Smartphones will become obsolete, your grandchildren will marry an AI robot

Smartphones are heading for extinction, according to Gary Vaynerchuk, the social media entrepreneur and CEO of VaynerMedia, who told audiences at the BRIDGE Summit 2025 that smart glasses will soon replace mobile phones entirely.

Speaking during a session titled AI Won’t Wait, Neither Should You at the debut edition of the global media event, Vaynerchuk – widely known as GaryVee and regarded as one of the world’s most influential trend forecasters – said the world’s biggest technology companies are already locked in an arms race to dominate the next wave of personal hardware.

Smart glasses set to replace smartphones

“Your mobile phones will become as obsolete as a pager or a BlackBerry, and smart glasses will replace them,” he said.

“Six or seven of the largest technology companies in the world are pouring billions and billions of dollars to win this race. And if Meta wins and Meta glasses win, it’s going to be hard for the other social networks to get in there.”

He also warned that future generations will grow up in a world of constant digital immersion. “Your children are going to wear smart glasses that replace mobiles when they’re adults and be on technology 24 hours a day,” he said.

“Your grandchildren are going to marry AI robots.”

The remarks underline Vaynerchuk’s long-held belief that rapid shifts in consumer behaviour, accelerated by AI, will redefine how people communicate, consume content and interact with brands.

CEO Middle East interviewed Gary earlier this week as he wanted to talk about CEOs building their own personal brands, something he feels they can no longer avoid.

“Someone could literally start with no followers, and their fourth TikTok could get 13 million views.”

Calling this moment “a golden era”, he urged Middle East CEOs to build personal brands alongside corporate ones. Leaders who avoid visibility, he warned, face a “missed opportunity for their business to get more awareness.”