The biggest promise of artificial intelligence is finally coming to fruition—and it's not about replacing humans. It's about freeing us to focus on what makes us human.
I recently joined Mamamia's The Quicky podcast to discuss the biggest AI trends for 2026. This article expands on that conversation—you can listen to the full interview here (my segment starts at 19:10).
The real promise of AI is to liberate us from the menial and the mundane—both at work and at home—so we can focus on what actually matters: the meaningful and the humane.
2025 was the year of AI agents being super hyped. We started developing AI assistants to help with work tasks, to file for government support like Centrelink and childcare subsidies, and to handle all those repetitive tasks we no longer want to do.
Now, in 2026, that promise is becoming reality.
Here's what's fundamentally changed: AI now speaks human.
It used to be that you needed to be a computer scientist or have a software engineering degree to get under the hood of these systems. Now, if you have a voice, if you can type, if you have digital access, you can interface with artificial intelligence.
This democratisation means AI can now augment all of our human instincts and abilities. According to IBM's 2026 business trends research, 61% of employees say AI makes their job less mundane and more strategic. That's a significant shift from tool to teammate.
To understand where AI is taking us, it helps to look at where machines have taken us before.
Back in 1900, 98% of US households were still using a scrub board to do their laundry. A menial, time-consuming task. In fact, 58 hours per week were spent on household chores in the average American home.
Then came the dishwasher, electrification, and the washing machine.
University of Pennsylvania economist Jeremy Greenwood argues that those household machines are responsible for 50% of the female participation rate we see today in the American labour force.
Machines have always liberated both women and men. AI is simply the next chapter in that story.
As a single dad, I welcome the days when AI robots in the home will handle even more sophisticated tasks than what the dishwasher and washing machine have enabled so far.
This is the question I get asked most often—including on The Quicky podcast this week. There's significant talk about "AI colleagues" entering workplaces in 2026.
My answer: I don't think they'll take our jobs.
But just like none of us want to stand around with a scrub board doing laundry at home, there are plenty of tasks in our workplaces that are the office equivalent of working with a washboard. We all do things in incredibly inefficient ways at work. Having AI agents handle those menial, mundane tasks will be a blessing.
What we need to prepare for is this: the future workforce will be a combination of human intelligence and artificial intelligence.
Research from IMD Business School suggests we may see a 10-20% reduction in traditional middle-management positions by the end of 2026—specifically roles organised around information routing, basic coordination, and document summarisation. But this doesn't mean job losses. It means job transformation.
Consider Moderna—the company behind one of the COVID vaccines many of us received during the pandemic.
They've collapsed their IT department and Human Resources department into a single unit under one Chief People and Digital Officer.
Why? Because they recognise there's no distinction between HR and IT anymore. It's just work.
This is the model we'll see more companies adopting. Microsoft's research indicates AI agents are set to become digital coworkers, helping individuals and small teams "punch above their weight." A three-person team can now launch what previously required thirty people.
As AI handles more routine cognitive tasks, the skills that matter most will be distinctly human:
The irony is that AI will make the "soft skills" we've often undervalued into the hardest skills to replicate—and therefore the most valuable.
There are legitimate concerns worth addressing. Any child can open a ChatGPT account today—the platform requires users to be 13 or older, but there are no technical restrictions preventing younger children from accessing it.
OpenAI has introduced parental controls and age prediction systems, but as they acknowledge: "Guardrails help, but they're not foolproof and can be bypassed if someone is intentionally trying to get around them."
For parents, the conversation shouldn't be "should my child use AI?"—it's more realistic to assume they already are, and focus on making that use safe and educational.
We'll all be working alongside AI agents in 2026 and beyond. And I think we should welcome that.
The future isn't human versus machine. It's human with machine.
Just as the washing machine didn't eliminate homemaking but transformed it, AI won't eliminate knowledge work—it will transform it. The question isn't whether to adopt AI, but how to use it in ways that amplify our humanity rather than diminish it.
That's what I call the "Digilogue" balance: finding the sweet spot between digital efficiency and human connection.
AI is unlikely to replace entire jobs but will transform how jobs are done. Tasks involving repetitive information processing, basic coordination, and routine analysis are most likely to be automated, while roles requiring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex judgement will become more valuable.
Start by familiarising yourself with AI tools relevant to your industry. Focus on developing skills AI cannot easily replicate: critical thinking, relationship building, creative problem-solving, and ethical reasoning. Consider how AI can handle your routine tasks so you can focus on higher-value work.
Major AI platforms like ChatGPT require users to be 13 or older and offer parental controls. However, these safeguards can be bypassed. Parents should assume their children may already be using AI and focus on education, supervision, and open conversations about responsible use.
Financial services, healthcare, legal, marketing, and customer service are seeing rapid AI adoption. However, AI is increasingly affecting all knowledge work. The key differentiator will be how well organisations integrate AI while maintaining human oversight and connection.
Anders Sorman-Nilsson is a futurist, author of "Digilogue" and "Seamless," and founder of Thinque, a strategic think tank based in Sydney. He advises organisations including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and JP Morgan Chase on AI transformation and the future of work.
🎧 Listen to the full interview: The Quicky – "Rate Hikes, International Law Under Fire & AI Colleagues" Experts Reveal 2026 Forecast (AI segment starts at 19:10)
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