English rugby union was united in its anger and disbelief over Bill Sweeney’s “embarrassing” £1.1 million pay packet which left Premiership clubs and senior administrators scathing in their criticism amid calls for the chief executive to resign. Sweeney’s salary increase was slammed as “out of touch” and “an embarrassment” after he was paid £1.1 million this year despite the governing body recording a near-£40 million loss. Sweeney’s annual base salary included a pay rise of 8.5 per cent from £684,000 to £742,000 for the year to June 2024, and the annual report also states he received a one-off performance-based payment of £358,000. The bonus is understood to be part of the RFU’s Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) that saw the RFU executive team agree to a six-month pay reduction in 2021 following the pandemic, which would mature after three years. But it follows finishing third in this year’s Six Nations and winning only five out of their 12 Tests in 2024, including just one victory this autumn against , results which Sweeney described as “disappointing”. Sources expressed frustration and criticised the move. One former RFU president said: “I think at a time of severe financial pressure, where money is tight, record losses have been posted and the RFU is making people redundant, it is very difficult to justify a 60 per cent increase on last year’s salary. Even if there are good reasons for an increase the optics of paying the CEO over one million pounds are not very good. I suspect many in the game will be shocked and disappointed.” Another source added: “How long ago was it when Bill Sweeney was described by the government as being ‘asleep at the wheel’?”, before launching a stinging summary of Sweeney’s track record. “Seventh/eighth in the world, at war with most of the game over its future, forced into a deal with Premiership Rugby Limited at twice the original price, five professional clubs have gone bust, record fall in participation levels, global lawsuits on player welfare with not a single public statement made, CVC deal now universally discredited, mismanagement of Eddie Jones at almost every stage and a HR nightmare - all equals £1m. Nice work if you can get it.” Premiership clubs were said to be “furious” at the news of Sweeney’s bonus, with the RFU remuneration committee branded as “totally out of touch” by one insider. “It’s extraordinary,” said a source. “The RFU is losing millions, the clubs are losing millions. The RFU is laying off staff but the chief executive is paying himself millions.” “It has always been outrageous; an embarrassment,” added source at a separate club. The Community Clubs Union (CCU), which was established in 2023 in response to the lowering of the tackle height in the community game, have been long-time critics of Sweeney and Tom Ilube, the current chairman of the RFU. “While disappointing, it is hardly surprising to read that Bill Sweeney and Tom Ilube continually to fail to read the room,” they told on Monday evening. “The community game is dying. So far this season we have had almost 300 walkover results as teams fail to field sides, and a deeply concerning lack of match officials. Both elements of the game have lost losing financial support over the last five years. “Sadly, the checks and balances of the RFU council are now powerless and the management board continue to run without accountability. Despite sound bites about investment in the community game, notably from the Twickenham Allianz deal, no investment plans have been announced – just more job cuts from a bloated Twickenham HQ, seemingly to help pay towards Sweeneys significant pay rise and bonuses. “Enough is enough now and with the relaunch of the CCU in the coming weeks, part of our core manifesto will be for both Sweeney and Ilube to go.” Sweeney’s salary plus bonus for 2024 will match the record for a British sporting executive, with the Football Association’s chief executive Mark Bullingham currently paid £850,000. Tom Harrison, the former England Cricket Board chief executive, was paid £1,134,425 during the 2022-23 financial year, a figure which also included a long-term incentive bonus. understands that the RFU council, during the explanation of Sweeney’s pay rise at Monday’s meeting, was told by governing body administrators that the chief executive of the NFL earned £64 million. But the news of Sweeney’s pay comes at a time where the RFU is under significant financial strain, with the annual report confirming losses of £37.9 million, as previously The operating loss is more than the £30.9 million recorded in 2018 which led to the resignation of previous chief executive Steve Brown, although it was expected given England played no autumn fixtures at Twickenham last November because of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and one fewer home Six Nations match this year. That followed a £4 million operating profit for the 2022-23 financial year. Twickenham saw a £53.8 million reduction in year-on-year revenue that was made up by fewer ticket sales (£25.4 million), hospitality and catering income (£22 million) and broadcast revenues (£6.4 million). The result is the annual report highlights RFU revenues for the year of £175.2 million, down from £221.4 million the previous year, and a profit of £58.2 million before taking into account the £96.1 million investment in rugby. The increase in the underlying loss