Here are the six AI trends that will matter most in 2026.
This list is based on daily research and reports from institutions like McKinsey, OpenAI, Stanford, and from analysts who are much more knowledgeable than myself.
In other words, don't blame me if they get it wrong.
For each trend, I'll first start with a big picture, then move on to the actionable takeaways so that by the end, you have a clear sense of where AI is heading and what to do about it.
Let's get started.
Kicking things off with trend number one, models don't matter much anymore.
For the past few years, every new model release sparked debate about the best AI, and for good reason.
The difference in quality between models was significant.
In 2026, though, that choice is going to matter a lot less.
Taking a look at the data, this graph from artificial analysis shows how the major AI models have improved over time.
