Big Ideas 2025: Top trends that will define tech in Australia

How will we use AI in 2025? Will humanity's return to the moon kickstart a new space race with Australia along for the ride? And what Aussie innovations will Silicon Valley investors be throwing their money at next year?

This year, the government stepped up its rheotic against big tech, Australia trained its first female astronaut and workers starting using AI tools en masse — so what happens next?

Every December, LinkedIn News spotlights bold predictions, emerging trends and innovative ideas from our editors and experts around the world that will shape the year ahead. This year’s five tech Big Ideas in Australia offer a glimpse into what may define 2025 and beyond.

This is by no means a complete list, and we invite you to join us! What Big Ideas do you think will emerge in 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments or publish a post or a video on LinkedIn with #BigIdeas2025.

By Marty McCarthy

In 2025, Silicon Valley investors will throw their money at Australia’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Venture capital dollars don’t just flow to Silicon Valley startups anymore, they flow to wherever the ideas are. Australia’s rapid adoption of startup culture and entrepreneurship over the past decade, coupled with our high-quality education systems, are fast fostering a vibrant deep tech ecosystem that overseas VC firms want to invest in.

When Main Sequence — the venture capital arm of the CSIRO — started in 2017, Australia had 261 deep tech companies that made 311 deals that year. Seven years on, that figure is now 1,389 companies representing 2,445 deals. “What’s particularly exciting is not just the numbers, but the quality of what’s emerging,” explains Main Sequence Partner Phil Morle in a post on LinkedIn. “This year alone, 156 deep tech companies have raised a combined US$1.79 billion, with a median deal size of $4 million — showing we’re moving beyond the early-stage experimentation phase. These are companies with real technology and genuine commercial traction.”

Morle explains that these startups are developing world-leading solutions in climate resilience, advanced manufacturing, national security, healthcare, aerospace, quantum computing and biotechnology. “Having been in this space since the beginning, I can tell you — this is just the start of something remarkable in Australian innovation. Australia's deep tech boom is a testament to this country's scientific prowess and entrepreneurial spirit. I’m excited about what might happen next.”

A recent report by Startup Muster — which surveyed 744 founders in Australia in 2024 — backs this, revealing that one-in-five local startups have a research and development focus, with AI, and medical, health and bio tech-focussed startups leading (both at 42%), followed by decarbonisation and advanced manufacturing (both at 30%). In a post on LinkedIn, Startup Muster Founder Murray Hurps writes, "What surprised me most from the report is that 40% of startups say they're collaborating with universities, with the CSIRO easily the most commonly collaborated with (33% of these collabs), while 22% of startups in our sample being labeled as deep tech, without any special promotion to reach deep tech startups. These companies are everywhere."

For more on venture capital and deep tech investing, follow:

• Airtree Investor Raaj Rayat
• Main Sequence Principal Elaine Stead
• Blackbird General Partner Tom Humphrey
• Encour Co-Founder Jessy Wu
• Cut Through Venture Founder Chris Gillings
• Blackbird Principal Mason Yates

What Aussie ideas and innovations excite you? Let us know in the comments below or click here to write a post.

In 2025 we will start to see content marked as ‘made by a human’ or ‘human-made’, similar to labels like ‘natural’ and ‘organic’. This trend will aim to distinguish creations crafted by human hands and minds — such as art, written works, videos and music — from those generated by algorithms. “It will become a badge of authenticity in a world dominated by AI-generated material,” predicts Christopher Chow , a digital marketing expert, on LinkedIn.

In an interview with LinkedIn News Australia, JJ Fiasson , the founder of Sydney-based generative AI image startup Leonardo.Ai , argues that AI-made artworks can still be authentically human, with a caveat. “The use of genAI for art needs to be in the context of novel creations,” he says. “It’s very legitimate for people to feel and to have an issue when AI models are used to recreate existing works of art by artists or recreating someone else's style. That’s not a great use of the technology. I think that kind of shows a lack of imagination.”

However, despite seeing more AI products in 2025, generative AI won't take creatives' jobs, predicts CX professional Tomas Haffenden . In a video on LinkedIn, Haffenden argues that "AI doesn't make art ... people make art."Haffenden says artists can use AI tools to amplify their work — rather than substitute for it — and compares GenAI to photography in terms of how it challenges traditional artistic norms.

With AI continuing to reshape industries, how we define and label creative content may offer reassurance to consumers seeking genuine human connection.

For more on generative AI, design and marketing, follow:

• AI artist Jamie van Leeuwen
• Skale Founder 🕊️ Joumana Elomar

Is AI making it harder to tell what's real? Let us know in the comments below or click here to write a post.

Robots will become more perceptive and personal, to help Australians struggling with the loneliness epidemic. With advancements in AI and machine learning, robots are increasingly learning by observing and interacting with humans, making them more capable of addressing our needs and problems, and behaving like us. 

But in order for humans to truly connect, robots need to be lovable, argues mechatronics engineer Grace Brown , the founder of Melbourne-based Andromeda robotics. Unlike Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot and Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas robot, Brown’s Abi is a humanoid companion bot designed to work in aged care homes to address loneliness. Inspired by cute robot characters from Pixar and Disney movies (think WALL-E), Abi is trained to recognise people, show emotions, converse and respond to questions over an eight hour work shift. 

