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This edition marks the start of the second year of our publication at Vision Quest! We are grateful to everyone that has joined our community in 2024 and that you continue to check out our content.

When we started this newsletter we did it as an experiment in order to learn how to create content with consistency and use AI tools for something real. We may have found our groove but there is plenty of room for improvement. We will continue to evolve how we share the latest advancements in technology and explain how it will impact your everyday lives.

There are going to be countless exciting updates in 2025, so I hope you strap in and are ready for a ride into the future!

Today’s Slate

• What to expect from CES 2025 - the world’s biggest tech conference

• Google is doubling down on AI in 2025

• Can photorealism ignite the Metaverse?

• Pimax answers questions as doubts rise about their teased headset

• NVIDIA wants to be the backbone of humanoid robot hardware

• 2025 is upon us! Welcome to another year of exponential progress

CES 2025

At a glance

• CES 2025 Overview: The largest tech event of the year, CES 2025 runs January 7–10 in Las Vegas, showcasing cutting-edge innovations across AI, automotive, robotics, and display technology.

• AI Everywhere: Expect AI to dominate, with advancements in "agentic AI" promising to replace traditional apps, and AI integrations spanning everything from TVs and cars to snowblowers and toothbrushes.

• Future Cars & Mobility: Automakers like Hyundai and BMW will showcase futuristic EVs with groundbreaking tech like full-windshield holographic displays and panoramic infotainment systems.

• Display Innovation: Big-screen TVs, transparent displays, and rollable tech will make headlines, alongside cutting-edge VR advancements and even displays embedded in contact lenses.

• Robotics & Sustainability: Robots with improved AI capabilities are expected, alongside tech aimed at sustainability, health, and accessibility.

Our vision

CES 2025 is where sci-fi meets reality, offering glimpses into a tech-driven future shaped by the big players: Google’s AndroidXR, Apple, Meta, and now Hyundai’s holographic displays. It’s the "Super Bowl of tech," where each innovation, whether AI-powered toothbrushes or electric air taxis, hints at how our lives might be transformed.

Learn more: How to Watch CES 2025’s Press Conferences

Spatial Computing | Artificial Intelligence | Digital Health | Transportation | Robotics | Smart Cities | Space Tech

Artificial Intelligence

At a glance

• Gemini Focus for 2025: Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that scaling Gemini, its advanced AI model, for consumer use will be the company’s top priority next year.

• Competitive Landscape: Pichai acknowledged competition with OpenAI and the need for Google to establish a leadership position in consumer-facing AI.

• Execution Over Speed: While recognizing the importance of being competitive, Pichai stressed that execution and creating best-in-class products are more critical than being first to market.

• PR and Branding Challenge: Google seeks to overcome the growing association of OpenAI’s ChatGPT with AI by doubling down on delivering tangible benefits through its consumer products.

Our vision

Scaling Gemini mirrors Google’s broader ambition to redefine how we interact with AI, much like its Veo 2 video generation model and NotebookLM, which transforms articles into dynamic podcasts. Together, these tools highlight a future where AI isn’t just a novelty but a deeply integrated part of daily life. Imagine a world where Gemini simplifies complex tasks while Veo 2 visualizes your ideas and NotebookLM turns long reads into immersive conversations.

It’s Google’s play to not just keep up with OpenAI but to lead the charge, creating an ecosystem where AI serves as a seamless extension of human potential. Think less Black Mirror and more Her, but with a lot more user control and maybe fewer existential crises.

At a glance

• What is STORM? A Stanford University AI tool designed for academia and research, creating Wikipedia-style articles with citations in minutes.

• How it works: Uses a multi-agent system combining content retrieval, multi-perspective questioning, and synthesis to produce organized and accurate knowledge.

• Target users: Academics, researchers, students, and content creators seeking structured outlines or summaries of complex topics.

• Limitations: Lacks deep detail for niche topics and advanced safety measures; better suited for foundational outlines than long-form academic papers.

Our vision

STORM stands as a transformative step in AI’s academic integration, bridging the gap between raw data and structured knowledge. As a direct challenge to generalized AI tools like ChatGPT, STORM demonstrates how tailored solutions can cater to specific needs like research and education. With Stanford’s focus on transparency and collaboration, this tool sets the stage for a future where academia and AI coalesce, much like Google's NotebookLM attempts to turn static articles into dynamic resources.

As we venture into 2025, tools like STORM will likely redefine how knowledge is created, shared, and leveraged. It’s a scholarly “Eye of the Storm” for AI innovation.

Spatial Computing

At a glance

• Bold Prediction: A user on X predicts that 2025 will be the year of photorealistic avatars becoming accessible to the masses.

• No More Hiding: If he is right, we could see the first rollout of the previously teased innovations that Google and Meta have been working on for years seen in the video above.

• Effect of Photorealism: The response from customers will be the tell all. Sure it’s cool to see these avatar examples in video demonstrations, but when your head is strapped to a computer is where we’ll get true reactions.

• Availability: Who knows if we’ll actually see this technology released into the wild in 2025. If it does become available, we expect to see updates from Apple, Meta and Google as they each bolster their Spatial Computing platform offerings.

