2025: AI Transforms from Feature to Global Infrastructure, Reshaping Power

• AI models like GPT-5 and Claude 4 advanced from conversational tools to capable "junior operators" executing complex tasks.
• Google's AI Overviews shifted search into a direct answer engine, sparking publisher backlash over traffic and content use.
• China's open-source AI models gained global prominence, democratizing access and making chips and data centers new chokepoints.
• AI compute became a geopolitical battleground, with chip supply chains and export controls central to national security.
• AI regulation moved from abstract discussions to concrete timelines, with the EU AI Act and US state laws setting precedents.

Why It Matters: 2025 marked AI's shift from a mere feature to foundational infrastructure, deeply impacting global power.