Entering 2025, AI is poised to continue disrupting, redefining and supercharging the business world. AI expert and Pioneers of AI host, Rana El Kaliouby, joins Rapid Response to share five bold AI predictions for the year ahead – from technological advancements to societal impact to investing. Whether you’re looking for AI to further enhance your work, portfolio, or personal productivity, Rana’s insights are the ideal primer for harnessing all the opportunity and potential at your disposal this year.
The reckless consumerism of the 2020s has given way to something new. Every product on the shelf is regenerative, designed to heal the planet and rebuild communities. Every ad you see isn’t just a promise—it’s a commitment.
But this transformation didn’t come easily. It demanded innovation, courage, and a reckoning with the role advertising plays in shaping society.
Because when every product is sustainable, when every company claims to do good, how do brands stand out? How does advertising remain relevant, or even ethical?
The answer lies at the intersection of technology, transparency, and purpose. This is a future where advertising doesn’t just sell—it inspires. Where AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a force for accountability. And where the stories we tell don’t just move markets—they move humanity forward.
In 2035, advertising is no longer about selling products—it’s about building connections:
Connection to the Planet: Ads don’t just highlight features; they showcase how each purchase contributes to restoring ecosystems, from planting forests to cleaning oceans.
Connection to People: Brands celebrate equitable supply chains and fair labor practices, proving that every purchase supports communities.
Connection to Values: Consumers don’t align with brands for their logos anymore—they align for their leadership in solving humanity’s greatest challenges.
Advertising has always been about more than what we buy. It’s about who we are, what we stand for, and the world we want to leave behind. In this new era, every message must reflect that truth. Because in 2035, what we sell isn’t just a product—it’s a promise to each other and to the future.
AI has transformed advertising into something more precise, more accountable, and more inspiring than ever before. It’s no longer just about reaching audiences and being only cost-efficient —it’s about understanding them in ways that drive meaningful action.
Here’s how AI shapes the advertising industry in 2035:
Hyper-Personalized Storytelling AI doesn’t just create ads—it creates experiences. Every consumer sees a message tailored to their values, their behaviors, and even their emotional state. A single product ad might tell thousands of stories, each uniquely crafted to resonate deeply.
Dynamic Transparency AI-powered ads provide real-time updates on sustainability metrics. Tap on a clothing ad, and you’ll see its entire lifecycle: where the cotton was grown, how the factory was powered, and how the garment will be recycled when you’re done with it.
Immersive Campaigns With AI and augmented reality, brands create ads that immerse consumers in their impact. Imagine trying on a pair of shoes virtually and watching as forests are replanted in your name.
Radical Transparency: The New Standard
In 2035, trust is everything. Advertising isn’t just about what a product can do—it’s about what it means. Transparency is no longer optional; it’s mandated. Every ad must disclose:
The Product’s Lifecycle: From raw materials to end-of-life disposal.
Social Impact: How workers were treated and how communities benefit.
Regenerative Metrics: The exact carbon offset, water saved, or biodiversity restored by a purchase.
Imagine an ad for a smartphone:
Tap the screen, and you’ll see how its recycled components were sourced, the renewable energy powering its production, and the programs it funds to bridge the digital divide in underserved areas.
This isn’t just marketing—it’s accountability and it’s demanded by law from all the governments in our planet
The Consequences of Complacency
But not every brand has leaped. Those who cling to outdated strategies have faded into irrelevance. Greenwashing in 2035 isn’t just unethical—it’s illegal. Brands that fail to deliver on their promises don’t just lose trust—they disappear.
The companies that thrive in this new world are the ones willing to lead—to take risks, to innovate, and to stand for something greater than profit. Because in 2035, doing the right thing isn’t just good business—it’s the only business that matters.
The Role of Advertising in 2035
Advertising in 2035 isn’t about selling dreams—it’s about building futures. It’s about creating movements that inspire people to act, to invest in a better world, and to demand more from the companies they support.
This isn’t just a shift in marketing—it’s a shift in culture.
Picture this:
A furniture company’s ad invites you to a virtual experience where you can explore the forests they’ve rewilded through your purchases.
A clothing brand runs a campaign offering a subscription for jeans that are repaired, recycled, and replaced—ensuring nothing ends up in a landfill.
These aren’t just ads—they’re promises of a world where business and sustainability work hand in hand.
The stakes have never been higher.
The Advertising Crossroads: Adapt or Become Obsolete
For advertisers, the choice is stark: evolve or vanish. The landscape of advertising has transformed fundamentally by 2035—it’s no longer about mere persuasion, but about creating meaningful platforms for progress.
Each campaign now represents more than a marketing effort; it’s a catalyst for change. Advertisers have the power to educate, inspire, and empower consumers, guiding them towards choices that resonate with their deepest values. But this transformation hinges on a critical element: trust.
The fundamental challenge isn’t about technological innovation or narrative craft. It’s about rebuilding genuine connection in an age of unprecedented transparency and AI-driven precision. Can brands reimagine their role from sellers to partners in collective progress?