Brown wants to challenge the perception that AI and robotics are impersonal and a threat to society. “At first there were tonnes of sceptics who didn’t think this was the right idea, that no machine could offer the warmth and understanding that human relationships,” she tells LinkedIn News Australia. “But we actively optimise for anthropomorphisation in our design process to enrich the experiences people have with Abi. This is what makes people view her as a genuine friend, perceived as capable of understanding and responding to their emotions, enabling people to form authentic attachments to her.”

Michael Milford , Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics , says recent advances in AI provide new and faster pathways for robots to learn from humans. “These large language models encapsulate a lot of everyday communication and common sense by people, which in turn can equip robots with the ability to act as if they have at least some common sense understanding of the world — this is really revolutionary,” he tells LinkedIn News Australia. “These systems are much more capable of learning from and emulating the capabilities of people than a few short years ago."

For more on AI and robotics, follow:

• Build Club Founder Annie Liao 🇦🇺
• Crest Robotics Founder Dr. Clyde Webster
• Advanced Navigation CEO Chris Shaw

Should we make robots and AI systems that are more authentic? Let us know in the comments below or click here to write a post.

In 2025, Australia will face off against big tech and social media companies, as it pressures them to make their platforms and technology safer.

The centerpiece of the government's overhaul of the Online Safety Act is its proposed Digital Duty of Care law. If passed, this law will shift the responsibility for user safety onto platforms, meaning companies would be required to proactively prevent foreseeable harms, such as cyberbullying, or risk large fines. A similar law in the European Union means companies can be fined up to 6% of their worldwide annual turnover for breaching their duty of care to consumers.

“This important change will help to end the era of entering digital environments at your own risk,” writes Communications Minister Michelle Rowland MP on LinkedIn. In a post on Linkedin, Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman AO writes, “With a grounding in safety-by-design principles and a focus on prevention over remediation, the forthcoming legislation helps bring Australia into line with the UK and Europe, and serves as a welcome development in the ongoing effort to address the more troubling aspects of technology in our lives.”

In big news also affecting global tech companies, Australia recently passed a minimum age requirement for social media users. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram will face fines of up to $50 million if they allow under-16 users to bypass age limits. While a recent poll shows 77% of the population support it, the legislation has been criticised by some experts and parents, while Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner writes on LinkedIn, “Our children need online protection, not prohibition.”

Social media companies say they will comply, but expect many to find challenges or carve out exceptions. They have already been critical of the "rushed" process, questioned the legislation's legality, raised doubts about whether age verification technology will even work and emphasised a need for more consultation as the finer details of the ban are thrashed out. 

Lawmakers are also considering a new levy for social media companies that host news content on their platforms, as an alternative to the media bargaining code which originally forced them into signing deals with media organisations to use their content.

2025 is shaping up to be a year where Australia attempts to pull big tech into line, but don’t expect big tech to rollover so easily.

For more on tech regulation, follow:

• Australian Information Commissioner Carly Kind
• Technology Editor at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald David Swan
• Technology lawyer and AI regulation expert Raymond Sun
• ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman - Grant
• AI Lead at MinterEllison Sam Burrett

Will Australia help set a precedent in digital safety regulation? Let us know in the comments below or click here to write a post.

One giant leap … for Australia. New efforts to explore the cosmos will see Australian technology take to space. As NASA continues preparation for a planned return to the moon in the late 2020s as part of its Artemis program — and China also plans to put boots on the moon in 2030 — Australia is getting in on the space exploration action, too.

Australia is playing a key role in the Artemis, by developing and supplying NASA with a lunar rover for future NASA missions. Two local groups, AROSE and Roo-ver Mission , are vying for the contract to develop the suitcase-sized robot that will collect lunar soil to be used in scientific experiments, for the purpose of extracting oxygen in an attempt to make rocket fuel. In addition, Queensland company Gilmour Space Technologies has just been granted Australia’s first orbital launch permit for its Eris launcher, meaning for the first time an Australian-made rocket will take off from Australian soil — in a matter of weeks. “May the force be with us all. You are all riding with me,” writes founder Adam Gilmour on LinkedIn.

Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg from the Australian Space Agency says in a video on LinkedIn that “we are on the cusp of a new era of space exploration and industrialisation that will transform robotics, autonomous systems, AI, medicine, energy, resources, agriculture and more,” she says.

For more on space technology, follow:

• “Space champion” Dr. Benjamin Kaebe
• Metakosmos CEO Kiriti Rambhatla
• Science communicator Matt Agnew
• Equatorial Launch Australia GM Francois Paul Lambert
• HEO Co-Founder William Crowe

These are the Big Ideas in Australian tech for 2025. Now it's your turn. Let us know what trends you believe will take shape in the coming year. Record a short video to share on your LinkedIn page detailing your idea, and be sure to tag #BigIdeas2025 in the post.

Editor: Marty McCarthy

Graphics: Kyle Ranson-Walsh