Top Predictions for AI Heading Into Q4
Why is the stock market rising among record layoffs, a government shutdown, a tariff war, and global instability?
Typically, the stock market is a leading indicator of a 6–18 month horizon. What’s causing it to rise?
One plausible answer is the excitement around artificial intelligence (AI).
There’s a striking similarity between the Dot-Com Boom of the late 1990s and today—technological euphoria and market concentration.
We’re all wondering: Is it a bubble?
Here are our top predictions we have for AI as we head into Q4:
There will be select areas where we value the craft of handmade.
The same way one-shot or single-take movie scenes sweep film awards for the return of theatre-like craft on the big screen, we’re going to see a resurgence of awe around what can be produced without AI that’s creative, compelling, magnificent. See: the production of Wicked. Consider where there’s value in not using AI to celebrate a human or low-tech craft.
We’re going to see more intentional technology free zones.
Think locking up your phone on vacation, social clubs with phone lockers, and in-person social experiences. There will be a return to more face-to-face activity and experiences as people lose confidence and trust in what they’re seeing and reading online due to the unchecked production of AI content. Consider where an intentional technology free zone might promote greater human connection, ideation, and innovation.
AI in mental health will raise more complex ethical questions.
The intersection of AI and mental health offers unprecedented support and complex ethical dilemmas. AI tools can personalize wellness, detect distress, and provide accessible therapy, but raise concerns about treatment validity, data privacy, algorithmic bias, and over-reliance on technology. Consider taking the time to create ethical frameworks that prioritize responsible well-being, evidence-based, safety, and human empathy practices.
The human paradoxes between speed, creativity, and quality will increase.
We can produce results faster with AI, but achieving quality may take longer. While AI boosts idea generation, it could degrade critical thinking. It reduces cognitive load for simple tasks like email, but increases it for complex ones like presentation storytelling. Therefore, we must be intentional about AI's use cases, time blocks, and how we assign design roles and responsibilities to maximize its value.
The AI landscape is going to become more complex before it consolidates.
The market will continue to be flooded with AI startups, solutions, integrations, and features in new and existing tools. The most viable solutions will see longevity and the others will be consolidated or folded into the winners. Invest in technologies where AI features are tightly woven with existing day-to-day technologies (e.g., Gemini embedded in Google Docs) to take bets on technologies that are likely to win out.
Businesses are going to go back to the basics to scale with AI.
Businesses are quickly realizing that AI isn't a silver bullet. It won't fix undocumented processes, clean up disorganized data, or relieve workforce consolidation pressures. To truly leverage AI innovations, organizations will need to urgently build the foundational infrastructure they previously deprioritized or defunded.
IP and PII breaches are going to rise.
As businesses push employees to use AI tools for personal productivity or implement AI agents for blended workforces, we’re going to test the boundaries of security protocols to protect intellectual property (IP) and personally identifiable information (PII). Build policies, governance structures, and security protocols to protect your company’s IP and customer data.
AI will cannibalize capitalism before we settle on the benefits.
If we lay off a significant amount of the workforce in the name of efficient growth, we won’t have a workforce to spend and fuel the economy. This is going to lead to job displacements, market shrinkage, productivity losses, and social infrastructure challenges before we start to see career shifts and the use of AI to maximize real economic development. Stay ahead of the AI skill gap by leveraging continuous learning opportunities.
The rate of change is so rapid companies will need to plan iteratively.
Long gone are the days of big releases and predictable markets. The relentless pace of technological advancement and market shifts will render traditional long-term strategic planning obsolete. Businesses will be forced to adopt highly iterative planning cycles, constantly adapting their strategies and operations in response to real-time data and emerging trends. This will necessitate a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and rapid decision-making, where organizations embrace flexibility and view plans as living documents rather than fixed blueprints.
We’ll see market correction for AI-related layoffs.
AI-fueled layoffs are making headlines, touted as a win for efficiency. Yet, is this just a way to spin a narrative of missed financial targets to Wall Street? After making deep gauges in the workforce, remaining talent is asked to do more with less and faces burnout, broken processes, and continued business struggles. A market correction will inevitably follow, forcing companies to hire back the crucial talent they overlooked. Design a blended workforce of the future that considers how human and AI work together.
The journey into an AI-accelerated future demands intentionality, strategic thinking, and a steadfast commitment to human-centered values. By embracing these principles, we can harness AI's transformative power to create a future that is not only efficient but also equitable, ethical, and deeply human.
Statement Co.llab Contributors: Jess Heaton, PhD and Sarah Cargill