AI, Monetization, and the Creator Economy’s Next Big Moves

A curated look at 2025: Predictions and trends shaping the new year.

Author

Shira Lazar
December 30, 2024

As we step into 2025, a wave of change is sweeping across technology, social trends, and the creator economy. From AI breakthroughs to evolving monetization strategies and new creative tools, the year ahead promises to redefine how we live, work, and express ourselves. Here’s a peek of what to expect!

The Creator Economy: Planning, AI, and Monetization

The creator economy is becoming more sophisticated. According to Neil Waller, co-founder of Whalar Group, 2025 will see creators moving from spontaneous uploads to carefully crafted content strategies.

  1. Content With a Plan: More creators are expected to adopt structured content calendars, giving rise to episodic series and recurring themes. This approach allows them to scale their reach and even build dedicated teams.

  2. Building community with long-form content: I love what this creator, Nicky Reardon, shared about the growing popularity of long-form content like podcasts. This trend reflects a deeper need to build community and foster connection, in contrast to the discovery-driven nature of short-form content.

  3. AI on the Rise: Tools like Zeemo for captions, Opus for editing short-form videos from long-form clips, and Claude or ChatGPT for writing are becoming essential for creators. AI is expected to play a bigger role, streamlining tasks like writing scripts, captions, video editing and thumbnail design.

  4. Your Virtual Influence: Using AI to create your virtual self to scale your content will start being more normalized. Here’s a great video from Don Allen, where he tests out using HeyGen.AI to produce more videos, including himself while using his own non-AI audio. 


5. Virtual creators (who aren’t human): The use of AI-generated personalities will grow on social media, as UGC, partnering with brands, and amassing massive followings. Meta’s vision of a social media landscape filled with AI-generated users, conversations, ads, and creators— highlighted in a recent Financial Times article— offers a glimpse into how the tech will continue to evolve. This shift also underscores how quickly AI-generated influencers are becoming normalized in both social media culture and business strategies.

6. Teaching as a Business: Many creators will shift toward offering online courses, taking advantage of platforms like Teachable, Kajabi and Mighty Networks. Sharing niche expertise—whether it’s fitness, art, or finance—will become a key income stream.

7. Professionalization- The Creator Economy Grows Up: As the creator economy matures, more creators are enlisting talent managers and teams to handle brand partnerships and business operations. As collaborations continue to grow, fostering a deeper understanding—and, quite frankly, respect—for this evolving standard is essential.

Technology and AI: Breaking New Ground

AI continues to advance at a pace that’s hard to keep up with. Industry leaders like Sam Altman of OpenAI believe 2025 could bring developments that leave even skeptics in awe.

  1. Multimodal AI: Systems like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are already combining text, images, and audio, and this capability is expected to expand. From assisting visually impaired users to transcribing conversations, the possibilities are endless.

  2. AI Agents: Think of them as next-gen assistants. These AI tools are poised to take over complex tasks like planning trips or managing workflows. They’ll go beyond chatbots to deliver real, tangible value in daily life.

  3. Quantum Power: Google’s quantum chip Willow is setting new benchmarks in computational capability, potentially solving problems once thought unsolvable. However, its energy demands highlight the need for sustainable AI solutions.

  4. Deepfakes: AI-generated deepfakes have been here and only getting better and more realistic by the day. These fake images, videos, and audio clips look and sound real. The creative potential is huge. Filmmakers, game developers, and educators could use them to create lifelike characters or bring history to life.

But deep fakes also create serious problems. People use them to spread misinformation, steal identities, and make fake explicit content. Women are often targeted, with their faces placed on fake adult videos. These videos humiliate victims and damage lives.

While these advancements promise convenience and efficiency, they also raise important questions about ethics, environmental impact, and job displacement.

What This Means for You

2025 is shaping up to be a year of innovation and transformation, but it’s also a reminder to stay grounded. Don’t just focus on keeping up with the pace of change around you, but on keeping up with yourself. Build resilience, nurture adaptability, and strengthen your foundation so you’re ready to navigate the ongoing shifts in your industry and the world at large.

ICYMI

I partnered with Jason Brandt, CMO of PRophet, to bring you some more Influencer and Creator Marketing Predictions for 2025. Read the report HERE. 

Holiday Reading

Over the holidays, I’ve been diving into Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg. The book offers a fascinating method for communicating effectively with anyone, backed by insights from science and neuroscience.

In a world increasingly dominated by virtual communication, the ability to truly connect and communicate IRL feels more critical than ever. Whether it’s building relationships, fostering collaboration, or simply being understood, mastering these skills is essential.

Other headlines to check out:

AI

Creator Economy

Web3

Gentle Reminder 🤲 

“Celebrate endings— for they precede new beginnings.” - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

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Remember, I'm Bullish on you! Happy new year!

With gratitude,