This year agentic artificial intelligence (AI) should spread and sovereign AI strategies will become more important, according to global firm Dell Technologies.
"In 2025, AI will no longer be a separate technology. It will be the thread weaving through every innovation, redefining industries and reshaping humanity's role in the workforce," said John Roese, Dell's global chief technology officer and chief AI officer.
Unlike current AI, which responds to prompts, agentic AI will have the autonomy to execute tasks, solve problems over extended periods, and handle complex workflows with little to no human intervention, said Mr Roese.
He said agentic AI will be the defining advancement in AI technology and a catalyst for significant progress in how to approach AI architecturally.
AI is expected to shift from reactive systems to more advanced agentic AI architectures this year.
"These new architectures will enable capabilities beyond traditional reactive AI, fostering profound advancements in problem solving and automation," said Mr Roese.
The agentic AI system will feature memory, long-term context awareness, and the ability to function in distributed teams of specialised agents, potentially transforming industries by automating processes that currently require human oversight.
Dell also predicts enterprises will move from pilot AI projects and proofs of concept to large-scale AI integration.
Many businesses will implement AI systems that deliver tangible returns on investment, driving efficiency and generating new revenue streams, he said.
This shift will be aided by the development of standardised AI tools, clear methodologies, and successful case studies, which provide the blueprint for others to follow, according to Dell.
SOVEREIGN AI
In addition, sovereign AI initiatives will accelerate global AI adoption, empowering nations to leverage their own data and infrastructure, noted the firm.
Sovereign AI refers to a nation's ability to produce AI using its own infrastructure, data, workforce and business networks.
The government's role in AI will also become more defined in 2025. Different countries are developing sovereign AI strategies tailored to their needs, with some governments facilitating AI infrastructure and partnerships with industries.
These strategies will help nations accelerate their AI adoption, ensuring their populations benefit from the opportunities that AI presents, according to Dell.
The concept of sovereign AI emphasises diverse approaches to national AI strategies. Three key patterns are emerging, one of which is "Government for Government", which is quite rare, mainly in large nations or parts of the Middle East where governments independently build AI infrastructure for self-use.
"Government for Industry" is where governments construct AI data centres to support industries such as manufacturing and energy, accelerating their adoption of AI.
"Government with Industry" is where governments act as facilitators, uniting companies to collaboratively harness AI's potential. Singapore exemplifies this model.
AI is also being fused with emerging technologies, leading to greater integration. For example, Quantum Computing-AI is accelerating quantum advancements, and in turn, quantum computing is seen as a future platform that will accelerate AI itself.
CLARITY EXPECTED
The true impact of AI on jobs should become clearer this year, with industries investing in upskilling their workforces to prepare for the demands of an AI-driven economy, said Mr Roese.
AI is simultaneously creating many new job opportunities such as software composers and AI interpreters, as well as jobs related to building data centres.
Peter Marrs, Dell president for Asia-Pacific, Japan and Greater China, said Asia-Pacific organisations are investing in AI.
According to IT research house IDC, AI investment in Asia-Pacific is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 24% from 2023-2028.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asia is estimated to have made $30 billion in AI infrastructure investments in the first half of last year.
