TECH that is going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Weather forecasts will get smarter, EVs could get pricier, crypto will be for everyday investors and AI will be everywhere

- JOANNA STERN, CHRISTOPHER MIMS AND NICOLE NGUYEN

Every December for the past decade, we've put on our futuristic glasses to predict the year ahead in tech. Looking back, we've gotten a lot rightand, OK, a few things wrong. Come on, who didn't think Harry Potter's augmented-reality adventure would be a smash hit? But trust us: This year our predictions are more on-point than ever. In 2025, big loose ends will be tied up, including TikTok's legal troubles and electric vehicles' federal subsidies.

Long-awaited promises will be fulfilled, like self-driving Ubers, cleaner energy data centers and crypto for everyday investors. And, of course, artificial intelligence: AI agents, AI weather forecasters, AI...everything.

As for us humans, if our longevity-tech predictions pan out, we'll be making these annual forecasts for another 80 years.

Go go AI gadgets!

For years, our annual exercise has included lots of predictions about exciting new developments in smartphones and fail-is now in AIsupercharged gadgets.

Apple is set to release a 6-inch smart-home display, according to reports from Bloomberg. Think an iPad for your kitchen or living room wall with a big emphasis on Siri and Apple Intelligence-areas where we're looking for big improvements. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Then Amazon's Alexa is finally getting its long-promised generative-AI upgrade. Along with it, we expect to see smarter Echo speakers and deeper, more seamless interaction with the long-running voice assistant.

AI will also venture out from the home. "Next year is a big year for Meta glasses," Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg posted in response to our recent report that the Facebook parent will release Ray-Ban smart glasses with a small display.

And then there's the wild card: Former Apple design legend Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are reportedly collaborating on an AI device. It's unclear if that will be out before the 2026 ball drops.