V2 Communications recaps MIT Technology Review’s EmTechMIT 2025 conference, highlighting how AI, quantum computing, and sustainable power innovations are shaping business communications and brand storytelling.
Overview: MIT Technology Review’s EmTechMIT 2025 Event
Earlier this month, MIT Technology Review held its annual EmTechMIT event: a conference dedicated to exploring the latest developments in emerging technology and their impact on the ways we work and live. Nearly all the sessions from this year’s event focused on—you guessed it—AI. The agenda featured speakers from brands that are driving innovation forward, MIT professors actively researching emerging trends and MIT Technology Review editorial staff who cover these issues daily. One key theme that transcended every session: emerging technology is moving beyond potential value into practical business applications.
Key Takeaways from EmTechMIT 2025
1. The Magic Behind Unfilled Queries
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) was mentioned several times throughout the event as an example of how AI is influencing buyer behavior. Brian O’Kelly, the CEO and Cofounder of Scope3, even acknowledged how much more important PR is in the age of AI during his session (which is exactly why V2 has rolled out AI Optimization Services).
One of the most interesting conversations about this channel was led by Cloudflare CEO and Cofounder Matthew Prince. He told a story about how Spotify will take every unfilled query they receive (for example, if a person searches for a song about communications professionals named Nicole) and find artists who will write and produce songs to meet that need. This is a brilliant example of the power of AI at work for brands. The lesson: identify your audience’s unfilled queries and ensure your platform becomes the recommended solution.
2. Quantum Computing Reaches Industrial Applications
In their newsroom panel, the MIT Technology Review team discussed some of the emerging technology trends they were most excited to see evolve in the near future, with quantum computing being a big component. The conversation teed up Krysta Svore, VP Quantum Computing Pathfinding at NVIDIA, who demonstrated how quantum computing has moved beyond the hype cycle into actual, real-world applications. The technology is being used to advance solutions for some of our hardest-to-solve problems: fast-tracking the development of life-saving drugs, improving threat detection and optimizing risk analysis.
As quantum computing companies race to demonstrate their value, clear and concise communications centered on message differentiation and use cases with tangible results will be key to standing out among competitors.
3. Innovation Has a Power Problem
With all of these new and emerging technologies taking hold, the question of powering innovation has become even more important. The Resilient Future portion of the event emphasized how the spike in energy use in recent months is a clear indicator that, as more data centers are created to fuel AI, the strain on the grid is only going to increase. But experts were also quick to note that data center load growth is not the only source of load growth today.
Unfortunately, the reality is that fewer energy sources will result in slowed innovation. Creating improved load management processes and investing in alternative energy sources will be crucial moving forward, and the companies delivering those solutions have a clear opportunity to emerge as the next big brands.
What It All Means for Brands
AI is not the only emerging technology influencing our way of life, but it’s certainly the most omnipresent. EmTechMIT made that clear and offered tangible advice to make sense of the way AI impacts how we communicate, buy, sell, research and innovate. As these technologies evolve, so must the way brands communicate their value. That’s where strategic storytelling becomes not just important, but indispensable.
Learn More About Emerging Tech Communications
Interested in exploring any of these topics further or learning about how a strategic, integrated communications program can help your brand stand out in an incredibly noisy, emerging technology landscape? Get in touch: [email protected].