--- title: "What's Next For AI: Ten Predictions for 2026" description: Is the app interface dead? From Agentic AI to a Social Media Checkout, here are 10 predictions for AI for 2026. image: https://aise.ie/hubfs/Whats%20Next%20For%20AI_%20%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026.png --- [Skip to Content](https://aise.ie/aise-blog/whats-next-for-ai-ten-predictions-for-2026#body) [![AiSe Logo](https://aise.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/AiSe%20Logo.png?width=160&height=70&name=AiSe%20Logo.png "AiSe Logo")](http://Aise.ie) Toggle Menu - [About Us](https://aise.ie/about-us) - [Blog](https://aise.ie/aise-blog) - [Case Studies](https://aise.ie/case-studies) - [Get Found](https://aise.ie/ai-search-ready-websites-from-1500-aise) - [Contact Us](https://aise.ie/contact-us) - Open Search Search Submit Search [back to blog](https://aise.ie/aise-blog) [AI Search](https://aise.ie/aise-blog/topic/ai-search) # What's Next For AI: Ten Predictions for 2026 Read Time **14 mins** | Written by: Kevin Breslin [mailto:?subject=What%27s%20Next%20For%20AI%3A%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026&body=https%3A%2F%2Faise.ie%2Faise-blog%2Fwhats-next-for-ai-ten-predictions-for-2026](mailto:?subject=What%27s%20Next%20For%20AI%3A%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026&body=https%3A%2F%2Faise.ie%2Faise-blog%2Fwhats-next-for-ai-ten-predictions-for-2026) ![](https://aise.ie/hubfs/Whats%20Next%20For%20AI_%20%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026.png) I’ve been looking at the state of play, and if I was to give you the lay of the land for the next twelve months, it wouldn't be pretty for everyone. Here are my ten predictions for where AI takes us in 2026. 1. **AI Causes The Great Social Media Checkout** Social media is becoming saturated. It’s like a muddy football pitch in January—heavy going and not much fun to watch. The ability for AI to produce not just text at scale, but photos and videos that would pass the Turing test, means the platforms are getting properly deluged in it. When it is too easy to produce the content, we will drown in it. The end result? Users will start to check out. When the feed is 90% slop, users are going to stop scrolling. > [View this post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DSar7gyEg5T/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [A post shared by AI Tool Hub (@aitoolhub.co)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DSar7gyEg5T/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) 1. **AI Causes The World Splits in Two** One section of society is going to become hyper-online, getting lost in AI-generated communities and living a "Second Life" existence that feels like a Black Mirror episode thanks to the advancements of AI. The alternative? People who check out entirely. Once videos are indistinguishable from real life, trust online hits near zero. For those people, it will be time to put down the phone and the laptop, go outside, and trust only what you can physically touch.   1. **ChatGPT Won’t Launch Ads (Yet)** There’s plenty of noise that ads are coming to AI, but I’d say its still a little early. Apple ads were been promised for years without it getting out. ChatGPT just doesn't have the balance right yet. Trust is still at a fragile state, and the AI is still liable to talk through its hat occasionally. They can’t start selling ad space until they stop making things up. Businesses should focus on preparing digital footprints, but the focus should be on being the trusted answer, not bidding to be recommended. 2. **The Revival of Print** Bold, I know, but stick with me. Just like the world splitting in two, the sheer exhaustion of AI saturation is going to force people back to novel things like books, newspapers, and magazines. Users are looking for an escape route from their devices. Print could become the new vinyl. It’s tangible, it’s real, and you know a robot didn’t hallucinate the ink onto the page. It’s up to newsrooms to win back trust (that's an entire other column)  ![The Revival of Print](https://aise.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Revival%20of%20Print.png?width=715&height=1001&name=The%20Revival%20of%20Print.png) 3. **Vibe Coding and the Death of the "Moat"** The big off-the-shelf business solutions are in trouble. "Vibe coding" is growing with platforms like n8n and Lovable, and Figma’s AI is impressive. Users want to harness AI to build custom tools rather than paying through the nose for tiered subscriptions where they only use one feature. The frustration of expensive software is being overcome by custom builds. Those who can figure this out will threaten billion-dollar industries that thought they had moats around their software. The drawbridge is down, folks. 