New Year's resolutions: actively shaping the digital future

In 2024, generative AI has become an indispensable player. Now it is increasingly important to define the rules for this powerful tool. Our //next columnist Markus Sekulla has once again asked digital experts from a diverse range of fields for their wishes for the new year. Despite all the digital and technical possibilities that are available, keeping people in mind  is a priority for many of the respondents.

Luca Caracciolo - Editorial Director @ MIT Technology Review & t3n 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-caracciolo-b60110ab/

What I wish for the digital 2025 goes far beyond just this year. In the coming years, we are setting the course for the digital future more decisively than ever before. A future that will fundamentally revolve around artificial intelligence in its many forms. We should begin now to actively shape this future – rather than simply being spectators.

We can achieve this by fostering the AI ecosystem in Germany and Europe. Especially in this weakish economic climate, authorities must take the lead with investments. Moreover, it is crucial to implement the AI Act thoughtfully into national law: with as little bureaucracy as possible and clear, straightforward rules, particularly for startups.

Georgina Neitzel - Head of ERGO Innovation Lab

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginaneitzel/

Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited about the technological advancements on the horizon. At ERGO Innovation Lab, we are witnessing firsthand how technologies like multimodal GenAI create new ways to serve customers and enable our teams to develop solutions faster than ever, whether through GenAI design sprints or AI-generated videos.

But with great potential comes great responsibility. For 2025, my wish is that we continue navigating the fast-changing digital world with confidence and curiosity, making new technologies accessible and valuable within ERGO, while thoughtfully balancing opportunity and responsible use.

I wish for our collaborations to keep growing - within our business units, with tech partners, and across our broader innovation ecosystem. These partnerships have opened doors to exciting areas like Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) and empower teams with GenAI frameworks to conduct complex analyses and enhance operational efficiency, for example in marketing or product development.

In 2025, I hope we keep embracing new technologies to tackle key challenges, applying them thoughtfully, and always keeping the people they serve in mind.

Sven Stuehmeier - Head of Data & Media at Vodafone

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sven-stuehmeier/

For the digital year 2025, I would like to see more willingness to collaborate, especially from the big tech players. In my opinion, it is not enough to keep building or strengthening walled gardens. We will only realize the true possibilities of digital thinking and action when we understand that it is all about the collaboration of data and technologies.

I would also like to see more realism and realism in the possible applications of digital technologies. The AI hype train is moving at breakneck speed and we are not yet giving sufficient consideration to possible restrictions (e.g. use/copyright) or do not yet have a solution.

Stefanie Söhnchen - Vice President Strategy / Lead Digital at PIABO Communications

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-soehnchen/

I hope that the digital year 2025 will finally be the year when communication, social media, SEO, and sales become interconnected and integrated into a cohesive strategy.

When companies start thinking in terms of ecosystems of channels and communication disciplines that are truly relevant to them and their target audiences – and use AI and automation to smartly interlink these – a groundbreaking user experience and significant bottom-line impact can emerge.

For this, I wish for a deeper appreciation of how powerfully data can serve as a foundation for decision-making, along with an unbridled enthusiasm for experimenting and discovering new possibilities

Mark Klein – Chief Digital Officer at ERGO Group AG

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klein-cdo/

As you know, 2025 is the year in which we at ERGO aim to become a digital leader in our industry in Germany and our core markets. It is an ambitious goal, and we will be on the home straight for it in the coming months. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues for their efforts and for the milestones we have reached on this journey, which has taken years.

As for our thematic priorities in the digital year 2025, I continue to see AI – especially GenAI – as an innovation driver and a source of inspiration. At the same time, we will continue to make bold use of the opportunities offered by digitalisation this year to further expand ERGO's customer centricity and brand loyalty.

However, we are aware that setting up groundbreaking technology is only half the battle – it is at least as important to train employees in its use and motivate them to use it. This is because we at ERGO know that a suitable digital culture is the backbone of every digital transformation. Both must be considered and established together, as one cannot succeed without the other.

Mira Jago Tech Entrepreneurin / App Agenturinhaberin Cuckoo Coding GmbH

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirajago/

As a tech entrepreneur running a small app agency, I’ve met many like-minded people in recent years: founders who create human-centered tech, care deeply about customers, partners, and employees, and balance business sense with purpose and ethics.

But on the world’s big tech stages, we still see too many egos delivering mediocre work that harms society and the planet – all while proclaiming themselves visionaries.

In 2025, I want to see more tech products we truly need – ones that advance digitalization in government and healthcare.

And I hope to see more female tech founders leading the way, bringing humility and a stronger sense of responsibility for society and the planet to a tech world that’s overdue for change.

