5 AI trends that made the biggest difference in my life

AI tools went mainstream in 2025, but they were hardly static. New models and features gave rise to all kinds of trends, fads, and fashions. The more durable or notable trends have had a real impact on my life, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes in ways I only notice in retrospect.

Here are some of the best and worst, or at least annoying, ways AI trends have affected me this year.

1. I now double-check every realistic AI photo

Until recently, spotting an AI-generated photo took me no time at all. I didn't have to check for a watermark; it was just always obvious. But as AI image generators became more and more powerful this year and people became better at prompting them to mimic reality, I sometimes need a few seconds, or sometimes more than a few, for particularly good ...