Our vision

Photorealistic avatars are going to be a hit - with some people. When the Metaverse reaches maturity we could see photorealistic avatars being useful and helping increase the sense of immersion when interacting with other people. But there are times where you won’t want the Metaverse to look exactly like the real world. The parallels I see are in the entertainment space. We have beautiful examples of cinema like Interstellar that mirror reality visually. But then you have Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse which has a unique and engrossing visual aesthetic through animation.

The Metaverse will open the door to all manners of visual variety. Sometimes you’ll want to experience the digital version of real life with photorealism and other times you’ll leap beyond the spider-verse into a new cartoon-based reality. That’s the benefit of entering the digital realm.

At a glance

• Dream Air Sneak Peek: Pimax revealed prototypes and details for its Dream Air VR headset, designed to be lightweight, compact, and packed with features like high-resolution displays, eye tracking, and even an auto-tightening headstrap. It’s aiming for a May 2025 release.

• Sticking to Their Strengths: Unlike Apple or Google’s VR systems that tie into broader ecosystems like Vision Pro or AndroidXR, Dream Air focuses purely on PC gaming and VR experiences, keeping things simple for tech-savvy users.

• Big Plans, Small Headset: With a strategy to offer multiple VR models for different needs, Pimax is doubling down on creating choices while sharing technology across its lineup to streamline production and upgrades.

• User-Friendly Features: The auto-tightening headstrap is inspired by tech like Nike’s self-lacing shoes, and it’s designed for safety and comfort. Plus, you can swap it out if needed.

Our vision

Pimax’s Dream Air signals a push toward making high-performance VR more compact and accessible, though questions about execution and market positioning remain. Pimax is betting on a smaller, sleeker headset to make high-end VR more accessible and fun.

While Apple and Google focus on tying VR into their ecosystems, Pimax wants to perfect the gaming and PC experience—like giving you a powerful, dedicated tool instead of a Swiss Army knife. If it delivers, Dream Air could make VR feel less like sci-fi and more like something you actually want to use every day.

Robotics

Is 2025 the turning point for Humanoid Robots? Jim Fan works at NVIDIA and they are just one of the many companies pushing the robotics industry forward from a multitude of angles. There are more and more robots being announced every week - see GoMate below - and they are all going to be trying to find their place in our new society that will continue to look like Will Smith’s iRobot nightmare.

It will be interesting to see how these robots perform once they start being delivered to more diverse environments outside of warehouses. We know Amazon has been slowly building an army of robots to replace or augment human labor. Will other companies make as much progress in 2025? Follow along with us and find out!

At a glance

• GoMate Unveiled: GAC’s humanoid robot, GoMate, features advanced motion control, navigation, and decision-making, with both quadrupedal and bipedal modes.

• Efficient Design: Powered by solid-state batteries, GoMate offers six hours of operation while reducing energy consumption by 80%.

• Deployment Plans: Pilot testing begins in 2025, small-scale production in 2026, and mass production to follow.

• Industry Trend: Competitors BYD and Li Auto are also exploring humanoid robotics, signaling a growing focus on embodied AI across automakers.

Our vision

The rise of humanoid robots like GAC’s GoMate hints at a near future where these machines move beyond the factory floor to enhance everyday life, from healthcare to education. With competitors like BYD and Li Auto entering the fray, the race to integrate embodied AI across industries is heating up. Whether these robots end up as coworkers, caretakers, or household helpers, they’re poised to make their presence felt—like the sci-fi stories of yesterday turning into the reality of tomorrow.

At a glance

• Nvidia’s New Hardware: Nvidia is launching Jetson Thor in early 2025, a new generation of compact computers tailored for humanoid robots.

• OEM Strategy: Nvidia aims to support the global robotics ecosystem rather than directly competing with manufacturers like Tesla, positioning itself as the backbone for "hundreds of thousands" of robot makers.

• Technological Drivers: The surge in generative AI models and advancements in training robots in simulated environments have catalyzed this move.

• Market Dynamics: Nvidia’s expansion into robotics comes as major clients like Amazon and Google develop their own AI chips, reducing reliance on Nvidia.

Our vision

The humanoid robotics industry in 2025 is primed for rapid growth as players like Nvidia fuel innovation with cutting-edge hardware. Jetson Thor signals a broader shift toward enabling robots powered by generative AI, opening doors for more specialized, adaptive machines across industries. With competition heating up, expect Nvidia to solidify its role as the go-to enabler for next-gen robotics, as companies race to make humanoid robots a fixture of everyday life.

Quantum Computing

At a glance:

• Quantum Teleportation Over the Internet: Researchers successfully teleported a quantum state of light over 30 kilometers (18 miles) of fiber optic cable amidst live internet traffic, a groundbreaking achievement.

• How it works: The process transfers quantum states by entangling two objects and sending minimal information between locations, preserving quantum coherence even amid classical data noise.

• Applications: This progress could lead to quantum-enhanced networks, advanced encryption, and powerful sensing technologies without the need for new infrastructure.

• Significance: This is the first demonstration of quantum teleportation through actual internet traffic, marking a major milestone toward a quantum internet.

Our vision:

The sentiment around quantum computing heading into 2025 is one of cautious optimism, with breakthroughs like this teleportation feat propelling the field closer to mainstream application. While quantum computing has often been viewed as a distant frontier, this milestone demonstrates how existing infrastructure can bridge the gap between classical and quantum networks.

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