The year has just begun, but there have already been some incredible technological advancements. Of course, there are even more to come, and earlier this month, MIT Technology Review shared a list of 10 breakthrough technologies to watch in 2025. These are the technologies MIT believes will affect our world in a big way not only this year but for decades to come:
Vera C. Rubin Observatory: A powerful telescope in Chile will begin its decade-long survey of the southern sky in 2025. This telescope will allow astronomers to study dark matter, explore the Milky Way, and learn more about space.
Generative AI search: This has been a wild month for AI. With DeepSeek’s sudden success, it’s hard to argue that Generative AI search won’t be one of the breakthroughs of 2025, and MIT agrees. This year, generative search promises to make finding what you’re looking for easier than ever, and on-device technology will be far more useful.
Small language models: As AI continues to dominate the industry, small language models will make the technology more accessible to the average user. These cost-efficient language models can now compete with their larger, more expensive cousins (see: OpenAI’s o3-mini), and we’re looking forward to seeing how they expand in 2025.
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Robotaxis: Following years of beta testing, MIT believes that robotaxis will be one of the breakthrough technologies to watch in 2025. Just this week, Waymo announced that it plans to test its autonomous driving technology in 10 new cities this year.
Fast-learning robots: The future promised by The Jetsons might be closer than expected. With reports that Foxconn will use humanoid-like robots to ramp up production in its factories, MIT says the AI boom will be key to this technology and that robots “could be dropped into new environments and tackle a variety of tasks on our behalf, almost instantly.”
Stem-cell therapies that work: Another technology breakthrough to watch out for in 2025 is the stem-cell therapies that actually work. As MIT notes, experimental transplants of lab-made cells already seem to be helping treat epilepsy and type 1 diabetes.
Wrap up
Of course, BGR is pretty hyped about all the new generative AI technologies as well as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The full list of MIT breakthrough technologies of 2025, including why the specialists think they matter, is available here.
