As part of the annual VMblog video predictions series, five technology leaders share their strategic visions for 2025, offering unique insights on various technologies and verticals.

In episode 1, we hear from these experts:

Ambassador's Director of Technology, Matt Voget, presents an optimistic view of AI's role in development workflows. Rather than replacing engineers, Voget predicts AI will enhance existing development tools, citing his work on Blackbird, an AI-powered OpenAPI spec generator, as an example. He forecasts increased market competition among LLMs, leading to more affordable pricing and greater integration of AI features in both proprietary and open-source tools.

Andela's VP of Product and Engineering, Courtney Machi, delivers a compelling prediction about the future of work. She anticipates a significant expansion of the fractional workforce, particularly in C-level and management positions. This trend, accelerated by the pandemic and enhanced by AI productivity tools, will see companies adapting to accommodate workers managing multiple roles simultaneously. Machi also introduces the intriguing concept of AI co-pilots becoming part of this fractional workforce ecosystem.

Crowdbotics' VP of Research and Innovation, Cory Hymel, outlines four key predictions for AI in software development:

1. AI emerging as a "first draft engineer" to accelerate project initiation 
2. Generative AI maturing into enterprise-grade solutions with improved security and governance
3. The rise of agenic workflows combining multiple AI models for complex tasks
4. A shift toward smaller, more efficient AI models optimized for edge deployment and cost-effectiveness

Graphiant's CPO Ali Shaikh focuses on network infrastructure evolution, highlighting three critical areas:

1. The transformation of network infrastructure to support AI-driven data movement and business-to-business transfers 
2. Implementation of multicloud network solutions meeting data sovereignty requirements 
3. The adoption of post-quantum encryption capabilities to protect critical data assets and AI training data 

RackN's CEO and Co-Founder, Rob Hirschfeld, concludes with insights on IT disruption in 2025, emphasizing two major shifts:

1. The strategic implementation of LLM and AI models 
2. A transition from traditional virtualization to bare metal Kubernetes, positioning it as the optimal VMware migration path for improved AI integration 

This collection of predictions from industry leaders provides a comprehensive look at how AI, workforce dynamics, and infrastructure will reshape technology in 2025.