Tim O’Neill, co-founder of generative AI experience agency Time Under Tension, has been playing around with the latest and greatest in AI developments over the Christmas break. And as he writes here, there are some big things afoot in 2025.
My head is spinning.
Just like the storm that swept through Melbourne over the weekend (and over the last couple of days in Sydney), at the end of 2024 we saw a whirlwind of releases from the major generative AI players. Getting drenched while walking, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between nature’s power to surprise and the transformative force of recent AI developments.
In the past few weeks on the summer break, I’ve spent countless hours experimenting with these new releases. Each time I thought I’d seen the peak of what’s possible, another announcement would land. Individually, each of these nine examples blew my mind. Combined (and yes, many can be combined!) I believe they are poised to fundamentally change marketing and customer experience.
Let me share what I’ve discovered through hands-on testing:
When Gemini 2.0 Multimodal live streaming and Claude Computer Use were announced, I was skeptical. Could AI really see and control my computer screen effectively? Yesterday, I watched in amazement as an AI assistant helped teach me how to use Adobe Premier by seeing my screen in real-time, pointing out tools and tricks I was unaware of.
The ability for AI to see the world around us through phone cameras – with ChatGPT Live Video chat and Gemini 2.0 – initially seemed like a gimmick. Then I tested it with a consumer electronics client. We pointed the camera at their packaging and an unboxed product, and the AI provided instant, actionable instructions on how to assemble the product correctly.
What truly shocked me was watching Gemini Advanced Pro Deep Research tackle complex market analysis. These aren’t just search engines with a chat interface – they think and reason like expert analysts. Today, I challenged it to create a competitor market research report for a niche industry. The depth of analysis and consideration of obscure but crucial factors matched what I’d expect from a top-tier consulting firm.
The release of OpenAI’s Sora and Google Veo 2 for photorealistic video creation feels like science fiction becoming reality. In minutes, these tools can create what would have taken professional video production teams weeks. But here’s the key: it’s not about replacing creative professionals – it’s about giving them superpowers. I’ve enjoyed seeing creative directors iterate through concepts at lightning speed, testing ideas that would have been too expensive or time-consuming to explore before.
Perhaps most intriguingly, AI agent platforms like Runner H and the just released OpenAI Operator are pushing toward autonomous planning and execution. While testing Replit Agent, I had an AI agent independently plan, build and deploy a full software application – adapting its functionality based on simple text prompts.
We are getting close to the point where if you can dream it, AI can help you do it. Like the deluge of rain we received here today, I have a flood of ideas for how these amazing new tools can bring to life incredible experiences for our clients and their customers.
But here’s the challenge I see: just like you need the right infrastructure to handle a massive storm, organisations need the right framework to harness these powerful AI capabilities. It’s not enough to just have access to these tools – you need a strategic approach to integration and implementation.
I encourage you to start experimenting with just one of these tools. Pick a specific challenge you’re facing and explore how these new capabilities might help.
The storm of AI innovation shows no signs of letting up. The question isn’t whether these tools will transform marketing and customer experience – it’s how quickly organisations can adapt to harness their power.
What experiments will you run first? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences as you navigate these exciting developments.
