5 AI New Year's Resolutions We All Should Make for 2025

January 1, 2025

"The best time to master all relevant AI skills was a year ago. The second best time is now…”

 As we enter 2025, many of us think about the usual lifestyle resolutions—changing how we eat, adding more movement, or working less. But this year, let’s expand the scope by setting goals around AI's exciting possibilities. I’m suggesting five AI-related resolutions, each paired with a concrete action you can take to get started. Whether you’re an AI enthusiast, a professional leveraging its capabilities, or someone just beginning to explore its potential, these resolutions will help you get more value from AI in 2025.

1. Stop Procrastinating Learning Your Next AI Skill. 

You know how it is. You always intend to spend more time honing your AI skills. You might even have a backlog of tools and skills you'd like to learn. Then, life gets in the way and you push your plans for learning to tomorrow. It's just that tomorrow rarely comes.

I see a similar phenomenon among the HW developers for whom we're building our AI tools. Many genuinely want to get the uplift coding with AI can bring them. It's just that the learning curve requires investment, and they're too busy to use AI to get them to be less busy. "Tomorrow (for sure), they'll open the tool," they say. 

The thing is, AI is evolving quickly, and the best way to keep up is to dive in. 

Commit to yourself; in 2025, I will not wait for tomorrow to learn one AI concept or tool at a time. Select one thing AI and learn it. Today. 

Actionable Step: Identify one tool or skill you’ve been curious about and set a non-negotiable hour-long meeting with yourself (or others for accountability) to master it. When you master a skill, immediately bookmark a new tutorial or tool or sign up for a course.

2. Delegate What You Can to AI

Your time is precious. AI can handle repetitive and low-value tasks better and faster than you can. Use AI tools to manage scheduling, create summaries, or even brainstorm ideas. The goal is to free up time for activities requiring your attention.

Commit to yourself; in 2025, I will not revert to the "old way of doing things" if a task can be streamlined with AI!

Actionable Step: Find an empty post-it note. Yes, do it now. Write on it in bold capital letters: "IS THERE AN AI FOR IT?" Now, paste it on your computer screen. This visual cue will help you form AI habits instead of your old task approach. 

3. Be Thoughtful and Deliberate about More Use of Personalized AI Assistant

Most people will chat with their AI of choice ad-hoc as needed. Some people have already built one or more "assistants" (custom GPT, Claude Project, etc.). Most people still underutilized the power of having tailored assistants as a thinking and working partner. It takes some time and thought to identify and craft good AI assistants. The ROI is huge for those who prevail.  Some of the most valuable assistants are the ones who are fed thoughtful company, role, and task-specific knowledge, as well as carefully designed task descriptions, expected behaviors, and more. 

Commit to yourself; in 2025, I will build at least 1 new well-crafted AI assistant that will be my thought partner for the things I need help with the most. 

Actionable Step: Spend 15 minutes listing your daily or weekly tasks. Then, identify all the tasks that are either time-consuming or could be augmented if you had another very smart and creative team member. Then, for each such task, consider building an AI assistant. Make sure to "teach it" everything it needs to know to perform the task well in your team and according to your standards. 

4. Adopt Your First AI Agent

2025 will be the year of widespread AI agent adoption. These agents go beyond assistants by automating complex workflows and acting autonomously to achieve predefined goals. Explore the potential of AI agents in your personal life or workplace.

Commit to yourself; in 2025, I will be curious and explore the use of AI agents to get the next leap in potential AI value. 

Actionable Step: Identify an AI agent platform that fits your needs. Experiment with deploying or using a simple agent to understand its capabilities and limitations.

5. Commit to Continuous Learning

AI is a field that evolves rapidly. Even if all you're after is "maintenance" of your AI literacy, you'll have to continue learning. The more you know, the better you’ll understand where AI can take you and how to harness it responsibly.

Commit to yourself; in 2025, you will never stop learning AI. Even if it's just one small thing at a time. 

Actionable Step: Find a way to make AI learning part of your weekly routine. Subscribe to one AI newsletter or podcast you trust. Create a weekly ceremony dedicated to listening, reading, or watching content that expands your knowledge of the field. Make it a fun time you can't wait to have. Maybe it will be in your favorite coffee shop, an engaging session with a friend or colleague, or while walking in the park. This will be your AI quality time. 

Your 2025 AI Journey Starts Now

The key to achieving these resolutions is starting small and staying consistent. Whether it’s improving your AI literacy, experimenting with a new tool, automating tasks, or integrating AI into your workflow, every step brings you closer to a smarter, more efficient year.

What’s your top AI resolution for 2025? Share it in the comments or with your network—let’s inspire each other to make 2025 the year we drive more value from AI! And if you’re looking for guidance on how AI can transform your business this year, let’s talk. I’d love to help you make 2025 your best year yet with AI.