I don’t know about you, but I’ve been deeply interested in how AI has developed this year. My main focus has been on using the various tools that are freely available. Yes, they come with limits, but even in their limited forms they give you remarkable capabilities. Most of us started with ChatGPT and were astonished by what it could do — the speed of its answers, the way it can write an email in seconds, or the sheer volume of text it can generate. And it isn’t just ChatGPT. The other platforms have impressed me as well: DeepSeek from China, which rattled the AI world, Google’s Gemini, X’s Grok, and Microsoft’s Copilot. Each has its place.
The news media spent the year warning about job losses. It’s the kind of story newspapers, magazines and social media thrive on — sweeping claims about the end of work as we know it. Some of these concerns may be justified, especially for mundane or repetitive tasks, and job loss is a real and painful issue for those affected. But this job-loss narrative isn’t going anywhere. It will follow us into 2026 and beyond.
What has amazed me, though, is the sheer thinking power of AI. It’s almost as if the developers anticipated every question a human might ask. One of the most valuable aspects for me has been AI’s ability to do analysis — even in my own private world. It can compare budgets, interpret quotes, analyse different medical insurance plans. In short, AI has helped me make better and smarter decisions than I ever could before. That, to me, is incredible.
If you use AI positively and deliberately, you can get extraordinary results. I do a lot of writing, and for this blog one has to be careful not to become lazy and let AI do the writing for you. That’s the path to what people now call “AI slop.” AI is tremendously helpful, but only when you bring your own research, your own thinking and your own words first. Tools like ChatGPT can smooth your writing, adjust tone, and help with structure — but if you want to continue sounding like a human being, you have to use them judiciously. In terms of writing support, ChatGPT and DeepSeek are among the best I’ve used.
The other day, another AI tool offered me a survey — a first for me. I answered all the questions, but I could see what was behind it: developers are now keenly interested in how people are using AI, what functions matter most, and how they can improve those tools. It’s no surprise then that Time Magazine chose the architects of AI as their Person of the Year in 2025. And when I visited the Time site, I discovered that Time now has its own AI too — one that will search its vast archive and answer questions.
I asked why they chose the AI architects as Person of the Year, and this was the explanation:
Time chose the “Architects of AI” because AI dominated 2025 — transforming industries, politics and everyday life — and the people who built these systems had the biggest impact on how the world changed. AI advanced at extraordinary speed, was adopted across medicine, science, business and consumer apps, and reshaped work and communication. A small group of leaders and companies drove massive investment and geopolitical competition, and the technology brought enormous promise alongside serious risks. Time framed it as a historic moment — an inflection point in technology.
And that’s really it: AI was the constant throughout 2025. It brought breakthroughs and will continue to bring more. I can’t help wondering whether we’re only scratching the surface. What it can already do is astonishing — but what might emerge in 2026 and beyond?
It’s an exciting time to be alive, with the first iterations of powerful AI now rolling out. If something can help you — whatever it is — and do so positively, then it’s worth exploring and integrating into your life.
