Why 2026 will be the year AI grows up

Our ongoing series brings you essential AI news and takeaways every month, helping you stay informed and ready for what’s next in the world of artificial intelligence.

December 2025 edition

The rise of the “AI-native workforce”

The first graduates educated entirely in a post-ChatGPT world will enter the workforce next year. With the influx of these “AI-native” knowledge workers, leaders must rethink how they build and manage their teams. 

The big picture: A turning point for AI fluency at work

The youngest knowledge workers will soon be in a position to remake organizations in their image. Nokia CEO Justin Hotard thinks that companies should let it happen. 

In a recent op-ed for Fortune, Hotard argues that “opportunity lies in a new generation of AI-native professionals entering the workforce equipped for how technology is transforming roles, teams, and leadership.” As he sees it, early-career workers are entering the workforce already fluent in AI and eager to use it. If organizations redesign onboarding, management, and decision-making to let these AI-native workers use AI as a coach and collaborator, early-career workers will be primed to learn faster and take on higher-impact work more quickly than ever. Everyone stands to benefit. 

Hotard’s perspective converges with PwC’s recent prediction that 2026 will mark the rise of the “AI generalist” knowledge worker, a versatile systems thinker who leans on AI tooling to help fill executional skill gaps.

The takeaway: Go with the flow

Instead of trying to contain AI-native early-career workers, companies should leverage their savvy to steer the shift toward an AI-generalist workforce.

Try this

• Redesign onboarding around AI as a teammate. Give new hires approved AI tools on day one and train them to use these tools as coaches and collaborators, not just as shortcuts. 
• Replace “starter tasks” with AI-augmented stretch work. Give younger employees meaningful, outcome-driven projects earlier so learning comes from judgment and problem-solving – not drudge work. 
• Build teams for versatility, not fixed roles. Hire and staff projects around systems thinking and problem-solving.

New research uncovers what’s really working in workplace AI

A new report by researchers from Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, and other top universities shows how AI implementation is panning out across organizations – and, specifically, what is and isn’t working. 

The big picture: AI is a force multiplier, not a cure-all

Published by the AI work company Glean, the new report draws on the firsthand experiences of over 100 executives and technologists to find common threads. The findings revealed a clear message: AI integration magnifies an organization’s existing culture, structure, and leadership quality – for better and worse. 

“AI doesn’t fix broken systems,” the authors write. “It amplifies, warts and all. Drop it into a broken bureaucracy and the red tape and bottlenecks will get even worse. Put it in the hands of a curious team and you’ll get faster breakthroughs.”

In other words, AI doesn’t fix broken systems. For AI tools to benefit teams, they need to be integrated into workflows and not tacked on as an afterthought. 

The takeaway: Leaders steer the ship

To get real value, leaders must actively model AI use, protect the human core of work, and embed AI into everyday workflows with flexible structures. Without thoughtful leadership and design, AI can backfire against progress.

Try this

• Model AI use in real work. Leaders should be seen using AI in their day-to-day tasks so adoption spreads through example.
• Fix workflows before adding tools. Map where work actually gets stuck, then embed AI directly into those processes to reduce friction instead of amplifying chaos without a plan.
• Protect judgment. Use AI to remove low-value busywork, but deliberately keep human decision-making, craft, and accountability at the center of your teams’ daily workflows.