Beyond Automation: The 2026 Workforce gets reinvented

Although the shape of work is always evolving, some periods bring bigger shifts than others. Right now, businesses stand poised for major transformation, driven by a heady cocktail of “disruption, innovation, and risk”, as per Gartner. And at the heart of all that is artificial intelligence.

Smart solutions are spreading at speed, with nearly nine in ten companies using AI for at least one function globally in 2025. While many projects remain stuck in the early pilot phase, there is growing recognition that keeping up with technology changes, rising competition, and ever evolving customer expectations require faster progress.

Over the coming years, AI will continue to establish itself as an essential everyday tool, but will also be a key strategic lever for companies that learn how to harness its true power. This transition will not only provide clearer evidence of the value advanced AI tools can deliver but also fuel a reinvention of what everyday operations look like. Or put another way, we’re about to start feeling the full power of AI.

Accelerating agent augmentation

So far, tools like ChatGPT have done much to fuel the positive perceptions of AI: demonstrating that tools are easy to roll out and ready to help, not replace, employees.

For instance, greater automation is freeing teams from simple yet time-consuming jobs, so they can focus their expertise on resolving more intricate problems. In fact, our research shows knowledge workers feel handing off basic tasks could save them as much as 13 hours a week.

Building from this budding enthusiasm, there is vast room to take machine-human collaboration further, especially in the age of agents. Unlike their predecessors, these solutions aren’t confined to following pre-programmed prompts. Instead, agentic AI deploys nuanced reasoning and layered data processing to understand diverse, multi-system tasks, nimbly adapt as conversations develop, and consider the best course of action. In effect, they can more closely emulate natural human decision-making and conversation flow, enabling them to support human staff by driving higher-quality interactions.

Through 2026, forward-looking businesses will boost their AI maturity by embracing agents and, in turn, enable employees to work smarter. Internally, for example, agile interfaces will better equip human teams to deliver personalised and exceptional customer experiences that foster strong connections by making it easy to find the information they need. Externally, receptionist-style offerings that field incoming queries will save even more time by directly dealing with a broader range of requests, from answering product questions and coordinating retail order status checks, to booking test drives.

Over time, growing confidence and technical capabilities will see more organisations level up to multi-agent systems where assistants coordinate independently to manage various elements of complex workflows, improving efficiency and opportunities to scale operations.

Enabling efficiency through unification

For all the benefits of greater access to advanced solutions, companies also face a continually growing challenge: tool sprawl. This is especially true for communications stacks, which have become increasingly bloated amid several successive waves of progression, including the cloud boom, pandemic-fuelled digitisation, and today’s AI rush.

As a result, many businesses are grappling with groups of disparate tools. While some have leaned towards ad-hoc purchases of affordable point solutions, particularly smaller and medium-sized businesses, it’s becoming clear that this approach impedes engagement between teams and customers and greatly reduces flexibility. If tech is isolated, it’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to maintain effective and joined-up communications. Even if underlying structures are superficially hooked together, organisations can also struggle to embed new tools consistently, including AI.

These challenges, combined with pressures exacerbated by flat economic conditions, will propel a migration towards truly unified communications (UC) platforms that reduce costs and enhance interoperability. Providing in-built cohesion and smooth integration with existing tools, the best UC platforms will allow workers to seamlessly switch between channels and consistently weave AI features into standard processes, removing barriers to smooth communication and elevated CX. Better still, these platforms are not just the reserve of Enterprises, there are now advanced AI UC platforms dedicated to the problems faced by small and mid-size business.

Making smart tools work for teams

Among workers, tangible signs of AI’s potential business benefits are driving favourable opinions about what it can do for them. Digging deeper into our recent findings, six in ten feel increased investment in AI from employers would amplify their output more than fancy office perks and allow them to function productively from anywhere. On top of that, 70% also believe increased use of AI could bolster motivation and allow them to deliver stronger customer support.

As it stands, however, these expectations still sit out of reach, as over 80% of employees say they aren’t yet harnessing the potential of AI, and the data points to one core reason for that. The majority don’t fully grasp AI’s day-to-day uses, including a surprisingly high 74% for even digital-first Gen-Zedders. Moreover, it looks as though issues caused by insufficient knowledge might go beyond just hampering progress, with 54% of employees currently mishandling AI.

Next year, there will be wider recognition that tapping AI opportunities successfully and securely depends on tackling these challenges within robust governance efforts. The first obvious focus will centre around training, as organisations appreciate the importance of giving their people the means to understand and master AI via practical and role-specific learning.

Greater education access will improve responsible and compliant management of AI. It is, however, worth noting that to achieve this effectively, firms need a clear outline of acceptable practices and applications to base guidance on, which brings us to the other crucial priority: establishing a refined AI usage structure and policy.

The IT heads and security chiefs who best balance safety and innovation will take a pragmatic approach. As well as mapping where the highest risks are and building policies that mitigate them without adding too much friction, the shrewdest will ensure any sensitive data flowing through AI tools is carefully controlled and that secure-by-design principles are baked into their own intelligent product development. Or put another way: senior leaders will put structures in place that make it easy for their teams to get the most from AI, responsibly.

We’re on the cusp of AI’s outcomes era, where smart tech ambitions will translate into an active contribution to business efficacy and profitability. Increasing AI adoption, however, doesn’t guarantee positive outcomes. To reinvent working norms for the better, organisations must foster a solid foundation for long-term gains by removing the efficiency barriers posed by fragmented stacks, and above all, consider what will enable their people to thrive.