AI in 2025: The Real Wins, Real Fails, and What’s Next (Year in Review)

**AI moved fast in 2025. The bigger story? The people building with it.**
In this Year in Review, Chris & Mark recap the biggest themes from the last 13 episodes—what founders got right, where “AI strategy” goes wrong, and why *experts* (not just “humans”) need to be in the loop as tools get more powerful.

We unpack the show’s pivot from a weekly AI news format into deeper interviews (shout out to Ned Warfield for helping trigger that shift), then revisit standout conversations across product, UX, creative industries, mental health, and the Aussie startup ecosystem.

### What you’ll hear in this episode

* **Human-first AI in product & CX:** why “throwing AI into a business” as a checkbox fails, and why workflows + people matter (feat. Charmaine / Frey).
* **AI for lead gen & founder lessons:** Serena’s approach with **Fuzzy**—using AI to extract the right signals and improve how people source and engage leads on LinkedIn/social channels.
* **AI in the creative industry:** how **aiCandy** uses AI to produce commercial-grade output *with pros shaping the work*, plus the reminder that audience taste still sets the rules (even when AI makes “anything” possible).
* **AI for good + psychological safety:** the “burnout is real” thread—tools like Mood AI focusing on prediction, support, and creating safer workplaces (not just shipping tech for tech’s sake).
* **Street-level signal from events:** the South by Southwest episode—real-world “doom vs hope” sentiment, builder energy, and practical security notes (like being cautious with AI browsers + prompt injection).
* **What’s next:** the shift from “human-in-the-loop” to **expert-in-the-loop**, and plans for 2026: more expert-level convos, more live formats, corporate-focused episodes, and roundtable debates on how AI is impacting different generations.

### What we’re taking into 2026

If you’ve been watching AI from the sidelines, this episode is the push to start building—safely, with better data habits, and by learning with the community around you (there are more free communities and helpful founders out there than most people realise).

**Drop a comment:** What was your biggest “AI moment” of 2025—and what do you want us to pull apart in 2026?