Forecasting five years out used to be standard practice in predictions articles. But making five-year predictions is now untenable given the unprecedented pace of technological change.
Yet I would stake everything I own on this prediction: Technology will change more in the next five years than the last 50. Recent developments in AI, content creation and monetization, live production and smart stadiums also signal what we can all expect in the next 18 to 24 months.
Here are five ways that technology is changing our world.
- AI Runs the Show
Directors have always run broadcasts through voice control. A director might call out to the technical director to adjust the lighting or ask the graphics operator to change an image. Now, a director can talk to AI and have it run the entire show. Instead of a technical crew switching cameras or managing graphics, the AI will listen, watch the feed and make changes automatically, enabling high-level production at a fraction of the cost.
An OpenAI DevDay 2025 demonstration (42 minutes into the keynote) highlighted what this might look like. The presenter used an Xbox to build a control system in a few minutes and asked AI to assess the environment and adjust the venue’s lighting to illuminate the audience.
This kind of thing is no more than three years out from becoming a mainstream capability. It will likely take hold in corporate media first, then gain adoption in broadcast media environments.
This is part of a larger trend.
Within 18 to 24 months, AI will be able to do anything a person can do on a computer. This doesn't necessarily mean AI will replace people, but people need to learn how to use the capabilities of AI to succeed in the future.
Consider Microsoft Copilot Vision, for example. It allows the models to see anything on your computer screen, and its corresponding Copilot Actions feature can take actions on your behalf.
What used to take teams of hundreds, tens of millions of dollars and years to accomplish can be achieved in a couple of weeks by small teams with far smaller budgets and the power of AI. - Entertainment Experiences More Disruption
New tools like OpenAI Sora 2 now enable anyone to create any kind of videos they want.
You can use it to do characterizations using the likeness of a friend or authorized celebrity.
AI-generated videos have already seen great success.
Stormtroopervlogs, built by an anonymous creator using Google Veo 3, is an example. These funny, short-form videos feature Greg the Stormtrooper, a takeoff on the Star Wars characters.
Disney allowed the Greg the Stormtrooper videos because they were so positive for the Star Wars brand at a moment when the franchise needed a lift. Now Disney plans to use AI to enable Disney+ users to generate their own content and consume user-generated content from others.
Now that you can build content with friends, fan fiction is becoming the new blockbuster movie. - The Wild West Gives Way to Law and Order
Empowering fans with fan fiction and monetizing that is a drastic change from the Wild West, where creators did whatever they wanted with content and tried to fly under the radar.
OpenAI is taking a similar approach as Disney with Sora. The company proceeds as if nothing is protected by copyright, but when the entity that owns the copyright approaches them, they make a deal to use that IP in specified ways and share revenue with the actual creators of the IP.
The fact that 2025 was the year of the content lawsuit also signals the end of the Wild West.
The copyright infringement lawsuit Warner Music Group filed against Udio, a major music platform whose AI trained on Warner Music artists, is a case in point. WMG settled the lawsuit in October, and terms of the deal were undisclosed. But Udio users one day discovered they were unable to download the music they created and were greeted with a splash screen indicating people who use specific artists’ influence will share revenue with them. Udio has announced plans to introduce a new platform in 2026 that’s trained on licensed UMG music.
AI music company Suno, whose model is similar Udio’s, is likely the next to get hit.
Meanwhile, AI audio company ElevenLabs recently announced partnerships with such actors as Michael Caine and Liza Minnelli to support the launch of its Iconic Voice Marketplace. As Deadline reported: “The deals are a sign of AI companies collaborating with rights holders at a time when they face serious allegations of exploiting intellectual property without permission.” - Smart Stadiums Collide with Smart Cities
Most smart stadiums being built are now following the template of smart cities.
Not only will they be able to host sports events like football, basketball or hockey, they’ll also deliver experiences in and around the stadiums. That may include providing guests at a nearby hotel the opportunity to watch elements of a game they wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else. It may entail creating an environment that makes fans at next-generation sports bars feel like they’re at the game without having to buy a ticket. Think the Sphere meets Buffalo Wild Wings.
Stadiums are also introducing apps that enable fans within the stadium to order food more easily, watch replays, get player stats, vote on things and place bets. Placing QR codes in and around the stadium can also allow fans to scan those codes to enjoy various experiences.
When stadiums design their venues to be composable to meet the needs of other events, like concerts and monster truck rallies, it also creates considerable new revenue potential.
Look for smart stadiums to use technology to provide additional experiences within and around the venues to keep fans engaged and better monetize the events they host. - College Athletics Deliver More Premium Experiences
The new rules that allow colleges to pay their athletes are changing the game. Schools are starting to feel the need to build up alternate revenue streams to pay for better players.
It’s really altering the entire concept of college sports.
This is prompting colleges to invest in updating their stadiums with way more high-end seats and booth spaces that people and organizations can rent out.
As a result, colleges will be able charge more and have higher tiers of revenue from diehard fans, companies, executives, and other individuals and key groups. Meanwhile, college football game attendees will have the option of enjoying a wider array of more premium experiences.
How to Survive the Rapid Pace of Change
Those are my five big near-term predictions. But the only thing we can be certain of is change.
The art of surviving all this change lies in building infrastructure that allows you to adapt in real time, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time a new tool or need arises and embracing a minimum viable approach so you can start small and stack up like Lego blocks.
Now you can build an agentic flywheel that gets better with every interaction. When new technology comes out, you can leverage it to take your stadium, company or environment to the next level without having to refactor, rebuild or move to an entirely new tool set.
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