An expert’s take on where AI is headed in 2025?

As artificial intelligence continues to grow at a rapid pace, more and more businesses are grappling with how to adapt both quickly and responsibly.

Dan Priest is the new chief AI officer at PwC, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, where he works with companies across industries as they adopt this burgeoning technology both into their day-to-day operations and future business models. He says 2024 was all about proving what AI brings to the table—and expects 2025 will shift more into scaling it.

Priest recently spoke with The Associated Press about his new role and other AI business predictions that his team has for the year ahead.

Q: What have the companies you work with told you about how they’re adopting AI?

A: AI is showing up in some form or fashion for the majority of our clients these days. In a recent survey that we did of Fortune 1000 companies, nearly half of respondents said AI is fully embedded in their workflows—and about a third had even embedded it in their products and services.

And AI is more than just a tech initiative, it’s also adjusting business strategies. CEOs overwhelmingly recognize that AI will impact their business model in some way—with about 73% of those we spoke to in a predictions report saying that they believe AI would cause a shift in their business model. In particular, we’re increasingly seeing generative AI both in the presence of the consumer and throughout product development.

Read the full Q&A, which has been edited for length and clarity.