Last week evening, I was casually scrolling through Instagram when a short reel from some AI influencer caught my eye. He was talking about a 340-page AI trends report by an author who was often dubbed the ‘Queen of the Internet,’ referencing her legendary internet trends report from 2019 (download it here) that many still see as prophetic.

Curious but sceptical, I downloaded the report (download it here). At first glance, it didn’t exactly seem groundbreaking — no flashy visuals, no design fluff, and none of the polish you’d expect from something making the rounds online (remember when InVision used to put out those slick trend reports during its heyday?)… But just a few minutes and pages into the 340-page PDF, I quickly realised it was not just another report.

Mary Meeker’s 2025 “Trends in Artificial Intelligence” report is packed with data, charts, and strategic insights, serving as a lighthouse for anyone navigating the foggy future of AI tech in general. While the length and breadth of the report are extensive, here are some of my inferences that matter to the design community in staying relevant and riding the wave in style.

1. Behavioural / Cognitive UI Is the New Frontier

One of the clearest themes in the report is the shift from cosmetic design to cognitive design. In a landscape dominated by large language models and multimodal AI systems, users are engaging with interfaces that understand, respond, and even anticipate their needs.

“Natural language interfaces, multimodal inputs, and agentic interfaces are driving user expectations higher and higher.”

— Mary Meeker, AI Trends Report 2025, Page 90

Designers must now prioritize comprehension, ease, and fluidity. It’s not about how good your app looks; it’s about how seamlessly it thinks with the user. Conversational UIs, ambient experiences, and context-aware systems are becoming the norm. The next generation of great design isn’t visual — it’s behavioral.

2. Designing Systems, Not Just Screens

Traditional design thinking emphasized the screen. But the report highlights how the AI revolution rewards systems thinking. As AI cuts through traditional silos of design, engineering, and product, the ability to orchestrate a cohesive, adaptable, and AI-integrated system is becoming invaluable.

“AI is removing the barriers to building digital products, enabling broader participation and system-level thinking.”

— Mary Meeker, AI Trends Report 2025, Page 234

Tactical screen design alone is no longer a critical skill. Instead, what matters is:

• Understanding user flows across platforms
• Mapping decision trees powered by AI
• Designing feedback loops that adapt in real time

Systemic thinkers will lead the next wave of innovation.

3. Speed Over Perfection: Why Agility Wins

Another major insight from the report: velocity beats refinement. The new breed of designers will be judged not by the elegance of a single screen, but by how quickly they can test, launch, and iterate ideas.

“Winners are those who shake hands with speed rather than refinement. The ability to fail fast and learn faster is becoming a superpower.”

— Mary Meeker, AI Trends Report 2025, Page 66 in reference to Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn

AI makes this possible. From generating mockups to coding prototypes, AI-powered tools allow designers to move from idea to implementation at breakneck speed. Ship fast, fail early, and repeat.

4. The Age of Generalists

The report repeatedly emphasizes how AI is blurring traditional boundaries. The most impactful professionals today sit at the intersection of design, engineering, and business. As AI streamlines workflows, the new currency is perspective.

Designers are expected to:

• Understand business metrics
• Collaborate directly with engineers
• Define product roadmaps

If you can think like a strategist, communicate like a PM, and build like an engineer, you’re positioned to lead.

5. Become an AI-First Thinker

According to the report, AI adoption is exploding at a speed we’ve never seen before. Meeker draws a direct line from the accessibility of AI (via cloud APIs, open-source models, and LLM platforms) to its rapid integration into every digital product.

“AI user and usage growth is ramping materially faster than the internet did in the early 2000s.”

— Mary Meeker, AI Trends Report 2025, Page 57

Designers need to rewire their workflows around this reality. This means:

• Embedding LLMs in user journeys
• Prototyping with AI agents
• Automating routine design tasks to focus on strategy

6. Infrastructure Is No Longer the Bottleneck. Vision Is.

The report shares a staggering stat: Big Six tech companies have pushed AI-related CapEx spend to $212B in 2024, up 63% YoY. Access to compute is no longer a limitation.

“The bottleneck is not compute power, it’s creative clarity and execution.”

— Mary Meeker, AI Trends Report 2025, Page 325

This is where designers have a unique opportunity. With fewer barriers, the most valuable skill is no longer technical access, but the ability to envision new user experiences that leverage AI meaningfully.

Designers must evolve into strategists who can:

• Identify problems AI can solve
• Design for adaptability and personalization
• Think at the system level, not the feature level

I see this report as a mirror. And for designers, it reflects a changing identity. The future will favor those who embrace AI not as a tool, but as a teammate. Those who prioritize insight over interface. Systems over screens. Speed over polish.

It’s time to redesign yourself.

The age of AI is here. The only question is: are you designing with it, or being designed around it?