compared to 2019-20, the last World Cup year, was pinned on inflationary cost increases and reduced Six Nations revenues from broadcast and sponsorship. While Sweeney criticised the standard of England’s results this year, which has seen England drop from fifth to seventh in the World Rugby rankings, Sweeney added: “We are encouraged by the pipeline of talented young players coming through and the outstanding England win in the World Rugby U20 Championship final against France, taking the title for the first time in eight years.” Commenting in the annual report Ilube, said that the impacts on revenue in a Rugby World Cup year were “were anticipated, planned for and they are in line with expectations”. Sweeney also added that numbers in the community game have “stabilised”, with more teams playing in RFU leagues and “reporting feeling safer as a result of a reduction in the tackle height”. Age grade player registrations have also increased by 16 per cent for boys and 10 per cent for girls. “The RFU has planned well for this year, the fourth year in our business planning cycle, which is always a loss making due to increased costs associated with going to the Rugby World Cup and as a result of hosting fewer games at Allianz Stadium,” Sweeney said. “Emerging from post-covid challenges, which saw significant lost revenues, substantial increases in costs and inflation, and a drop in player participation, we are now entering into a period of significant transformation with a great deal to be positive about.”F1 closer to approving expanded grid for GM entry
The Detroit Lions are facing a Chicago Bears team that are coming off of another tough loss. Related Articles Detroit Lions | Grading the Lions’ Week 12 win, as the defense smothers the Colts Detroit Lions | Lions rush for 3 scores and use stingy defense to beat Colts 24-6 for 9th straight win Detroit Lions | Takeaways as Lions cruise past Colts, 24-6, despite injuries piling up Detroit Lions | Photo gallery from the Lions’ 24-6 road win over the Colts Detroit Lions | Lions place Ennis Rakestraw on IR, activate Emmanuel Moseley Despite tying the game late, the Bears went on to lose to the Vikings in overtime, 30-27, dropping their fifth consecutive game and dipping their record to 4-7. For Dan Campbell’s squad, three key contributors may not be available, especially with the upcoming game occurring just four days after a 24-6 win against the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit’s fourth-year head coach expressed, “It’s going to come down to the wire with a number of them. That’s the challenge with the short week. The good news is, I think most of these are not some long-term thing, but the problem is three days to turn around and play. That’s where it becomes a bit of an issue. So, if we can’t, we’re prepare like we always are. Next man up. You got to hold the line, do your job and go compete.” When asked specifically about which three players are the toughest to decide upon, Campbell noted three key players who have helped the team win nine consecutive games may not suit up. “Right now, I mean, Decker, CD (Carlton Davis), Leaf (Kalif Raymond). Saint’s (Amon-Ra St. Brown) a little banged up. We’ll see how he recovers.” For the Lions, the message this week is about healing up and preparing mentally for another NFC North matchup. Detroit has not won on Thanksgiving since back in 2016. Quarterback Jared Goff expressed postgame the seven-game losing streak is one the current team would like to end. “Message is really recovery. Rest, recovery and the mental work,” said Campbell. “It’s how fast can you recover, get your body right, get your mind focused on the job at hand, because you’re not going to get the physical. Block out all the distractions. That’s one thing, the distractions are on us, not on them. We got all our family here, friends, all that. You got to block it out, tell them you love them, and you’ll see them him after the game. “That’s kind of the challenge with all this,” Campbell continued. “This team’s been in, they’ve lost a couple of heartbreakers in the last two weeks. But they’ve been in a bunch of these tight races, and they just keep coming back for more. So they’re hungry for a win. We got our hands full.” This article was produced by the staff at Detroit Lions On SI. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lionsS&P/TSX composite rises on morning of Christmas Eve, U.S. stock markets also up
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WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Jalen Rucker's 27 points helped Army defeat UTSA 78-75 on Sunday night. Rucker added six rebounds for the Black Knights (6-6). Ryan Curry scored 15 points while shooting 4 for 9 (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line and added five assists. AJ Allenspach shot 4 of 4 from the field and 4 for 5 from the foul line to finish with 12 points, while adding eight rebounds. The Roadrunners (6-6) were led by Amir "Primo" Spears, who recorded 22 points and nine rebounds. Tai'Reon Joseph added 16 points and two steals for UTSA. Raekwon Horton finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Army went into halftime ahead of UTSA 39-35. Rucker scored 11 points in the half. Rucker scored 16 points down the stretch in the second half to help lead Army to a three-point victory. