Web Summit 2025: The media landscape is shifting, Gen Z takes the lead, and AI Agents enter everyday life

Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon brought together a wide range of startups, investors, communications and marketing professionals, and media representatives to explore where the world is heading. This year, the most compelling themes centered around the transformation of media, Gen Z’s drive for change, and the next wave of AI development. What key takeaways emerged from the event?

Building trust is more important than ever

Across keynote speeches and panel discussions on the evolving media landscape, one message stood out: the need to strengthen trust and transparency in an era where content is increasingly generated by AI and algorithms determine what audiences see.

Major media organizations such as The Independent and The Guardian openly shared how they are using AI. Common applications include generating summaries, fact-checking, transcribing speech, and translation.

While tools continue to evolve, one thing remains unchanged: storytelling is still irreplaceable. AI can support the creative process, but it cannot replicate the human touch that resonates with audiences. At the same time, “slow media”, meaning carefully curated and high-quality content, is gaining traction as a counterbalance to endless scrolling. Luke Bradley-Jones of The Economist highlighted podcasts as one of the most effective formats, whether long-form and in-depth or short and easily consumable.

Younger audiences no longer look for linear narratives or traditional formats. Instead, they prefer fast, personal, and shareable micro-moments that feel authentic. Content does not need to be polished; authenticity and emotion matter more. This shift inevitably changes how companies must communicate, and brands need to sound more human.

Gen Z isn’t waiting for permission

Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, were not just there to discuss their media consumption habits. They were also on stage. At Web Summit, they were not treated as a passive audience segment but as active players, including founders, pitch presenters, and drivers of the new economy.

Many early-stage startups were founded by surprisingly young entrepreneurs. The youngest CEO we encountered was just 15 years old. Gen Z is already building companies, raising funding, and creating their own media platforms. One key lesson became clear: it is time to stop talking about them as the future. Gen Z is shaping the present.

The rise of the Agentic Web: from apps to autonomous AI Agents

And of course, there was AI. While recent discussions have focused on large language models, attention is now gradually shifting toward autonomous agents, meaning AI systems that can make decisions, suggest actions, and carry out tasks independently.

In the future, everyone may have their own AI agent that prepares them for the day ahead. Based on Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon’s keynote, this vision no longer feels like hype. It feels tangible and close.

Web Summit 2025 left a strong impression: we are at a turning point. At the intersection of media, technology, and generational change, developments are unfolding that force us to pause and rethink how we operate.

Trust does not come from automation, algorithms, or the latest tools. It comes from how we connect with people, whether they are readers, customers, or audiences. Gen Z is reshaping the rules on its own terms. At the same time, AI agents are quietly becoming part of everyday life, enhancing productivity and freeing up time, but not replacing the need for empathy, meaning, and genuine human interaction. That is why, amid all this change, humanity remains the ultimate competitive advantage.

As the media environment evolves, the role of communications becomes even more critical. Trust does not happen by accident—it is built strategically. Discover how we help companies create impactful communications that build trust!