The future of AI — what can we expect?

Where are we now?

In 2026, we are witnessing an extraordinary period in the history of AI. Models that seemed like science fiction five years ago are now being used by hundreds of millions of people. The question is no longer whether AI will change things, but how fast and how profoundly.

Expected developments

Agentic AI goes mainstream

The shift from AI as an answer machine to AI as an autonomous action agent has already begun. In the coming years, AI agents will fully take over routine tasks: email management, calendar planning, contract review, code deployment. People specify goals; AI executes.

Illustration created with Canva AI

Multimodality as the standard

Models that only process text are considered limited. Future models will process real-time video, spoken language, sensors, and medical equipment — as a universal interface between human and machine.

Smaller, more efficient models

The race toward larger models is losing ground to the efficiency race. Models of 7–13 billion parameters now perform comparably to models of 175 billion parameters from three years ago. This makes local AI on phones and laptops feasible.

AI in science and research

AlphaFold changed biology. Similar breakthroughs are expected in materials science, drug development, climate modeling, and nuclear fusion. AI is becoming the most powerful tool for scientific research ever.

The major uncertainties

• AGI — when, or even whether, will general AI arrive that surpasses humans on all tasks?
• Safety — can we guarantee that powerful AI systems uphold human values?
• Concentration of power — who controls the infrastructure on which AI runs?
• Regulation — can legislation keep up with the technology?

How do you prepare?

The most future-proof strategy: understand AI, use AI, and develop the skills that AI cannot replace. Curiosity, critical thinking, human judgment, and collaboration remain irreplaceable. The future belongs to humans and AI — together.