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .After pulling out of the Philippines in October, foreign investors came back in November, putting money into the country's stock market and government bonds, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed. Foreign portfolio investments registered with the central bank reached $96.59 million in November, reversing the year-high net outflow of $529.68 million in October. Last month, the country recorded $96.59 million in net foreign investment inflows, with $1.86 billion entering and $1.76 billion exiting, according to BSP data. This signals improvement from October's outflow-dominated record. These foreign portfolio funds—commonly referred to as "hot money" due to their short-term, speculative nature—include tradable money market instruments. Foreign investments in November climbed 25.8 percent from October’s $1.48 billion, with 71.4 percent going to peso-denominated government securities. The remaining 28.6 percent was invested in Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE)-listed sectors, including banks, holding firms, property, transportation services, and the food, beverage, and tobacco industries. The bulk of November’s hot money inflows (90 percent) came from the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, Luxembourg, and Norway. Meanwhile, gross outflows in November totaled $1.76 billion, down $244.73 million (12.2 percent) from $2.01 billion the previous month. As in October, the United States remained the top destination for outflows in November, receiving $914.20 million, or more than half (51.8 percent) of total remittances. Shrinking net inflows On a yearly basis, hot money inflows last month increased by $286.55 million (18.2 percent) to $1.86 billion. However, gross outflows nearly doubled, increasing by $861.72 million (95.4 percent) from $903.10 million in November of last year to $1.76 billion. As a result, net inflows in November dropped significantly to $96.59 million, down $575.18 million (85.6 percent) from $671.77 million recorded in the same period last year. For the January-to-November period, foreign investments registered with the BSP saw net inflows of $2.59 billion, a significant turnaround from the $43.66 million net outflow during the same period in 2023. Foreign investors may choose not to register with the BSP unless they need to buy foreign currency from authorized banks to repatriate profits or capital. The BSP expects net hot money inflows to total $4.2 billion by the end of 2024 and projects $2.9 billion in 2025.Police became convinced they were investigating a crime in the disappearance of University of Mississippi student Jimmie “Jay” Lee when they interviewed the man now on trial in his death, a top officer testified Tuesday. Lee had been missing for two weeks when officers arrested Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. on July 22, 2022, said Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen. Authorities interviewed Herington twice that day, and he gave conflicting information about the hours before Lee vanished, the chief said. “From the moment that we gave Tim Herrington the opportunity to tell the truth and he couldn’t and he lied and we backed that up, we knew then,” McCutchen said. Herrington, 24, is being tried on a capital murder charge in the death of Lee, 20, a gay man who was well known in the LGBTQ+ community at Ole Miss and in Oxford. Lee disappeared in Oxford, where Herrington’s trial is in its second week. Prosecutors and the defense both called their final witnesses Tuesday, and Herrington did not testify. Closing arguments are set for Wednesday. Lee’s body has never been found, but a judge has declared him dead. Herrington maintains his innocence and his attorney, Kevin Horan, told jurors last week that prosecutors have “zero” proof Lee was killed. Lee has not contacted friends or family, and his financial transactions and once-prolific social media posts have stopped since the day he went missing, investigators testified. Before officers interviewed Herrington, they had already obtained sexually explicit text messages exchanged between social media accounts belonging to Herrington and Lee in the early hours of July 8, 2022, when Herrington disappeared in Oxford, McCutchen said. Lee communicated with his mother daily, and sent his last message to her hours before he vanished to wish her happy birthday, according to earlier testimony. Google records obtained through a warrant showed that Herrington searched “how long does it take to strangle someone” at 5:56 a.m., University Police Department Sgt. Benjamin Douglas testified last week. The final text message from Lee's phone was sent to a social media account belonging to Herrington at 6:03 a.m. from a spot near Herrington's apartment, and cellphone tower in another part of Oxford last located any signal from Lee's phone at 7:28 a.m., McCutchen said Tuesday. A security camera showed Herrington jogging at about 7:30 a.m. out of a parking lot where Lee's car was abandoned, investigators testified earlier. “We’ve been looking for Jay Lee’s body for two years, and we’re not going to stop 'til we find it," McCutchen said in court Tuesday. On the day Lee vanished, Herrington was also seen on security cameras buying duct tape in Oxford and driving to his own hometown of about an hour away, police have testified. Herrington is from an affluent family in Grenada, Mississippi, about 52 miles (83.7 kilometers) southwest of Oxford, testified