By Mark Minevich
Publication Date: 2026-01-01 03:57:00
Welcome Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2026, Silhouette man jumping from cliff 2025 to cliff 2026 with cloudy sky and sunlight.
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As 2025 draws to a close, it has become clear to me that we are not just witnessing a global technological shift; we actually live in it. Artificial intelligence has become the driving force behind almost everything. It is changing the way businesses operate, the way workers work, and the way economies compete. But what comes next?
As we look to 2026, we must realize that AI is not a layer we add to systems, but rather it becomes the infrastructure itself.
In 2026, AI will accompany us as a permanent collaborator and teammate. Agentic and multi-agent AI systems manage entire workflows once controlled by humans, while humanoid and physical robotics move from demonstrations to targeted pilots in factories, warehouses and laboratories, marking the beginning of physical AI.
The winners will not be “AI adopters” but those who learn to treat AI as…
