, and call centers.
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Personalization: offers and recommendations that adapt in real time.
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Sentiment analysis: understand customer mood and adjust quickly.
Next steps for CEOs:
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Focus on customer touchpoints where AI could reduce friction.
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Make sure marketing, product, and service teams share AI insights.
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Measure loyalty and satisfaction to prove impact.
Follow the Growth Gears by investing first in diagnostic insights around current customer friction. Then, align your strategy to moments that matter and execute by embedding AI where it can create visible improvements.
5. AI Security: Staying Ahead of Cyber Threats
What it is: AI is now being used on both sides—by attackers and by defenders.
Applications:
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Spot fraud, disinformation, or counterfeit activity.
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Monitor compliance in real time.
Next steps for CEOs:
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Make AI security a board-level priority.
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Close skills gaps with training or outside partners.
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Deploy AI security tools that predict and block attacks faster.
Apply the Growth Gears framework by gathering fresh security insights, defining your defensive strategy in partnership with your board, and executing with the right AI tools and ongoing training programs.
CEO Imperative
AI is rapidly becoming the backbone of business competition and growth. Key trends include:
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Multimodal AI delivers more intelligent insights from all data types.
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AI agents automate complex tasks, freeing teams for high-value work.
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Assistive search transforms information overload into usable knowledge.
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AI enhances customer experience with seamless, personalized interactions.
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AI-driven security protects against sophisticated threats.
Together, these trends are reshaping how companies operate and drive success in a fast-evolving market. These powerful forces are moving AI from pilot-stage experimentation to the core of enterprise strategy. The companies that succeed will be the ones that align leadership, governance, and investment.
Business leaders can’t wait to seize the power of AI. Your competitors will beat you to the punch.
Learn how to leverage AI strategy and tools for your business
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