Ryan Baker, an Oxford Police Department intelligence officer who was a detective when he helped investigated the case. Herrington’s grandfather is bishop of a church in Grenada, other family members work at the church and Herrington himself taught youth Sunday school classes there, Baker said. Herrington “was not portraying himself as gay” to family or friends, Baker said. During testimony Tuesday, Herrington's father and grandfather both said Herrington had never spoken about having boyfriends. Herrington operated a furniture moving business with another man while they were students at the University of Mississippi, and they had a white box truck that Herrington drove to Grenada, Baker said. Security cameras at several businesses and a neighbor’s house showed Herrington and the truck in Grenada hours after Lee disappeared, Baker said. During McCutchen's testimony Tuesday, Horan asked whether DNA tests on items taken from Herrington's apartment and the truck showed “any trace evidence at all implicating my client.” McCutchen said they did not, but police first searched Herrington's apartment two weeks after Lee vanished and they searched the box truck a few days after the apartment. Both Herrington and Lee had graduated from the University of Mississippi. Lee was pursuing a master’s degree. He was known for his creative expression through fashion and makeup and often performed in drag shows in Oxford, according to a support group called Justice for Jay Lee. Prosecutors have announced they do not intend to pursue the death penalty, meaning Herrington could get a life sentence if convicted. Mississippi law defines capital murder as a killing committed along with another felony — in this case, kidnapping.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he's tried to demonstrate his dominance by naming loyalists for top administration positions, even though many lack expertise and some face sexual misconduct accusations. It often seems like he's daring Congress to oppose his decisions. But on Thursday, Trump's attempt to act with impunity showed a crack as Matt Gaetz , his choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration. Trump had named Gaetz, a Florida congressman, to be the country's top law enforcement official even though he was widely disliked by his colleagues, has little legal experience and was accused of having sex with an underage girl, an allegation he denied. After being plagued by investigations during his first presidency, Trump wanted a devoted ally in charge of the Justice Department during his second. However, it was never obvious that Gaetz could win enough support from lawmakers to get confirmed as attorney general. Trump chose for a replacement Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who defended him during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of voter fraud. Now the question is whether Gaetz was uniquely unpalatable, or if Trump's other picks might exceed his party's willingness to overlook concerns that would have sunk nominees in a prior political era. The next test will likely be Pete Hegseth, who Trump wants to lead the Pentagon despite an allegation of sexual assault that he's denied. So far, Republicans are rallying around Hegseth , an Army veteran and former Fox News host. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the controversy over Gaetz would have little bearing on Trump’s other choices. He said they would be considered “one at a time.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested otherwise, claiming “the dominoes are falling.” “The drip drip of evidence and truth is going to eventually doom some others,” he said. Trump's election victory was a sign that there may not be many red lines left in American politics. He won the presidential race despite authoritarian, racist and misogynist rhetoric, not to mention years of lies about election fraud and his role in sparking the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was also criminally convicted of falsifying business records to pay hush money, and he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case. Empowered by voters who looked past his misconduct and saw him as a powerful agent of change, Trump has shown no deference to Washington norms while working to fill his second administration . The transition team hasn't pursued federal background checks for Trump's personnel choices. While some of his selections have extensive experience in the areas they've been chosen to lead, others are personal friends and Fox News personalities who have impressed and flattered Trump over the years. Several have faced allegations involving sexual misconduct . Hegseth is facing the most scrutiny after Gaetz. Once Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee for Pentagon chief, allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted a woman in California in 2017. The woman said he took her phone, blocked the door to the hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a police report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. However, he paid the woman a confidential settlement in 2023. Hegseth's lawyer said the payment was made to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit. Trump’s choice for secretary of health and human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced allegations of misconduct too. A woman who babysat for him