Machine learning and generative AI: What are they good for in 2025?

Less than five years ago, machine learning was one of the predominant ways businesses were using artificial intelligence. In April 2021, we called machine learning a “pervasive and powerful form of AI … changing every industry.”But after ChatGPT-3.5 was released in 2022, many organizations shifted focus to a subfield of AI, generative AI, which can be used to create new content. Generative AI is machine learning (more on that below).  AI at WorkResearch and insights powering the intersection of AI and business, delivered monthly. Yes, I’d also like to subscribe to the Thinking Forward newsletter Email Leave this field blank Traditional machine learning is now an established technology in many organizations, and today leading firms are focusing on use cases for generative AI. In a 2024 survey of senior data leaders,  64% of respondents said that generative AI has the potential to be the most transformative technology in a generation. While generative AI is widely accessible and has many novel applications, you still need to know when it’s best to turn to other forms of AI, like traditional machine learning. We talked with two MIT Sloan AI experts — associate professor Swati Gupta and professor of the practice Rama Ramakrishnan — about where generative AI is replacing predictive machine learning, when machine learning is still the most effective tool, and how businesses are using the technologies together. What is machine learning? Machine learning is a type of artificial in...