The Year the Future Became the Default Setting

If 2024 was the year we all started talking to machines, 2025 was the year they, as agents, started talking back. More importantly, my agents kindly worked for me. Looking back at the last twelve months from my desk today, I feel grateful for another year of wild innovations, meaningful conversations, but not the 80,000 miles of flights in middle seat.

Nearly a decade ago, circa 2015/6, I started presenting on “Exponential Technology”; AI and jobs, blockchain, crypto, autonomous cars, living to 125, and the future of all technologies as they impact us both personally and professionally. Ten years later, it’s wild and eerie to see these concepts becoming our reality. Today, I look back at 2025 through the data:

A Year by the Numbers:

I’ve always believed that to understand the future, you have to understand the present. This year, my digital and physical footprint looked a little like this:

• 104 Blogs & 42 Podcasts: That’s two deep dives a week and nearly one podcast every nine days. It’s a lot of talking, perhaps too much talking 😉, but I was exceptionally fortunate to have spoken with some of the incredibly bright minds in AI, Crypto, Consulting, Writers, LegalTech Founders, FinTech CEOs, Government, Start-ups and Education – which combined is the fabric of who’s building out these innovations.
• 17 Conferences: From keynote stages to dark corners of dev-con afterparties, these 17 stops were where the real synthesis happened.
• 80,000 Miles Flown across 7 Countries: My passport is dogeared and my legs hobbled from those cramped seats, but I’ve always said you cannot see the future solely through a Zoom lens. You must have the random run-ins and conversations to feel the energy on the ground.
• 120 Agents Built: This was a fun stat. I moved past “Chatbots” into the era of “Agentic Intelligence.” I’ve spent the year birthing a small army of digital twins and autonomous assistants to handle everything from research to my grocery list. Some were brilliant; some had the personality of a caffeinated toaster, but all were a glimpse into a world where human agency is taken over by, I mean, amplified by silicon.

From the Tarmac to the Tech

Travel this year was a reminder that while technology is global, culture is local. Visiting eight different countries, not to mention another 25 cities in the US provided a necessary reality check. In some regions, I saw “Agentic AI” being used to leapfrog legacy banking systems; in others, I saw it being met with the healthy skepticism that only a thousand years of history can provide.

One of the highlights was returning to London for a conference I spoke at almost ten years ago. I revisited the talk I performed about AI and Blockchain and what impact it might have on law, law firms, and the legal system. Let’s just say the AI prediction back when was roughly accurate, the blockchain bits are still a few years out. 😉 Another highlight was Singapore and Dubai for several conferences on the tokenization of assets and Agentic AI.

I’ve spent 17 conferences this year trying to be the bridge between the “Silicon Valley Optimism” and the “Main Street Reality.” There is a certain levity in these travels, too. I’ve reached a point where I can spot the cleanest bathrooms with a glance in any time zone.

A Hopeful, Heavy Heart for 2026

As I look toward the horizon of 2026, I am genuinely hopeful. We are on the cusp of solving some of the most “unsolvable” problems in medicine, climate, and productivity through the sheer force of our new digital companions. I am grateful for the community of thinkers and doers who join me on these podcasts and read these blogs. Your feedback is the “human-in-the-loop” that keeps me grounded.

However, I must also offer a realistic concern. As we build these 120, 1,000, or 1 Billion agents, we are rapidly approaching a “Reality Gap.” We have many ill-prepared for the job shifts ahead. In addition, we’re not ready for the agent to generated high-fidelity or overly compelling falsehoods be it video, voice, or text. My genuine concern isn’t that the “robots will take over,” but that we will lose our ability to agree on what is true. And yeah, that job loss thing… we’ll have to see how significant it might get, likely very significant; 2026, likely, 2027 definitely.

Closing Thoughts

I am deeply appreciative of every person who hosted me in a new country, every listener who challenged a point on a podcast, and every reader who waded through the 104 blogs. I see you Uncle Peter. 😉

The future isn’t something that happens to us; well, it might be in 2027, but until then, here’s to a 2026 that is just as fast, but perhaps a little more grounded in the things that make us human.

Fun Stats:

Podcasts: 41
Blogs: 104
Miles Traveled: 81,000
Countries: 7
Conferences: 17

For more information, please visit the following:

Website: https://www.josephraczynski.com/

Blog: https://JTConsultingMedia.com/

Podcast: https://techsnippetstoday.buzzsprout.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerazz/

X: https://x.com/joerazz