A Forrester VP explains to TechRepublic readers why three of these 10 emerging technologies for the year should be on managers’ radar now.
By year’s end, experimentation with AI will have shifted to keeping pace with how quickly it is moving. Generative AI is evolving into agentic AI, automation will be more refined, and emerging technologies will be in full-scale deployment, according to Forrester, which has released its top 10 emerging technologies for 2025.
Forrester categorized the top 10 emerging tech over the short-term, mid-term, and long-term to help organizations prioritize their investments.
According to Forrester, these technologies balance AI acceleration with security needs and will offer measurable ROI within the next two years.
1. Synthetic data
2. IoT security
3. TuringBots
4. GenAI for language
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These technologies are stalling due to integration challenges, lack of industry standards, and the challenge of deploying AI safely in human environments and will deliver benefits in the next two to five years.
5. Agentic AI
6. GenAI for visual content
7. Edge intelligence
8. Autonomous mobility
9. Quantum security
This AI breakthrough is moving faster than anticipated but will take at least five more years to deliver tangible enterprise value.
10. Humanoid robots
Three of these 10 technologies are particularly notable, Brian Hopkins, vice president of emerging technology and principal analyst at Forrester, told TechRepublic.
The first is agentic AI, which is shifting from traditional AI agent applications. Agentic AI comprises “the underlying emerging technologies that make agents more autonomous,’’ Hopkins said. “These include reasoning models, LLMs as critics, advanced retrieval methods, and novel model engineering techniques. Together, these innovations significantly enhance the capabilities of next-generation AI agents.”
Synthetic data is new to Forrester’s top 10 this year because it is playing a pivotal role in training and fine-tuning AI models, particularly those that power agentic systems, Hopkins said. “While it’s already valued for enabling privacy and reducing bias, its growing impact on boosting model performance is what earned it a spot on this year’s list.”
Industries that will benefit the most from adopting synthetic data to minimize risk include financial services, insurance, healthcare, and the public sector.
The development of humanoid robots is being accelerated by advances in AI language and visual reasoning, combined with declining costs in sensors and mechanical components, Hopkins said.
Millions of AI-powered assistants will enter the workforce in the next five to 10 years, and this will redefine labor markets and create new regulatory and ethical challenges.
“These robots are increasingly capable of working alongside humans in both industrial and consumer settings,’’ Hopkins explained. “While this trend has been developing for some time, 2025 marks a tipping point. We’re advising clients to prepare for the impact on their workforce and to explore innovation opportunities this presents for customer-facing applications.”
Correction: The information in the short-term and mid-term technologies categories have been updated.
Esther Shein is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in writing about AI, cloud, cybersecurity, data, software, and IT leadership. In addition to TechRepublic and eWeek, her work has appeared in CIO.com, CSOOnline, ZDNet, TechTarget, Communications of the ACM, Consumer Goods Technology, Computerworld, The Boston Globe, and Inc. She has also written thought leadership whitepapers, ebooks, case studies, and marketing materials.
