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With Ron Baker out this week due to a personal matter, Ed Kless is joined by Greg Tirico for a deep dive into the FTSG 2025 Tech Trends Report (available as a free download). Together, they explore 10 provocative takeaways shaping the future of technology—from AI’s evolution into “living intelligence” and action models, to the rise of agentic systems, climate-driven innovation, and the commercial colonization of space. Ed and Greg break down what these shifts mean for business leaders, professionals, and society at large. Expect thoughtful insights, some healthy skepticism, and a few surprises as they navigate the frontier of what’s next.

MORE ABOUT GREG

Greg's official title here at The Soul of Enterprise might be just a step above “intern,” but don’t let that fool you. He’s the behind-the-scenes engine helping drive marketing at The Soul of Enterprise — that is, when we allow him to emerge from the dark room in which he lives and works. In addition to making Ron and Ed look good (arguably his most important job), Greg also runs Working Web Media, bringing years of marketing and tech expertise to the table.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

AI

Deep Seek and Stanford have both shown that AI models do not need to get larger as previously thought. Think “small language models” instead of LLM (large language models).
Newer models might be small and less capable but that’s a good thing, especially for mobile devices
Agentic AI has cemented itself as a trend to watch. This can be thought of as autonomous decision making (or business workflow on steroids)

Metaverse

Industrial applications remain “just around the corner” and I’m still a bit skeptical
South Korea Enacts Metaverse Industry Law in February of 2024. The new law both supports and regulates the metaverse, prioritizing permissionless development with oversight after implementation.
Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses: Meta AI for object detection, capture video, make phone calls, listen to music, and livestream — all for $300

Segment two

Biotechnology

Real world industrial applications currently in the market:

crops engineered for climate resilience and higher yields
engineered microbes produce materials stronger than steel
Restaurants serve meat grown from cells rather than raised on farms.
Fashion brands sell jackets made from spider silk produced by engineered yeast.
Construction companies explore self-healing concrete created by bacteria.
Beauty products contain proteins designed by AI and grown in fermentation tanks.

July 2024: CRISPR-edited seedless blackberries and non-browning avocados enter market trials.
Medical LLMs used for drug discovery
CRISPR gene editing: Editas’ EDIT-101, designed to treat Leber congenital amaurosis, is one of the first in vivo CRISPR therapies to restore vision in patients with inherited blindness.

In vivo: in the living; ex vivo requires stem cells to be modified outside the body and then reintroduced
CRISPR modified livestock?

Mobility, Robotics, and Drones

EVs as mobile power plants. After all, the Tesla power wall is the same battery they put in cars. The Ford F-150 Lightning is the ultimate tailgate machine

Fun fact: Tesla now has over 60,000 superchargers worldwide at 7,000 locations. There are 11,616 Exxon Mobil gas stations in the United States.

Software defined cars: NHTSA recalls still happen but the fix is done via software. The recurring revenue model is too lucrative to ignore for automakers
Autonomous vehicles possibly face more regulatory scrutiny than technological barriers at this point. Waymo is in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin with 10 more cities planned this year
Drones: medical applications both on and off the battlefield; agriculture
Robots: AI driven domestic robots, “Cobots”, are being produced by Samsung and Switchbot. Moving beyond the vacuum, they can handle air purification, monitor pets, and deliver items to you (beer?)
1 in 10 South Korean workers are robots
Space robots and drones will play a large role in the NASA Artemis project and are already helping to clean up space junk
Aerial corridors are already a thing in the UAE

Segment three

Computing

National security depends on computational supremacy. When adversaries can deploy more powerful AI systems faster, they gain advantages in everything from intelligence to weaponry. Building robust computing infrastructure is just as much about maintaining strategic autonomy as it is technological leadership. And this is where quantum computing enters the chat.

When Google’s 2024 Willow quantum chip completed a problem in five minutes that would take today’s supercomputers 10 septillion years to solve, it sparked equal parts excitement and bewilderment.

Access to energy and compute will continue to be critical over the next decade
Biological computing, or biocomputing, uses biological organisms or processes to store, process, and transfer information, encompassing technologies like DNA computing and cellular computing. It aims to harness the power of living systems for computational tasks.

In 2023, researchers at Johns Hopkins University outlined a vision for biocom- puters powered by human brain cells in a paper published in Frontiers in Science. Led by Thomas Hartung, the team present- ed a roadmap for “organoid intelligence,” aiming to develop biological computing using 3D cultures of human brain cells.

Generative UI refers to the use of generative AI to automatically create, adapt, or personalize a user interface (UI) based on real-time inputs and context.
Context aware earwax
Living tactical scenario: A gunshot cracks the night. Within seconds, the drones pinpoint the shooter through audio triangulation. The helmets respond, releasing precise doses of performance enhancers to steady hands and sharpen focus. If chemical weapons appear, the neural interface stands ready to inject countermeasures directly into bloodstreams. The soldiers adjust their approach wordlessly, human and machine moving as one. The drones unleash another tactic: They project phantom sounds across the battlefield—helicopter rotors, tank treads, marching boots. The enemy scatters, chasing ghosts. The helmets pick up on rising hostile heart rates as confusion spreads.

Space

Space is shifting from government-driven to markets-driven.

SpaceX conducted 138 launches in 2024; 35 so far this year

There was a private spacewalk in 2024 conducted by Polaris Dawn
Vast Space will launch Haven-1 in 2025 — a commercial space station
Space based manufacturing of pharmaceuticals
Cislunar Networking: As we return to the moon, infrastructure like fiber optics and reliable internet will be essential, mirroring Earth’s networks. This presents a significant opportunity to shape the future of lunar communications.
“If we are to find new frontiers for industry and energy, then the mines of space will provide.” Isaac Asimov, “Foundation and Empire”

Segment four

Entertainment, Healthcare, and News

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

Click the “FANATIC” image to learn more about pricing and member benefits.