and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that Kennedy groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation and texted an apology to the woman after the article was published. That isn't the only hurdle for Kennedy; he's spent years spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, raising fears about making him a top health official in the new administration. Linda McMahon, chosen by Trump to be education secretary, is fighting a lawsuit connected to her former company, World Wrestling Entertainment. She’s accused of knowingly enabling sexual exploitation of children by an employee as early as the 1980s, and she denies the allegations. Tulsi Gabbard is another person who could face a difficult confirmation battle, but for very different reasons. The former Democratic representative from Hawaii has been a vocal Trump ally, and he chose her to be national intelligence director. But there's grave concern by lawmakers and national security officials over Gabbard’s history of echoing Russian propaganda. Critics said she would endanger relationships with U.S. allies. Gaetz was investigated by federal law enforcement for sex trafficking, but the case was closed without charges and Republicans have blocked the release of a related report from the House Ethics Committee. However, some allegations leaked out, including that Gaetz paid women for sex. One of the women testified to the committee that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a lawyer for the woman. As Gaetz met with senators this week, it became clear that he would face stubborn resistance from lawmakers who were concerned about his behavior and believed he was unqualified to run the Justice Department. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction,” Gaetz wrote on social media when announcing his withdrawal. Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, said he believed there were four to six members of the caucus who would have voted against Gaetz, likely dooming his nomination, and “the math got too hard.” He said some of the issues and allegations around Gaetz were “maybe beyond the pale." “I think there were just too many things, it was like a leaky dike, and you know, it broke," Braun said. Trump thanked Gaetz in a post on Truth Social, his social media website, without addressing the substance of the allegations against him. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves and Lisa Macaro contributed from Washington. Jill Colvin in New York and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also contributed.Demand driving pickleball expansion
Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb will not play in the 2024 season. Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Miami will not activate Chubb off of the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Chubb suffered a torn ACL meniscus, and patellar tendon late last season. “He just needs a little longer to build,” McDaniel said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “It was the nature of the injury and how his body responded.” McDaniel noted that Chubb did not have a set back, but just isn’t ready to play at his usual high level. Chubb recorded 11.0 sacks with 11 tackles for loss, 22 QB hits, and a league-high six forced fumbles for the Dolphins in 16 games last year. Miami also is unlikely to have cornerback Kendall Fuller for Sunday’s matchup against the Browns, with McDaniel noting he’s week-to-week.The lingering questions around Nvidia’s strong quarterly report
Best Bets for NCAA Basketball Picks Against the Spread for Saturday, November 23Road 2025 to 2032 new year direction concept and sustainable development concept Evening sunset time ... [+] at destination The year ahead looks set to become one of tremendous change. As a consequence of progress in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and space exploration, economies will see constant transformation. These innovations will create significant opportunities and threats. In 2025, we will need to focus on welcoming amazing innovation and progress while keeping these advancements on the rails of ethical implementation and use. Global Economic Shifts The consequences of the growth of automation and trends toward the decarbonization of industries ... [+] will act as catalysts for changes in the distribution of power in the international arena. Advancements in technology will shape economic growth. There will be an apparent dichotomy between countries that participate in the innovative economy and those that lack the ability or infrastructure to do so. The consequences of the growth of automation and trends toward the decarbonization of industries will act as catalysts for changes in the distribution of power in the international arena. Those failing to do so will lag behind, while others, such as the BRICS group, will continue to seek a shift from the U.S. dollar. However, the U.S. economy is expected to grow, decrease inflation, increase employment, and lower interest rates. These changes underscore the need to complement investment in innovation and change or reskill the workforce to compete globally. Stock Market Shifts and AI Dominance Wall Street is expecting a great year. The U.S. equities index is expected to reach at least 6,500 by the close of 2025 , representing a 9% increase in price from its present value and a 10% total return when factoring in dividends. A good deal of these gains