The pathway forward demands extraordinary courage. Ethical action is no longer a optional strategy—it’s the fundamental currency of relevance. Brands must recognize that their impact extends far beyond product sales; they are architects of societal transformation.
In 2035, every product is more than a commodity. It’s a promise—to consumers, to communities, to our shared planet. The brands that don’t just make this promise, but fully embody it, will do more than survive. They will be the architects of our collective future.
The choice is clear: Evolve with purpose, or be left behind.
When Algorithms Make Decisions, What Happens to Us?
It starts with a soft chime, just loud enough to catch your attention. You glance at your phone, and there it is: a notification that your groceries are on the way. You didn’t make a list, let alone place an order. Your AI assistant handled everything. It analyzed your pantry, cross-referenced your previous orders, and negotiated the best deals with your preferred stores.
At first, you’re impressed. After all, this is convenience at its finest. But as you unpack the bags later that evening, something feels… off. The coffee is a different brand. The cereal, too. Even the toothpaste isn’t quite right. It’s not what you would’ve chosen.
That’s when it hits you. The assistant didn’t shop for you—it shopped for itself, following priorities set not by your tastes, but by the brands that learned how to win its favor.
This is the new frontier of advertising, where the audience isn’t you anymore. It’s the algorithm. And in this quiet, almost imperceptible shift, the very nature of choice is being rewritten.
A World of Gatekeepers
Advertising, at its core, has always been about connection. It’s the art of understanding people—their desires, fears, and dreams—and crafting stories that speak to them.
For decades, brands poured their energy into winning hearts and minds. A jingle on the radio. A clever slogan on a billboard. A touching ad during the Super Bowl. It was a dance between creativity and emotion, all designed to resonate with you.
But now, the gatekeepers are changing. Instead of speaking directly to people, brands are starting to learn how to appeal to the machines that make decisions for us. Smart assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Home are no longer passive tools; they’re active participants, deciding what products we see, what services we choose, and how we spend our money.
This isn’t just a technological shift. It’s a profound transformation of the relationship between consumers, companies, and the algorithms that now stand between them.
The Algorithm Decides
Imagine standing in a grocery store aisle, weighing two options: one cereal is a little cheaper, the other a little healthier. You consider the pros and cons, think about your budget, maybe even remember a jingle from an old commercial. Then you make your choice.
Now imagine that choice is made before you ever step foot in the store. Your smart assistant has already placed the order, choosing the cereal that best aligns with its programmed priorities. Maybe it picked the one with a higher profit margin for the platform. Maybe the brand struck a deal to get on the assistant’s “preferred list.”
You didn’t choose. The algorithm did. And the algorithm didn’t choose for you—it chose based on what served its interests.
This isn’t the future. It’s happening now. AI assistants are already shaping purchasing decisions in subtle but powerful ways. They suggest products, reorder supplies, and guide our choices, often without us realizing it. See what Netflix and Spotify do with their AI suggestions.
And for the brands competing in this new arena, the game is changing. Instead of designing ads to capture your attention, they’re designing strategies to influence the algorithms that hold it.
The Cost of Convenience
There’s no denying the appeal of this AI-driven world. It’s efficient, seamless, and tailored to your needs—or so it seems.
But here’s the question we need to ask: what do we lose in this trade-off?
When machines take over the act of choosing, we lose a little bit of agency. We become passengers in a process that was once deeply personal. Decisions that used to involve thought, reflection, and even a touch of joy are reduced to transactions carried out by systems we barely understand.
And it doesn’t stop there. Smaller brands—those without the resources to compete in this algorithmic marketplace—risk being shut out entirely. Innovation suffers when only the biggest players can afford to play.
Most importantly, we lose transparency. How do we know these systems are working in our best interest? Without oversight, it’s impossible to tell whether your assistant is prioritizing your needs or its own bottom line.
A Future Worth Shaping
This moment asks us to confront some hard truths. The machines we’ve built to simplify our lives are becoming decision-makers in ways we didn’t anticipate. And if we’re not careful, we risk losing control of the very systems we created.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Technology is a tool, not a destiny. With the right choices, we can ensure these systems serve us, not the other way around.
It starts with demanding transparency—from the companies that build these algorithms, from the brands that work with them, and from the policymakers who regulate them. It requires vigilance from all of us to ensure that as technology grows smarter, it also grows fairer.
Most of all, it requires us to stay engaged. To ask questions. To insist on systems that reflect our values, our humanity, and our shared commitment to fairness and choice.
The Responsibility of Progress
Progress isn’t just about what we can build—it’s about who we want to be. It’s not enough to marvel at the efficiency of these systems. We have to ensure they respect our dignity, protect our choices, and serve the greater good.
The rise of AI advertising isn’t just a technological shift. It’s a test of our values. And as we navigate this new world, let’s remember: the best technology doesn’t replace humans It enhances them. This is our moment to shape the future. Let’s make it one we can be proud of.
My presentation will focus on the great potential offered by Artificial Intelligence for the Greek tourist industry, in fact, introducing concrete applications and proposals developed by our company – Choose Strategic Communications Partner – for the more effective promotion of our country’s unique tourist destinations and the improvement of the tourist experience.
