E150 New Stats: How AI is Changing Our World

AI Adoption Trends in 2025

As AI tools become more powerful and more deeply embedded in our everyday lives, website owners need to pay close attention to how these changes affect visibility online. In this podcast episode, Meredith’s husband announces an upcoming mini-course focused on getting websites into AI-powered search results—a topic gaining traction as Google and trusted platforms like SEMrush begin to release actual guidelines.

For years, there’s been ambiguity around how to optimize for AI search. But that’s starting to shift. According to the episode, the new course will break down actionable steps website owners can take to get in front of AI-generated traffic. And with AI’s influence growing faster than the adoption rate of mobile phones, the timing couldn’t be better.

The episode also dives into fascinating 2025 statistics:

• 66% of people globally now use AI intentionally—a huge leap from just a few years ago.

• Emerging economies are outpacing advanced ones in AI adoption (80% vs. 58%), potentially leveling the economic playing field.

• Millennials lead the way, with 62% reporting high confidence using AI, compared to just 33% of older adults.

• 84% of AI users leverage it for learning, exploring new ideas, planning projects, and developing skills.

• 50% of teachers are already using AI for lesson planning, signaling a shift in how we educate and communicate.

There’s also discussion of AI-powered smart home devices and robot-assisted surgeries, suggesting that industries across the board—from education to agriculture to healthcare—are not just exploring AI, but actively investing in it. However, only 25% of businesses are currently seeing a return on investment, pointing to critical barriers in implementation.

The episode concludes with a look at the risks: a 33% hallucination rate in some AI models (including ChatGPT-4), increasing energy demands, and vulnerabilities like jailbreaking that allow bots to be misused. These serve as a reminder that AI, while promising, must be handled responsibly.

For website owners, the takeaway is clear: AI is not a trend—it’s a transformation. Understanding how it works, how to appear in AI search results, and how to adapt content for AI interpretation will be essential for staying competitive.