AI in 2025: How It’s Actually Affecting Our Daily Lives Now

The other day, I was stuck in traffic scrolling through LinkedIn when I saw something that made me pause. A former colleague had posted about how his entire team was “rightsized” because their company now uses AI to handle tasks that ten people used to do. The comments section was a mix of sympathy and panic. “Am I next?” someone wrote.

This is late 2025, just weeks away from 2026, and AI isn’t some future technology anymore – it’s very much here, sitting in our pockets, running on our laptops, and honestly, changing things faster than most of us can keep up with.

The question isn’t whether AI will affect us anymore. It’s already affecting us. The real question is how we’re dealing with it.

Jobs: The Reality Check We Needed

Let’s cut through the noise and talk straight. Yes, AI is taking away some jobs. Not in the dramatic robot-takeover way, but in a quieter, more systematic manner that’s scarier because it’s real.

I know a CA who told me that junior accountants doing routine auditing work are finding it tough to get hired now. Why? Because AI tools can scan through financial documents, spot irregularities, and flag issues in minutes. What used to take a fresh graduate days to do, AI does before lunch break.

The firms still need CAs, but they need far fewer of them.

My cousin runs a small digital marketing agency, and he’s had to let go of two content writers this year. Not because they were bad at their jobs, but because AI can now churn out decent blog posts, social media captions, and product descriptions at a fraction of the cost. He felt terrible about it, but running a business as we head into 2026 means making these tough calls.

But here’s the thing – it’s not all doom and gloom. The same cousin has hired people who know how to work with AI tools. Folks who can take AI-generated content and make it actually good. People who understand prompts, can fact-check AI outputs, and add that human touch that makes content connect with readers.

The jobs haven’t vanished; they’ve changed shape.

The IT sector, which used to be our guaranteed ticket to middle-class prosperity, is also feeling the heat. Junior developers doing basic coding? AI can handle a lot of that now. But developers who can solve complex problems, understand business requirements, and manage AI tools? They’re in huge demand and getting paid well.

The Education Crisis Nobody’s Talking About Loudly Enough

Our education system is frankly struggling to cope with AI, and I’m seeing this through what’s happening with kids in families I know well.

My cousin’s daughter is in Class 12, preparing for boards. Last week, he caught her using AI to solve her physics numericals. When he questioned her about it, she said something that troubled him: “Papa, why should I waste time learning to solve these when AI can do it in seconds? I just need to score marks, no?”

She’s not wrong from her perspective, but she’s missing the entire point of education.

The problem is, the education system itself is partly to blame. When we’re still testing kids on their ability to memorise and reproduce information, can we really blame them for using the most efficient tool available?

Some progressive schools have started teaching students how to use AI responsibly. They’re giving assignments that require critical thinking, creativity, and original research – things AI can assist with but cannot do independently. But these are still few and far between. Most schools are just confused, caught between traditional methods and this new reality.

The coaching class industry has taken a massive hit. Why pay thousands of rupees monthly when AI tutors can explain concepts, solve problems, and provide personalised attention 24/7? I know coaching centre owners who’ve had to shut down or drastically reduce fees to stay relevant.

But here’s an interesting flip side – students in smaller towns and villages who never had access to quality education now have AI tutors that can teach them in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, or whatever language they’re comfortable with.

The playing field is getting levelled in unexpected ways.

Our Daily Lives: More Convenient, More Complicated

AI has become so embedded in our daily routine that we don’t even notice it any more.
Your phone’s camera that automatically enhances photos? AI.
The way your email sorts important messages from spam? AI.

That annoyingly accurate targeted ad for exactly what you were discussing yesterday? Yeah, AI again, and it’s gotten creepier.

I’ve started using AI for things I never imagined I would. Planning meals for the week, getting recipe variations based on what’s in the fridge, even getting advice on work-related problems. Sometimes it’s helpful, sometimes it gives terrible advice, but it’s always available.

