What to expect from technological development in 2025 – DNA’s report predicts a transition from hype to helpful

DNA’s Technology Trends 2025 report highlights important topical themes in the field of technology. The two main themes of this year’s report are AI making the leap from hype to tangible benefits, and technology’s role in supporting security and public administration. Working life is now highly digitised, and a move from competence development to learning management is expected.  

Artificial intelligence rolls up its sleeves and generates tangible benefits

During 2025, we will see generative AI move from words to action, and particularly in the field of cybersecurity, in which talent shortages have been identified as one of the biggest bottlenecks. Generative AI is expected to make up for a global lack of more than four million cybersecurity experts by, for example, automating junior-level security tasks. Data breaches caused by human error are also expected to decline considerably.

“We will face even more sophisticated threats as artificial intelligence develops. For example, advanced deepfake technology can be used for influence operations and a variety of scams, even in the workplace. On the other hand, AI will also enable us to identify and counteract manipulated content, such as fake video calls,” says Anna-Mari Ylihurula, Senior Vice President, Corporate Business at DNA.

Generative AI’s rapid progress and the development of emotionally intelligent language models are helping AI to expand into new areas. The humanoid robot market will see huge growth over the coming years. For example, AI assistants will help healthcare professionals in areas such as diagnostics and treatment planning. The increasingly central role that AI, robotics and automation are playing in routine tasks highlights the importance of having a corporate culture of learning.

“Expertise requirements are increasing as technology advances, which is putting pressure on us to master new skills faster than ever before. Traditional competence development is taking a back seat, and is being replaced by a model in which teams and individuals will themselves identify which capabilities they need to achieve their strategic goals. An organisation’s ability to manage learning will be one of the most important trends in working life in the near future,” says Ylihurula.

From cyber-resilience to dual-use technologies – innovation to support security and public administration

Business continuity, data security and national cyber-resilience are critical digital themes. As technology advances, societies are becoming increasingly dependent on digital systems and cloud services. Cybercrime is a growing global business, and criminals are actively seeking out advantageous targets. The digitally advanced Nordic countries present an interesting target, as so many of their business and financial transactions are conducted online and in the cloud.

Our dependence on technology was demonstrated in July 2024, when CrowdStrike vulnerability brought vital information systems to their knees all across the world, from airports to hospitals.

“Our experiences with CrowdStrike underline that cyber-resilience must be an integral element of business strategy, not a separate task for IT. Organisations need to build more durable and secure ecosystems to protect their business-critical operations. Criminals rely on the fact that people’s awareness and ability to protect themselves will lag behind digital developments – and they are often right. Preparation, drills and ensuring operational reliability will be one of the most important technology-related activities of the coming year,” says Ylihurula.

The coming year’s trends reflect the growing investments in technology that are being made in public administration and the defence sector, which will also create new opportunities for private-sector businesses. NATO’s DIANA project is lending wings to dual-use technology, which can be used for both civilian and defence purposes, and which is now evolving at a record-breaking pace. A variety of other GovTech software solutions, such as digital identity wallets, are also playing an increasing role in the digitalisation of public administration.

“The technology needs of public administration are growing rapidly. In order to ensure security, risk resilience and a well-functioning society, private-sector companies need market-leading products coupled with a diverse range of competitive and market-proven expertise. Collaboration between digital-sector companies and government actors will both increase and intensify over the next few years,” says Ylihurula. 

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Media enquiries:

Anna-Mari Ylihurula, Senior Vice President, Corporate Business, DNA Plc, tel. +358 (0)44 044 7755,anna-mari.ylihurula@dna.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 44 044 8000, viestinta@dna.fi