Each year, based on conversations with reporters and editors and research we conduct, we prepare a set of trends that we feel are important for the upcoming year. We brief our clients to brainstorm ways they may be able to leverage those trends as part of their thought leadership campaigns.

Here are five trends. We will issue a second set in the next few weeks.

1. AI will be pervasive, spurring innovation and backlash. AI is being deployed in many situations and industries, and generational improvements are made in months, not years. An influx of investors’ dollars will lead to M&A deals and IPOs. Meanwhile, the media will cover the downsides of the technology, like deepfakes, data privacy and security risks, copyright issues, and the environmental impact of increased data energy consumption. We also expect a backlash regarding creative content that doesn’t look or sound human and continued lawsuits against AI companies for using content to become more accurate.
2. Working with influencers and paid opportunities will become more critical for B2B marketers. With fewer reporters and news outlets and growing distrust of the media among Gen Z, B2B marketers must continue to focus on trade media—because relying solely on press releases will not bring sure-fire success—and consider engaging with influencers and content creators. This will be challenging because influencers work differently from reporters, and marketers must develop influencer-first content that meets the needs of influencers and works with X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube and budget for pay-for-play collaborations. (TikTok’s possible change from China to Western ownership will likely make things easier for U.S. marketers.)
3. The quality of information will degrade because there will be so many different versions. In addition to different sources offering divergent perspectives and emphasis on the news (FOX News vs. CNN, for example), AI and social media are generating different flavors of information. When consumers are searching for info, they will more often get an AI answer—but the source for the AI answer may be outdated. This could lead to more confusion than clarity, and marketers need to be careful.
4. Social media will continue to fragment. X (formerly Twitter) is experiencing an exodus of users, while Bluesky has picked up users. We expect more fragmentation of social media platforms, which will challenge marketers to manage the content demands and costs of an ever-expanding number of social media platforms. For that reason, marketers may do better by focusing on niche social media platforms.
5. The life science, biotech and healthcare sectors will be in for a bumpy ride. Funding and M&A activity for life science and biotechs will decline due to uncertainty around the new Administration. AI may be able to help reduce costs and speed drug discovery but changes will get a lot of media coverage. They will affect the sector’s financial stability, particularly for areas like Boston with strong biotech hubs. In the related healthcare field, we expect a continued shortage of nurses and more coverage of shortages of doctors, including specialists like radiologists.