Reality Labs Q2 2025 Trend Filter
A quick guide to what’s Signal, what’s Static, and what’s just Noise
Reality Labs Q2 2025 AI Trend Playbook
25 Trends. What to Move On, Watch, or Mute.
This is a quarterly trend compass for leaders who want to think clearly, act strategically, and future well. It blends signal sensing, strategic framing, and leadership discernment. Updated every 90 days.
Positioning Statement:
This guide isn’t about trends for trend’s sake. It’s a tool for thinking well, filtering hype, and building clarity under pressure. Future-readiness isn’t a posture—it’s a practice.
Claim | Reality Check + Verdict | Leadership Question |
---|---|---|
1. AI will replace coding | AI speeds up routine development, but it can’t design systems or reason through complexity. Coding isn't going away—it's evolving. 🟥 Noise | What part of engineering needs a human—and what doesn't anymore? |
2. Every company needs a Chief AI Officer | CAIOs can help, but the real value comes from distributed AI fluency. Titles don’t build capability—systems do. 🟥 Noise | Who actually owns AI usage and outcomes on your team? |
3. AI will kill PowerPoint | AI helps with slide creation, but clarity of message still depends on the human. It's a content aid, not a communication strategy. 🟨 Static | Can AI help us clarify our thinking before we present it? |
4. Prompts are the new coding | Prompting is a reflection of clarity—not a substitute for deep understanding. It’s a tool, not a profession. 🟨 Static | Are we building better thinkers—or just prompt tinkerers? |
5. Agents will run our companies | Agents are real and gaining traction, but they still need human oversight, context, and accountability. 🟩 Signal | Which workflows could you safely hand off to an agent? |
6. Deepfakes will ruin trust | The bigger threat is human misuse of AI tools, not the technology itself. Trust is built through leadership, not fear. 🟨 Static | How are we modeling transparency and ethical AI use? |
7. AI is changing everything—and fast | This isn’t the end of the hype cycle—it’s the beginning of the infrastructure era. Most teams are still underbuilding. 🟩 Signal | Are you treating AI like a core capability—or a passing trend? |
8. Everyone’s already using AI | Most people are dabbling. Very few are building lasting workflows or business value. 🟥 Noise | Are we measuring AI curiosity—or actual capability? |
9. AI is dangerous because it makes mistakes | AI does make mistakes—but the danger is treating it like an oracle. Review loops and human judgment are the guardrails. 🟨 Static | Have you built a feedback system around your AI use? |
10. AI will know what’s best | AI can generate options, but it doesn’t understand your mission, context, or values. 🟥 Noise | Are you using AI to avoid the hard call—or make it clearer? |
11. Your company needs an AI policy before anyone uses it | Guardrails are good—but policy without usage creates paralysis. Start small, then refine. 🟨 Static | Can you lead behavior before writing rules? |
12. You need a custom LLM to stay competitive | Building a model isn't the same as using one well. Most orgs should start with better use of existing tools. 🟨 Static | Are we building for edge cases—or scaling smart defaults? |
13. AI will fix meetings | It can help summarize and track—but it can’t create alignment, safety, or clarity. 🟨 Static | Are we redesigning conversations—or just capturing them better? |
14. Everyone needs AI literacy training right now | Leading orgs are embedding AI fluency into daily tools and conversations. Literacy is now a leadership expectation—not a side program. 🟩 Signal | How are we embedding AI fluency into real workflows? |
15. If we integrate AI, people will use it | Without clear use cases, integrated AI often becomes invisible AI. 🟨 Static | Are we solving pain points—or just launching features? |
16. AI will reduce bias in hiring | It can help—but only if it’s built, audited, and adjusted with care. Otherwise, it scales existing bias. 🟨 Static | Who's testing the assumptions behind our tools? |
17. AI is better than humans at communication | It can help with speed and tone—but it lacks emotional intelligence and intuition. 🟨 Static | Where can AI support your voice—not replace it? |
18. Every team should build its own GPT | Internal GPTs are powerful—but without standards, they can fragment your ecosystem. 🟨 Static | What’s worth customizing—and what’s better shared? |
19. Voice assistants will replace most interfaces | Voice has potential—but it’s still clunky for complex workflows and not used widely at scale. 🟥 Noise | Where does voice reduce friction—and where does it create confusion? |
20. We need an AI Center of Excellence | Often becomes a bottleneck. Strategy is important, but culture and distributed capability move faster. 🟥 Noise | Are we empowering teams—or slowing down innovation? |
21. AI is helping leaders make better decisions | Already in use to clarify tradeoffs, synthesize inputs, and test thinking. 🟩 Signal | How are you using AI to think better—not just work faster? |
22. Real-time AI summaries are changing team alignment | The ability to reflect back key themes after a meeting in 30 seconds is a gamechanger. 🟩 Signal | What if clarity wasn’t delayed until the next meeting? |
23. AI is becoming a coaching tool, not just a writer | Leaders are using it to prep for 1:1s, reflect on decisions, and build better habits. 🟩 Signal | Where could you use AI to think out loud—before you lead out loud? |
24. Custom GPTs are replacing internal knowledge silos | Companies are building internal GPTs to onboard faster and scale knowledge. 🟩 Signal | What knowledge are you tired of repeating that could be codified? |
25. AI is becoming a second brain—not a second guess | Smart leaders are using AI for reflection, reframing, and pressure-testing—not answers. 🟩 Signal | What could you build if you stopped thinking alone? |
Reality Labs Q2 2025 Trend Filter: Expert Insights & Citations