4. **The "Slop" Detection Crisis** Again to my top point, social networks won’t be able to stem the tide in the short term. AI detection software is notoriously unable to decipher the real from the fake, I saw one tool rate the Bible as 85% AI-generated. That’s the level of farce we are dealing with. This is the problem they need to overcome, or users will simply walk away when the "AI Slop" destroys their feeds. > [View this post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQp5wdDAQz6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Carey Nieuwhof (@careynieuwhof)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQp5wdDAQz6/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) 1. **The Rise of the Distinctive Colloquial Accents** Here is a bit of fun to keep an eye on. YouTube has started demonetizing AI-generated voices, and perhaps we will see the rise of the hard-to-mimic accent. Authenticity is becoming the new currency. The AI struggles with the nuance of a thick Kerry, Geordie, or Scouse accent. Could the next content creating superstars be the ones the robots literally can't mimic?   1. **AI Search Takes Over** AI Search is becoming the dominant way to research products and services. Already 40% of visitors are using it to plan itineraries. It’s the perfect use case—cutting down the manual slog of research for big-ticket purchases. More and more people will look to the models to help them plan and recommend, cutting out the middleman of endless Googling.   1. **The Death of the Interface** In 2026, nobody wants to open five different apps to book a holiday or check a balance. We are moving toward "Agentic AI"—where the AI doesn't just chat, it *does*. You won't be tapping screens; you'll be telling your agent to sort it out. The interface is disappearing, and if your business relies on someone physically opening your specific app to get things done, you might find yourself playing to an empty stadium. ![The Death of the Interface](https://aise.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Death%20of%20the%20Interface.png?width=1200&height=655&name=The%20Death%20of%20the%20Interface.png) 2. **Optimise or Get Relegated** This leads to the big one. Those that are AI-optimised and have their digital footprint best placed to capture the models will win. It won’t just be the big players. You will see a growth in people looking to source fixes to immediate problems e.g.  "I need this product today in my location." Businesses that have their data aligned to avail of these opportunities will thrive. Even if you’re a bricks-and-mortar store, you need to put the work in now and not cede that ground to bigger online retail.   So there you have it. Whether these predictions land or not remains to be seen. The one certainty is that the gap between the digital world and the real one is widening, and the pace of change is moving faster than a rumour in a small parish.   It’s all to play for in 2026, but the smart money is on keeping your wits about you. Don't get caught stuck in the middle of the "slop." If you need me, I’ll be taking my own advice, sitting in the corner of a quiet pub with an actual newspaper, a pint, and the phone turned off. After all, an AI might now be able to write a sonnet or code a website, but it still can’t hallucinate a decent pint of stout. Have a great Christmas and talk in the New Year. Book a Free Consultation ## Want to learn how to get your business ready for Ai Search? [Book Now](https://aise.ie/contact-us) ![](https://aise.ie/hubfs/Kevin%20Breslin%20Compressed%20Image.jpeg) [mailto:kevin@aise.ie](mailto:kevin@aise.ie) ##### Kevin Breslin Kevin Breslin, founder and lead consultant, brings 15+ years of experience across marketing, media, content strategy and digital transformation. He’s worked across sectors from e-commerce, hospitality to SaaS helping businesses grow by staying ahead of where attention is going. Now, his focus is clear: helping businesses show up in AI search. Not with hype. Not with guesswork. But with structured, strategic action rooted in real understanding of how people find information today. Kevin works alongside a trusted network of advisors, researchers, content specialists to bring clients smart, focused results without fluff. Share the Love [mailto:?subject=What%27s%20Next%20For%20AI%3A%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026&body=https%3A%2F%2Faise.ie%2Faise-blog%2Fwhats-next-for-ai-ten-predictions-for-2026](mailto:?subject=What%27s%20Next%20For%20AI%3A%20Ten%20Predictions%20for%202026&body=https%3A%2F%2Faise.ie%2Faise-blog%2Fwhats-next-for-ai-ten-predictions-for-2026) You May Like These ## Related Articles ![](https://aise.ie/hs-fs/hubfs/%E2%80%9CAgentic%E2%80%9D%20AI.png?width=700&name=%E2%80%9CAgentic%E2%80%9D%20AI.png) AI Search ### [What Happened in AI While You Were Eating Selection Boxes](https://aise.ie/aise-blog/what-happened-in-ai-while-you-were-eating-selection-boxes) What happened in AI when you were off enjoying the Christmas break. Check out AiSe's first newslette... 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