The 13 next big things in applied AI for 2026

2026 may have been the year when AI stopped getting brownie points simply for being amazing. What’s impressive now is AI that performs useful tasks. All the better if it does it quietly, cleverly, and in areas that help humans focus on the work that we still do best. These honorees check off all those boxes, in areas ranging from workplace productivity to medical safety. AlembicFor proving how decisions turn into outcomesAlembic’s “causal engine” uses a proprietary AI system to help ent...