will be courtesy of the AI firms. Nvidia will be a valuation leader because of its strategic position in AI hardware; interesting IPOs will be launched — from Stripe to Databricks. Robotics will also experience exponential; for instance, Boston Dynamics will start achieving major milestones after its humanoid robot sent notice to the entire industry in 2024. Even as AI keeps creating value in diverse industries, conventional fields will feel pressure to integrate these technologies into their systems, bringing added volatility to the market. Apple Cancels iPhone 14 And iPhone SE For Millions Of Users Critical Gmail Warning—Don’t Click Yes To These Google Security Alerts The ‘Virus Is Spreading’—Bitcoin Suddenly Braced For A ‘Major’ 2025 Price Move Multimodal AI and AI agents will transform Industries. AI and Robotics Transformation Multimodal AI and AI agents will transform industries. Several recently developed methods for electronically interpreting and producing multiple forms of data (text, images, and audio) will allow sectors, including healthcare, education, and communication services, to innovate their processes significantly. Agentic AI agents will operate as a strategic workforce for complex work, including legal requirements, supply chain efficiency, product development and other fields to improve efficiency and productivity. Robotics will increase across domains. Applying robotics is going mainstream as socionic and anthropomorphic robots like Ameca and Digit go from being novelties to being essential in eldercare, warehousing, and retail. Ordinary multitasking robots will become the backbone of the healthcare and logistics industries. In households, inexpensive robotic appliances will prevail over conventional devices, providing greater protection, linking, and ease of use. In 2025, there will be confusion over what constitutes and does not constitute human effort, leading to profound debate over the topic of work, self, and meaning. Advancements in Space Exploration 2025 will see the dawn of a sustainable economic presence on the moon. In 2025, humanity will continue experiments in deep space exploration and take a baby step toward the commercialization of outer space by forming permanent habitats on the moon through private business ventures and government initiatives. These are the early steps, but they will be the dawn of a sustainable economic presence on the moon. Asteroid mining will be a concept that turns into reality as firms such as AstroForge aim to launch a compact refinery into space, designed to extract minerals from asteroids and transport only the precious metals back to Earth. Improvements in technology will keep making space tourism easier, allowing the ultra-elite to go to space. Fueling this is the advancement of rocket reusability by SpaceX and Blue Origin, alongside the increasing interest of nations in attaining space assets for reasons of security and economic gain. Such advancements are likely to yield trillion-dollar industries . There is a massive shortage of new governance for the celestial region and conflict resolution. 2025 will mark the key year when humanity will experience the change of its goals and dream to start a new life on a new planet and move from being an earth-bound species to a multi-planetary species. Biotechnology Revolution In 2025, personalized medicine will be the norm for patient care due to innovations in AI for ... [+] chronic disease treatment. In 2025, personalized medicine will be the norm for patient care due to innovations in AI for chronic disease treatment. Anti-aging therapies that operate at the level of cells and genes will advance, and these technologies will become everyday practices. Significant funding for gene-editing tools such as CRISPR and the use of AI in new medicine development and clinical research are driving these advancements. These technologies are key to incremental advancement in medical treatments and techniques that will change the way healthcare is delivered and, especially, the intent of treatment—moving from alleviating the discomfort of sicknesses to eradicating sick states at their root. Ethical concerns around genetic engineering must be addressed. These biotechnological advances will revolutionize healthcare and may drive us to rethink what being healthy, growing old, and being human means. Automotive and Transportation Transformation The EV transition will start to upend the world’s oil consumption and needs, forcing the automotive ... [+] and oil industries to embrace green energy and other energy efficiencies. While Gartner forecasts that 85 million EVs will be on our roads by the end of 2025, I predict that 1 in 4 cars sold will be electric. Self-driving vehicle fleets will begin appearing in large cities. The EV transition will start to upend the world’s oil consumption and needs, forcing the automotive and oil industries to embrace green energy and other energy efficiencies. Cybersecurity Spending Will Top $300 Billion We will see a rise in AI-driven cyber threats targeting critical technology infrastructure. ... [+] AI-powered defense systems will be the key to combating and preventing these threats. The enterprise level's focus on cybersecurity will increase for any business reliant on technology. We will see a rise in AI-driven cyber threats targeting critical technology infrastructure. AI-powered defense systems will be the key to combating and preventing these threats. Spending on cyber security will top $300 billion . This focus can’t be on just one country; governments must collaborate for the planet's greater good. Toward AGI and Superintelligence Conceptual illustration of the advancement of AI, showing humanity creating general AI, which in ... [+] turn creates super AI. General AI, also known as strong AI, refers to AI that is designed to perform any intellectual task that a human can do. Super AI refers to AI that is capable of surpassing human intelligence in all areas. Super AI would be capable of solving complex problems that are beyond human capabilities and would be able to learn and adapt at a rate that far exceeds human intelligence. These are both hypothetical forms of AI that are not yet possible to achieve. 