January is the “new start” season. It’s also “big predictions” season. And so it is always nice to be asked on BBC radio a couple of times to talk about the next new thing. Which seems this year to be robots…
Robots are like resolutions - something I am not a fan of - and something I think we do too early in the western world. As the start of the new year SHOULD be March time… But…
People LOVE predictions
And so as a digital futurist (the BBC’s words not mine) here’s my PREDICTIONS:
We don’t need robots right now.
What we need is trained people using low-friction AI inside the tools they already live in.
Because the constraint is not technology. It’s psychology: trust, habit, confidence, and clarity. If technology feels confusing or risky, people don’t adopt it. If it feels helpful and safe, it spreads like wildfire. Which is why ChatGPT did soooo well…
Three signals we can’t ignore rather than predictions
1) “Prompt engineering won’t be a job” didn’t age well
Robert Walters has been recruiting an AI Prompt Engineer role (remote contract). LinkedIn
That’s not a gimmick. It’s the labour market catching up to reality. The deeper point: job titles appear after a capability becomes valuable. And those that laughed at me for saying it WOULD be a job - well… Who is laughing now…
2) LinkedIn is basically saying “AI is now core capability”
LinkedIn’s UK “Jobs on the Rise” lists are stacked with roles like AI Engineer and Head of AI. LinkedIn In plain English: companies are moving from “AI curiosity” to AI execution.
3) The basics are still not being done (and that’s the opportunity)
This one surprised me personally.I built a couple of simple GPTs last year. It took about an hour. Over Christmas in 2025, literally thousands of people used them.
That’s the story of this moment:
- most people haven’t built a GPT (totally normal)
- but once someone packages AI into a simple tool, adoption is instant
Low friction wins.
The bit most leaders miss
Most organisations are talking about:
- agents
- robots
- full automation
But most organisations haven’t even done:
- practical AI training for teams
- safe usage standards
- “what good looks like” prompts and workflows
- a shortlist of approved tools
- a repeatable way to measure value
So the result is predictable: scattered experiments, mixed confidence, and no scaled impact.
A simple model: the AI Adoption Ladder
If you’re leading this inside a company, think in levels:
- Awareness – people know it exists
- Assisted – individuals use it occasionally
- Standardised – teams share templates + rules
- Embedded – AI sits inside workflows (Gmail, Docs, CRM, Service Desk)
- Automated – agents and process automation
- Robotic – physical automation where it makes sense
Most companies are somewhere between 2 and 3. Whilst in the media, they’re talking about level 6. This is the hype problem. And… That gap is why training matters.
What to do this month (high value, low drama)
If you’re a leader, don’t start with robots.
Start with a training-first rollout that makes AI boring, safe, and useful:
Step 1: Train the team (the real bottleneck)
Give people enough skill to be confident, and enough guardrails to be safe.
Step 2: Pick 5 use cases that remove friction
Not “AI strategy theatre”. Real painkillers:
- summarising meetings into actions
- drafting internal updates
- rewriting for clarity and tone
- turning policies into FAQs
- handling repetitive customer or employee queries
Step 3: Build 1–3 simple GPTs (or reusable workflows)
One tool per job. If it saves 10 minutes a day across 100 people, that’s a measurable win.
Step 4: Measure time saved and quality improved
If you don’t measure, you’ll argue about vibes.
My January prediction (in one line)
The companies that win in 2026 won’t be the ones with the fanciest AI. They’ll be the ones that train their people and remove friction first.
If you want help doing this properly inside your organisation, that’s exactly what my AI training is built for: practical skills, safe adoption, and immediate workflows your teams will actually use.
Comment below and I’ll send the outline of the training
And what a “30-day adoption plan” looks like for your team.
As I say - my prediction for 2026 - is we retrain and retain our people. As people come first. And why is this THE most important prediction for 2026. As in the end we are all human first.