People are talking about what AI is going to replace, that it’s the sum total of all human knowledge, that it’s going to make expertise obsolete. And it’s true it will do a lot and it is unbelievably powerful, but in many ways it makes thinking even more important. You have to be able to interpret what it spits out. You need to know when something’s off. Without domain expertise, without the ability to think critically, to question, to push back, you’ll be fooled. Again and again.
Give your kitchen a refresh.
If you can hardly see your counters through all the papers, Post-its, and not-yet-put-away groceries, you may pay for that chaos later when it comes to meals. Take 20 minutes today to whisk it all where it belongs, and it can help you eat more mindfully in days to come. Then, set aside a weekend afternoon to sift through your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. Remove things that are expired or don’t support your nutrition goals and stock up on healthy foods that do.
Treat yourself to exercise gear you love.
Purchase that flatter your body: Studies show that what we wear affects the way we feel, which impacts our ability to get stuff done, says Hajo Adam, Ph.D., a professor at Rice University. It’s a phenomenon known as “enclothed cognition,” and it’s as true in Zumba as it is at work. If you’re not sure what you might like, experts in the Good Housekeeping Textiles Lab are fans of the which are lightweight with a high-rise fit
Learn to Create (And Get Yourself Out There)
I truly believe making content is the best way to learn. When you create, you can’t fake understanding, if you try to explain something you don’t actually get, you’ll realize it immediately.
Creating forces you to process information twice: first when you consume it, then when you translate it into your own words.
The people who succeed in 2026 aren’t hiding, they’re sharing what they know, testing ideas publicly, building in public. And you never know what doors this will open like connections, job opportunities, business partnerships, collaborations.
Everything you create becomes a portfolio you can always use. Start small: share one thing you learned this week, explain it simply, and see what happens.
Proactive recommendations and real-time alerts replace static reporting
BI is moving from passive reporting to real-time operational intelligence. Instead of waiting for monthly dashboards to highlight performance issues, organizations will rely on systems that continuously monitor KPIs, detect deviations as they happen, and intervene with timely guidance. These platforms will identify early warning signs of risk, highlight underperformance compared to dynamic benchmarks, and surface emerging opportunities with clear explanations of underlying causes.
Whenever a KPI moves out of range, BI systems will assess the pattern, evaluate the potential business impact, and recommend corrective measures. This evolution turns BI into a constant, proactive presence in day-to-day decision-making—shifting leaders from reacting to problems to preventing them altogether.
Automated dashboards and data model refresh with AI become the norm
In 2026, the process of building dashboards and data models will become dramatically faster and more automated. Users will describe what they need in simple language, and AI will translate that intent into fully functional analytics assets. It will define the underlying data model, establish KPIs, choose the right visualization formats, and connect to relevant datasets, all without manual configuration.
As new data arrives, dashboards will refresh themselves, ensuring insights remain accurate and decision-ready. This reduces development cycles, removes technical bottlenecks, and allows business teams to customize analytics at scale. BI becomes more dynamic, with systems capable of continuously adapting to evolving business needs.
Automated dashboards will evolve into self-healing analytics assets, where broken visuals, deprecated fields, or upstream schema changes are auto-detected and corrected without manual intervention.
Docs AI for search and knowledge checks
I use built-in docs AI for enhanced search and knowledge checks, almost like quizzes in academy courses. Those implementations will heavily depend on the model, but many are good about citing their sources if I feel like I need to fact check.
If there is both a search and a docs AI, I like to see what results come up when I search or ask a question with similar terms. This is helpful to see and work to improve the UX and “findability” within docs. If search and docs AI are generating different results, or worse, they are not finding what they should, you need to spend some time to fix it before your users get stuck.
Digital Skills
Living in the age of AI, I bet we all know just how important it is to learn about technology. However, succeeding in the future is not just about building technical skills in new tools. It’s broader.
The three categories under this umbrella include:
- Digital fluency and citizenship – e.g., digital ethics and digital literacy
- Software use and development – e.g., programming literacy and algorithmic thinking
- Understanding digital systems – e.g., data literacy and cybersecurity literacy
Beyond effectively using new technology, successful employees will be equipped to protect themselves and the business as they navigate ethical and security considerations of AI as well as evaluate the applicability of various tools. L&D teams can support by:
- Integrating digital ethics and cybersecurity awareness into training to reinforce safe, responsible use of emerging technologies
- Providing hands-on practice environments where employees can experiment with tools, apply concepts and build confidence without risk
- Delivering ongoing microlearning and tailored resources that keep skills current as technology evolves
Co-Intelligence: The New Workforce Equation
With so much focus on AI, it’s fascinating that the majority of the competencies people need remain distinctly human. As you look ahead this year, I hope you’ll take this opportunity to turn towards a “yes, and” mindset compared to the “either, or” approach that has been grabbing headlines.
People intelligence and artificial intelligence both have a place in the future of work. Upskilling is the bridge that makes this partnership possible.
How can Emergenetics help you upskill your workforce? Fill out the form below to discuss the possibilities with one of our team members.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This is one of the first books that made me realize that change does not happen through big promises. It happens through small, repeated actions.
Before reading this book, I thought I needed more motivation. But what I really needed was a better system. taught me that the quality of your life is shaped by what you do every day, not what you do once in a while.