Andre Paetzel - Creative Hive 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paetzel/

My wish is hope and optimism. We are living in a time where digital transformation is profoundly changing our lives.

But amidst all the possibilities that technology offers, we must not forget one thing: the human.

In 2025 we should use the digital world not just for innovation but also for fostering empathy. Let’s develop technologies that help build bridges instead of walls. AI can achieve a lot, but humanity, compassion, and empathy are values that only we can cultivate.

Optimism as a Driver of Progress

2025 should be the year we stop letting concerns about the risks of new technologies paralyze us and instead boldly look ahead.

Every technological challenge also brings opportunities – for new solutions, new ideas, and new collaborations. I wish for a culture where we see mistakes as opportunities to learn and approach innovation with a positive mindset.

Let’s harness the power of technology to solve real problems: climate change, social inequality, access to education, and healthcare. The list is long, but it is not insurmountable.

Kathrin Mybach – PR & Marketing Expert, LinkedIn Storytelling Enthusiast, New Work Ambassador 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrin-mybach/

My wish for 2025: A digital future that works for everyone. To make this happen, we need: strong digital infrastructure, education that reaches all generations, and the understanding that digital skills are important not just for companies but for every individual.

By focusing on digital education, we can help people take control of their careers – whether by exploring new opportunities, working more flexibly, or building portfolio careers. Technologies like AI and remote work offer great possibilities, but only if they are accessible to everyone.

We need a workplace where digital tools not only improve efficiency but also create fairness and equal opportunities. Digitalization should not be a privilege – it should be the foundation for individual growth and collective progress.

Christian Fahrenbach – freelance journalist and lecturer 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cfahrenbach/

Please: More arcs, fewer barks.

In my adopted home of the USA, I experience daily where the shift in media is leading us online. Donald Trump is on track to become president again in part because he understands how more and more people get their information in the digital and offline worlds: from voices they agree with, TikTokers who fuel their fears, and podcasts that drone on for hours about the decline of society. 

In the United States, 54 percent of people have a reading comprehension level equivalent to sixth grade or below; in one out of every ten counties, there is no longer an independent newspaper.

In Germany, fortunately, the situation is not yet as dire, thanks in part to many strong (online) offerings from established and neutral media. But the US serves as a warning.

I hope that we can all resist jumping at every provocation that right-wing and authoritarian figures throw at us because, too often, that only furthers their agenda. Instead, I am making more time for content that takes a broader perspective and explores connections rather than breathlessly translating Trump’s every new tweet. One consequence of this: we need to break away from the compulsion to immediately grasp every breaking-news event and instead allow ourselves to delve deeply into a few key issues.

Carmen Hillebrand - Freelance Social Media Consultant & Foodpodcaster

https://bsky.app/profile/carmenhi.bsky.social

2024 I have been searching for a new digital "home." The collapse of Twitter as a reliable platform has left the social media landscape fragmented, with users scattering across alternatives like Threads, Mastodon, and Bluesky. I see a big part of my German social media bubble gravitating towards Threads. This is understandable, as Threads is easily set up using your Instagram account. When people mention you, you’ll even get a note on your Instagram account should you not have a Threads account yet. Admittedly, it does feel like Twitter in the beginning.

However, since the announcement to abolish fact-checking altogether, I wish people would reconsider using Meta platforms – WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

From a European perspective, this underscores the pressing need for alternatives. The European Union has been taking steps to limit the power of American social media giants. Through regulations such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU has taken a stance in holding these companies accountable for the content on their platforms and how they run them. Leaving these influential platforms raises the question, where should we go? At the moment the alternatives are either Bluesky or Mastodon.

From an EU perspective, the sensible choice is Mastodon. It is a German non-profit organisation. Thus, its business model is inherently different from the likes of X and Instagram etc., which businesses are based on advertising and selling user data.

It would be sensible, however, looking at the somewhat complex nature of Mastodon with its instances, I don’t foresee a lot of non-tech-lovers picking up the idea of choosing an instance whose name is not Mastodon, as is mine, nrw.social. Plus, it is not easy to use in the beginning. You have to understand where to find which content.

I am leaning towards Bluesky due to its international reach. It exudes a similar feeling to what we had with Twitter. Currently, the company is independent from big tech companies and co-owned by some employees. I see the content of the people I follow, so far no hate speech (at least not yet) and no advertising. So, care to join me on Bluesky? I am carmenhi https://bsky.app/profile/carmenhi.bsky.social
 
P.S. By the way, Signal is a good alternative to WhatsApp, just saying.