As 2026 starts to build, there are changing ways to the workforce, recruitment and industries, especially with the accelerated advancement of AI. But what will be the big ideas that will define the year? According to a LinkedIn News article from December 2025, we can expect to see technology and humanity pressing closer together, inevitably leading to both innovation and tension.
Artificial Intelligence
This year will see an increase in organisations making use of AI to redesign workflows. Companies will adopt and scale models effectively to redesign their businesses, changing the question from 'What can AI do?' to 'Where can we make use of it?' "Just as the cloud era was defined by tools that made computing power accessible and scalable, the AI era will be defined by systems that do the same for enterprise intelligence."
AI is also predicted to take over the university sphere, with institutions pushing aside English and philosophy for courses such as 'AI for Design' and 'Applied AI' for students to learn how to harness AI in daily life. In higher education, AI literacy will take centre stage.
Instead of the engineering structures behind Artificial Intelligence, emphasis will be put on the ethics, human-AI collaboration and integrating AI into creative work/business spaces. "Colleges are betting the future belongs not just to those who build AI, but to those who wield it wisely."
Rise of 'the individual empire'
Content creators have become a huge part of the economy since 2008, when people started turning their passions into full-time careers through social media. 2026 will see this role become even bigger with influencer marketing.
Consumer goods, such as food, drinks, and beauty items, will move away from traditional or legacy branding and will instead fall under the influencer's name. AI will also play a role here, enhancing content creators'/influencers' ability to increase their content production and expanding their reach. With this spread, personal brands will grow and take charge of the retail sector.
"The playing field is being levelled, and for the first time in history, as these creators and influencers mature into businesspeople and entrepreneurs, the rise of the creator-influencer/entrepreneur and the entrepreneur/influencer-creator will be upon us."
Fairer and more transparent recruitment
A positive of having AI in the workplace will come in the form of creating fairer and more transparent job interviews. Being used to sift through job applications, AI will narrow the pool to evaluate those who will perform best and last longest in the role. A human will still make the final recruitment decision, but overall, AI helps identify the strongest matches.
According to the LinkedIn report and a University of Chicago study, job-seekers who were interviewed through AI generally found them to be 'less intimidating and more efficient'. With caution and responsibility, 2026 will see a rise in fairer employment through AI interviews.
'Boomerang' returns
In 2026, we will see a lot of companies who initally leaned into AI in 2025 rehiring those they let go. After realising that certain lines of work need a human touch, boomerang returns will see former colleagues being hired to return with a fresh perspective. With a knowledge of the company, it will appeal to employers to bring back those they were hasty to swap for AI.
