80-85% of AI use is still about speed. That’s a problem. McKinsey found that workflow redesign, not faster content creation, drives the biggest bottom-line impact from gen AI. Many companies are optimizing the wrong thing.
My year-end newsletter is below. What we learned in 2025 and where to focus in 2026.
What we learned in 2025:
AI teammates went mainstream. Custom GPT usage up 19x.
AI now forms opinions about your brand before humans do. Those visitors convert 4.4x higher.
Speed was the starting point, but only 3-5% of teams are pushing into “innovation,” work that wasn’t possible before. That’s where humans become essential.
Where to focus in 2026:
Reimagine workflows. Don’t automate the org chart. Redesign the customer journey to eliminate handoffs.
Prepare for AI agents. They are already researching, comparing, and buying on behalf of your customers.
Scale the human + AI model. Move from individual trailblazers to organizational adoption via upskilling, governance, and integration enablement.
The messy middle of adoption is coming. That’s a sign you’re doing it right.
This newsletter features insights from Godard Abel (CEO, G2), Anna Griffin (CMO, Commvault), Wil Reynolds (VP of Innovation, Seer Interactive), and Megan Cabrera (VP of Marketing Ops). Leaders doing the work and generous enough to share what they’re learning. Grateful for each of them.
Prefer audio or video? I created a 7-min AI video explainer and a 12-min AI podcast version (links in comments) of the newsletter using NotebookLM to cater to different learning styles. I reviewed these AI outputs personally for accuracy and to ensure responsible use.
Feel free to come back to this newsletter a few times as I’ve shared links to related topics. Ideal for rabbitholing during the holidays. And if you found this helpful, please share with others.
Which 2026 priority feels most urgent for your team?
My next newsletter drops January 8. The AI is always ready to go, but the human needs a holiday break. 😉