Top Tech Insights — May 2025
As AI tools rapidly evolve and redefine how we work, search, and interact, May 2025 delivered several standout moments in tech — each signaling where the future is headed. We’re seeing AI break into new domains, from sports analytics to creative photo editing, and reshaping business strategies with smarter search and funding models. Whether you’re a developer, marketer, or tech enthusiast, these five insights offer a glimpse into the trends that are already starting to reshape industries.
AI on the Court: Real-Time Player Mapping
This month, we saw a groundbreaking application of AI in sports analytics. A creator trained in a keypoint detection model that maps 33 points on a basketball court, aligning real-time player movements with a court layout using homography. The result? Precise player positioning from standard video footage — no specialized equipment required.
What makes this significant isn’t just the leap in sports insights (shot motion and shot location tracking are next) but its broader potential. This tech could easily be adapted to track foot traffic in retail, logistics on factory floors, drone flight paths, and even safety zones in industrial environments. It’s a clear signal: AI-powered spatial awareness is going mainstream.
Google Photos at 10: AI Editing for All
To mark a decade of Google Photos, Google is rolling out a revamped editor packed with AI tools previously limited to Pixel devices. The Reimagine feature lets users alter elements in their photos — like turning gray skies blue — using generative AI and simple prompts. Meanwhile, Auto Frame suggests smart cropping and composition, even using AI to fill empty spaces.
The redesign also introduces a centralized editing interface and smart suggestions, making complex edits easy as tapping on a specific part of a photo. Album sharing just got easier too: users can now generate QR codes for instant access — ideal for events and group sharing.
Grammarly Secures $1 Billion in Alternative Funding
Grammarly announced a $1 billion commitment from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund — a non-dilutive financing model tied to revenue rather than equity. The move frees up existing capital for strategic acquisitions and signals Grammarly’s ambition to expand beyond writing assistance into a broader AI productivity suite.
Following its recent acquisition of productivity startup Coda and the appointment of Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra to lead the company, Grammarly is positioning itself at the intersection of AI, communication, and work tools. With over $700 million in annual revenue, the company is preparing for its next phase of growth.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): The Future of Search
As AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s SGE reshape how people search, a new digital strategy is gaining traction: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search results, AEO is the direct answer to user queries.
With zero-click searches on the rise and voice assistants becoming more common, content must now be structured, succinct, and trustworthy. Schema markup, clear formatting, and conversational tone are key. In short, AEO doesn’t replace SEO — it enhances it for an AI-driven search future.
Perplexity Labs Debuts: AI That Works with You
Perplexity, the AI-native search engine challenging Google, has launched Perplexity Labs — a new feature exclusive to Pro subscribers. Labs enable users to generate reports, dashboards, spreadsheets, and more, investing deeper time and computation than a typical search response.
Available across the web, iOS, and Android, Labs is part of Perplexity’s broader push to diversify its offerings. With a new browser in the works (Comet) and the recent acquisition of professional social platform Read.vc, Perplexity is rapidly evolving from search engine to AI productivity suite.
Conclusion
From AI transforming how we see the court and the world to search engines becoming answer engines, May 2025 was packed with signals of where tech is headed: more intelligent, more integrated, and more user centered. Whether it’s creative tools like Google Photos, workplace innovation from Grammarly and Perplexity, or the rise of AEO, the future is being written and optimized in real time.
