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11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 DECEMBER 2024 2025 LOOKING FORWARD for your company. Think of them as your digital assistants, capable of learning and adapt- ing to your needs. This means increased business efficien- cy, freeing employees to focus on more creative, high-value work. While this sounds like a dream, it also means that spe- cific jobs will disappear. Some tasks humans handle today will become automated, forcing workers to adapt and learn new skills. The upside? AI is cre- ating entirely new roles – AI ethicists, compliance auditors, and AI content creators – that didn't exist a decade ago. The workplace will change, but with the proper training, so will the opportunities. For parents, the afternoon might involve helping kids with homework, where AI is also making its mark. AI-powered learning systems tailor lessons to each child's strengths and weaknesses, offering a cus- tomised learning experience. A struggling student gets more focused support, while others can advance at their own pace. For teachers, AI helps with administrative tasks like grad- ing and planning, giving them more time to actually teach. As evening rolls in, AI is back to making life easier. Perhaps you're exploring recipes sug- gested by your augmented real- ity (AR) glasses, which overlay digital prompts in your field of view. These glasses – set to go mainstream in 2025 – might re- place the smartphone entirely. Instead of staring at a screen, your world becomes your in- terface. Directions to a friend's house appear directly in front of you. Video calls happen without pulling out a device. Shopping? You could try on clothes virtu- ally while standing in your liv- ing room. AR glasses mark the beginning of a new technolog- ical era where the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds blur. Hidden cost As you wind down for the night, you might reflect on how much AI has already done for you – helping you stay health- ier, making work easier, and saving time on everyday tasks. Yet, this convenience comes with trade-offs. There's the hidden cost of AI's energy use. Training large AI systems re- quires enormous amounts of electricity, raising concerns about sustainability. While AI can help fight climate change – optimising energy grids, pre- dicting weather patterns, or monitoring deforestation – it contributes to the problem. Finding balance will be one of the most significant challenges of 2025. There's also the issue of secu- rity. AI enhances cybersecurity by automating threat detection and analysing extensive data to identify patterns, enabling rap- id response to potential threats. However, AI also equips cyber- criminals with advanced tools to create more sophisticated attacks. In fact, AI has already been used to create realistic video avatars that impersonate loved ones, tricking individuals into sending money or sensitive information. This dual-edged nature of AI in cybersecurity means that while it strengthens defences, it also presents new challenges for law enforcement and security professionals who must continuously innovate to keep up. We, the people So, as you drift off to sleep, you might wonder: where is all this heading? AI will save lives, create opportunities, and make life more convenient, but it will also force us to question what we trust, how we work, and how we care for our plan- et. The year 2025 is not just about technology advancing – it's about how we, as people, choose to use it. Will we let it deepen inequalities or close gaps? Will we protect the truth or let fake realities thrive? Will we adapt to change or resist it? AI isn't just a tool; it's a reflec- tion of us – our values, choices, and priorities. The year ahead gives us the chance to shape this future together. Are we ready? The answer lies not in the machines, but in the deci- sions we make every single day. life? From self-driving buses to fake news Alexiei Dingli is professor of Artificial Intelligence The year 2025 is not just about technolog y advancing – it's about how we, as people, choose to use it. Will we let it deepen inequalities or close gaps? Will we protect the truth or let fake realities thrive? Will we adapt to change or resist it?