AI in 2026: 10 predictions for automation and the future of work

AI in 2026: 10 predictions for automation and the future of work

By Charles Towers-Clark
Publication Date: 2025-12-10 14:30:00

Writing predictions for the future is child’s play. So, I’m a fool. Eight years ago, I wrote a book about AI (and self-management) and predicted that self-driving cars would be commonplace in five to ten years, that AI would outperform developers at programming, and that studying the social sciences would therefore be more useful than STEM subjects. I’ll let you judge my prediction skills – but my timing was wrong.

Even though technology has arrived, I underestimated the importance of social acceptance. Having learned from past mistakes, I would like to express the caveat that the following predictions all depend on the pace of society’s willingness to change.

So, my AI predictions for 2026 (and beyond)

1. Expect an AI rating correction

The billions spent to enable growth For the sake of growth There are concerns about an AI bubble. In addition, some of these investments become circular, for example Bloomberg reported in…