Voice assistants have become genuinely useful now. An elderly uncle I know, who’s in his seventies and not particularly tech-savvy, talks to his phone in Hindi to make calls, set reminders, check the weather, even ask random questions when he’s curious about something. The technology has finally caught up with our languages and accents.

But I’m genuinely worried about some things.

Deepfakes have become so good that you cannot tell real videos from fake ones anymore. Last month, there was this video circulating on WhatsApp showing a famous politician saying something outrageous. Half the people who saw it believed it was real. The video was completely fake, but the damage was done.

Online scams have also become more sophisticated. AI-powered fraud calls that sound exactly like your bank’s customer service, emails that perfectly mimic your company’s style, even fake video calls pretending to be your relatives in emergency situations. A family friend nearly transferred ₹50,000 to scammers who used AI to clone her son’s voice on a call.

The privacy situation is something else altogether. These AI systems know so much about us – our habits, preferences, health issues, financial status, family matters.

Sometimes I open my phone and see an ad for something I just thought about. I’m not even sure I spoke about it. That’s both impressive and disturbing.

The Class Divide Getting Worse

Here’s the uncomfortable truth we need to acknowledge – AI is making inequality worse, not better. People who can afford good Internet, smart devices, and have the education to use AI tools effectively are racing ahead.

Everyone else is getting left further behind.

I know people working in various trades – electricians, plumbers, drivers, domestic workers – who have smartphones but have no clue about how AI could help them. They don’t know they can use AI to learn new skills, manage their finances better, or even help their kids with homework. Meanwhile, people like us are using AI to upskill, increase productivity, and stay competitive in the job market.

Even among educated folks, there’s a gap. Those who’ve taken time to understand and adapt to AI are doing well. Those who’ve resisted or couldn’t adapt due to various reasons are struggling.

I’ve seen senior colleagues in their 50s who are brilliant at their work but are being sidelined because they refuse to learn these new tools.

The language barrier is also a factor, though it’s reducing. AI tools work best in English, though Hindi and other Indian language support is improving. But there’s still a significant advantage for those comfortable with English.

What We Need to Do Now

We’re past the point of debating whether AI is good or bad. It’s here, it’s everywhere, and it’s not going anywhere. As we head into 2026, the question is how we adapt to this new reality.

For our careers: We need to focus on skills that AI cannot easily replicate – complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, creativity, leadership, negotiation. Also, learning to work with AI tools is non-negotiable now.

If you’re resisting learning them, you’re choosing to become irrelevant.

For our children and younger generations: We need to teach them to think critically, question information, and use AI as a tool rather than a crutch. The education system might take years to catch up, but we as a society cannot wait that long. Young people need to learn that understanding concepts is more important than getting quick answers.

For our communities: We need to help bridge the digital divide actively. If you know how to use AI tools effectively, teach your driver, your domestic help, your less tech-savvy relatives.

Share knowledge, not just within our comfortable circles, but beyond them.

For ourselves: We need to stay informed about AI developments and their implications. Understand privacy settings, learn to spot deepfakes and misinformation, and be cautious about what we share online.

The Bottom Line

Living as we approach 2026 means accepting that AI is not optional anymore. It’s part of the infrastructure of modern life, like electricity or the Internet.

Some jobs will go, new ones will emerge. Some people will adapt, others will struggle.

What worries me most is not AI itself, but how we’re responding to it. Too many people are either blindly embracing it without understanding the risks, or stubbornly resisting it without realising the opportunities. Both extremes are dangerous.

We need a balanced approach – using AI’s benefits while staying aware of its limitations and dangers. We need to remain human in an increasingly AI-driven world. That means maintaining our ability to think critically, feel empathy, create originally, and connect authentically with other people.

The technology will keep advancing whether we like it or not. Our job is to make sure we’re advancing with it, not being left behind by it.

And more importantly, we need to ensure that this technological progress doesn’t deepen the already massive inequalities in our society.

It’s almost 2026, and we’re all figuring this out together. Nobody has all the answers yet. But asking the right questions and staying engaged with these changes? That’s a good start.