Outlook 2025: Seven key projections

As the bright lights and shiny objects of 2024 fade, technology leaders face a new reality: The halcyon days of experimentation and play are over. In 2025, they need to demonstrate tangible, bottom-line results from the AI investments made in 2024. We take you through a brief glimpse into how we think that looks to play out in the coming months. 

Dominating the data deluge with AI-powered process

The importance of data governance grows in lockstep with the volume of data generated across every facet of the business. Making data-driven decisions a reality means implementing a robust data strategy that includes steps to eliminate siloed pockets of information and streamline cross-functional business processes. But, to provide actionable results, generative AI tools rely on clean data aggregated within an organized repository. This step paves the way for institutional knowledge to be quickly curated on demand. 

“The ever-increasing need for efficiency will drive the imperative to access and make the most of data that is trapped in digital paper,” affirms Zia Bhatti, Chief Architect, iManage. “Organizations and vendors alike will strive to simplify access to this data in a focused and deliberate manner, by utilizing AI as the force multiplier.” 

Never mind cars – AI drives self-service information

Business department heads are not likely to wax nostalgic about the countless hours they used to spend responding to the endless information requests from employees and internal stakeholders. As legal organizations grow more comfortable using AI to automate routine tasks, decision-makers may even find there is less call to outsource repetitive work. As AI self-service tools become more sophisticated, enterprises will see greater productivity and fewer manual challenges.  

“Generative AI’s advanced natural language processing evolution allows for intuitive, conversational interfaces that understand context and intent,” remarks Paul Walker, Global Solutions Director, iManage. “In 2025, AI-powered self-service solutions will become a reality, with the solid potential to revolutionize how employees access and use information within enterprises.” 

Savvy organizations master the power of the prompt 

The art of crafting the perfect prompt is the secret to harnessing generative AI and is prized beyond all measure. Successful organizations quickly discover that a thorough understanding of legal language and nuance is critical to successful prompt creation. These businesses will have invested time and resources in prompt design so that everyday users can obtain accurate, relevant responses to common queries as easily as clicking a button, instead of every user needing to design every query themselves.

“Prompts are truly the last mile connections linking employees to the knowledge residing in the organization for informed and faster decision-making,” says Walker. 

Organized data preserves collective intelligence 

Organizations invest in organizing their data to use generative AI effectively to achieve greater rewards in the long term. AI and Information Architecture (IA) play a critical role in capturing and codifying an organization’s invaluable expertise. Preserved collective knowledge made accessible to legal professionals supports present and future generations of talent.

Bill Vance, Chief Technology Officer, Adams and Reese, told iManage “Our main product is knowledge. We’re very excited about how all this knowledge is coming together in our own document repository, and understanding the tools is very important. Great metadata makes our search capabilities more powerful and enables us to better share our knowledge across the organization.” 

AI elevates roles rather than poaching jobs

Automating mundane tasks that demand conspicuous amounts of an administrative or legal professional’s time means faster job evolution with a corresponding expansion of roles, responsibilities, and compensation. But despite reassurances that AI has not come to replace people and steal their jobs, fears will persist as long as people feel their jobs may be threatened. 

Workforce education in AI is fundamental to a “knowledge worker first” mentality. “In 2025, AI literacy isn't just another technical skill — it's becoming as fundamental as digital literacy was a generation ago,” says Jenny Hotchin, Legal Practice Lead, iManage. “AI literacy initiatives must address deep-seated concerns about AI’s impact on job security while demonstrating its potential to enhance — not replace — human capabilities.” 

Put people first and they’ll be in it to win it 

Many businesses get so excited about new technology and its potential that they rush forward without taking time to consider:

• What problem are you trying to solve?
• Is the workflow part of the problem?
• How can we gather user input pre- and post-change?
• Where can we prevent or minimize negative user impact?
• What future state spells success and a positive outcome?
• How will we monitor and measure improvement?

Organizations face the challenge of delivering business value through AI while preventing a workforce gulf that could hamper innovation and growth. Successful change agents bring users into the process from the get-go, and give their input serious consideration. Feeling heard builds trust and helps everyone want to work to make the project a success. It ensures a good-faith effort to incorporate new processes and tools and guide the team to continuous improvement. 

“We’re cultivating a culture of ‘change resilience,’ a continuous, adaptive strategy that aligns with a rapidly evolving business landscape,” shares Amy Nordness, Chief People’s Officer, iManage. “Reskilling and upskilling initiatives are essential for talent retention, giving employees the opportunity to learn, practice, and refine in-demand skills that extend beyond the realm of technical proficiency. Well-rounded support for employee well-being will also include health, emotional and mental welfare, community integration, and financial comfort.” 

AI moves from hype to impact, delivering on its promise  

Committed stakeholders start seeing tangible results from their initial investments and proceed to refine their AI strategy to build on that success.

Winning solutions in this space have given serious thought to:

• Fitting like a glove into their users’ existing workflows
• Integrating smoothly with tools and applications already in play 
• Having an intuitive interface that is fast to learn and easy to use 
• Delivering high-quality output at speed with unimpeachable veracity
• Being scalable to meet users' needs as the business grows and matures

“When we think about transformation,” says Warren Hero, CIO, Webber Wentzel, “we think about both the operational transformation and the strategic transformation. The operational transformation is about productivity improvements, and the strategic transformation is using the time gained not [only] to enrich ourselves, but to find a way to give back to our community, to give back to our clients, and to become a trusted advisor."

Past investments unlock future promise

Savvy businesses are navigating the 2025 landscape with a keen eye to extending the value of their existing investments in technology and people. While talent retention and knowledge preservation continue to be bywords, data-led decision-making, exemplary governance, and a steady focus on change resilience come to the fore. Enterprises tap into automation to free people from tedious work and maximize their relationships with strategic partners, applying new tools, new processes, and new ways of thinking to unlock the promise of emergent new technologies. 

We hope these thoughts about the coming year have been interesting and useful to you or your team. For the next step of your iManage journey please consider downloading the iManage guide to Cultivating a Modern, Knowledge-Led Workplace.