2025 could be the year when we finally have machines capable of thinking like humans. This will, in turn, force us all to rethink what it is to be a creator of intelligent “life.” New problems will appear with the creation of AGI systems capable of solving multi-disciplinary problems. We will also need to create solutions for the coming concerns around safety in superintelligence, the ability to control and contain it, and how many and how intelligent an AI agent we should be allowed to develop. Neural architectures and quantum computing will be the drivers behind this innovation. This will lead to conversations of international regulation so that AGI will be oriented to fit society’s ethical benchmarks and welfare. Legal precedents set in 2025 shape the Future of AI Ethical AI , in terms of its use and accessibility, will stay at the forefront as interest and deployment continue to spread. Generative AI is increasingly used every day by industries and individuals, creating an increased focus on verifying human identity and identifying and preventing deepfakes. Leaders will increase their emphasis on the ethical use of AI or face internal and public backlash. Companies will ensure their use of AI matches what their workforce feels is fair and ethical. The legal community has never proven itself efficient or ahead of the curve, so we can expect courtroom battles to drag out. However, when settled, they will shape the course of AI’s future, whether for the better or the worse. Economic Disruption through AI Economic disruption caused by AI will only increase. From a people perspective, some middle managers, especially in large companies, will be made irrelevant by the adoption of new technologies. Due to the democratization of AI, it will be easier for small businesses to rival large-scale business organizations. Yes, these enhancements offer a lot of bang for the buck when it comes to enabling strategic change and gains, but they will also cause issues like displacing employees who must be re-skilled. The shift will require business as we know it to rethink the basic paradigms of business agility, with an emphasis on technology. AI Data Centers: The Backbone of AI Compute ASHBURN, VIRGINIA - JULY 17: In an aerial view, the IAD71 Amazon Web Services data center is shown ... [+] on July 17, 2024 in Ashburn, Virginia. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to a report this year cited in published accounts, but is facing headwinds from availability of land and electric power. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) As I wrote this past October, AI data centers are now the backbone of our compute-driven future. Massive investment will be made in hyper-efficient and liquid-cooled structures. This change will aid several industries, especially the healthcare and automotive industries. Governments will support changes in legislation that encourage investments in sustainable data center designs, opening many opportunities for green tech market players. To keep up with the demand AI will place on these centers, the focus will be sustainable and energy-efficient design. Many organizations may not consider this important now, which could set them behind their competition sooner than expected. Venture-Backed Titan Startups Elon Musk addresses participants via videoconference during the eight edition of the Vivatech ... [+] technology startups and innovation fair, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, on May 23, 2024. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images) The existence and diffusion of artificial intelligence in startups will bring a new breed of venture capital to the world, which will be characterized by higher and unparalleled efficiency and scalability. While powered by automation and other aspects of lean entrepreneurship, these new forms will disrupt traditional corporations, many of which will have a $100M ARR with fewer than 30 employees. Decentralized systems for secure information exchange will also appear, changing industries' views of data. This wave of innovation will redefine sectors, change competition patterns, and introduce new market players, underlining the transformation of AI-based schemes and initiatives. Final Words On 2025 2025 will be another year of massive change. AI, Robotics, space travel, and healthcare breakthroughs suggest that the possibilities of this new year are limitless. I expect actions and innovations to be carefully planned to extract maximum value. The next 12 months and beyond will allow us to envision a future filled with social progress and technological advancements.