This year, I got some help with my predictions. This is part of a 3-part series that blends my own thoughts about the year ahead with those of leading experts across Marketing, AI, Customer Experience, and more. Let’s take a look at what the experts are saying.
Is the age of AI a threat to authenticity, or its greatest proving ground?
As the initial, breathless hype cycle of artificial intelligence recedes, the landscape of 2026 is rapidly being defined not by the technology itself, but by the profound and often uncomfortable ways it is forcing us to redefine human connection and the modern workforce. For the executive class, the core prediction is this: the “new brand currency” will be nothing less than unvarnished authenticity. This shift mandates a re-evaluation of human capital, where employees must evolve from task executors into sophisticated managers of digital agents, and where emotional intelligence is set to transition from a soft skill to a hard, quantifiable metric for enterprise success and competitive advantage.
The Authenticity Rebellion
By 2026, the novelty of AI-generated text and imagery will have worn off, triggering a consumer backlash against generic content. Rachel Sterling, CMO at Identity Digital, predicts that audiences will “tire of AI-generated content” and actively seek out “authenticity”. As a result, algorithms are expected to pivot, prioritizing “genuine tone and lived experience” over volume, favoring creativity that is clearly grounded in real human perspective.
This shift is driven by the saturation of what Elizabeth Maxson, CMO of Contentful, terms “AI workslop”—generic, low-value messaging that “dilutes brand identity and audience trust”. Organizations will likely find themselves spending more time cleaning up this low-quality output than they did creating it. Consequently, Lora Kratchounova notes that for challenger brands, “authenticity will be the new brand currency” that ultimately shapes buyer preferences.
An authentic brand in 2026 will be one that shows its work and speaks like a human, not a press release, says Emma Robinson, Canva’s B2B Marketing Lead. Gen Z has fundamentally different expectations—they’re visual-first (90% say they do their best work visually), they value experimentation, and they can spot manufactured authenticity instantly. Authentic brands will embrace visual storytelling that feels real rather than over-produced, they’ll show social impact when possible, and they’ll communicate in ways that match how people actually think and create.
Robinson notes that brands will “balance lo-fi, spontaneous content with thoughtfully designed brand moments—knowing that authenticity doesn’t mean abandoning brand standards, it means being flexible enough to meet audiences where they are.” These brands will also be transparent about how they use AI, maintaining the human oversight that Gen Z values while embracing the technology they’re excited to experiment with. Visual trends will come and go, but the brands that stay authentic to their core identity while adapting their expression will be the ones Gen Z—and Gen Alpha after them—choose.
The Rise of the “Agent Manager”
While consumers demand more humanity, the internal structure of the workforce will change to accommodate “digital co-workers.” Neeraj Abhyankar of R Systems foresees AI evolving from simple tools into “autonomous agents” that act as colleagues with “defined responsibilities and KPIs”.
This evolution will fundamentally alter the definition of a knowledge worker. Kalpak Shah predicts that employees will become “agent managers,” marking a shift in enterprise user experience from learning complex menus to simply telling the system what needs to happen and supervising the results. This integration will be so profound that Tifenn Dano Kwan of Amplitude predicts “agent count” will become a standard organizational metric, appearing as the “third line in every org chart” alongside human headcount.
Emotional Intelligence as the New KPI
In this automated landscape, the primary differentiator for brands will be their ability to forge an emotional bond. Ofir Krakowski, CEO of Deepdub, argues that as customer expectations rise, “emotional intelligence will become a tangible KPI” rather than a “nice-to-have”. This will be particularly relevant as text-based chatbots are replaced by AI voice agents, driving a “full shift to voice-first CX”.
This demand for personality extends beyond digital interfaces into physical spaces and loyalty programs. Joe Yetter, GM of PAR Engagement, asserts that the “biggest loyalty wins won’t come from points or punch cards; they’ll come from personality.” Furthermore, the physical store will transform into a “living, breathing brand moment,” where sound, scent, and design converge to create a seamless psychological experience. Even in global markets, the standard will be “hyper-local CX,” where customers expect service that matches their specific regional accents and cultural cues.
What marketing leaders should do
To thrive in this new landscape, marketing leaders must move beyond passive observation and fundamentally restructure their operations. Based on expert predictions, here are three critical actions leaders should take immediately to align with the reality of 2026.
Purge the “Workslop” and Reinvest in Creative Governance
Leaders must rigorously audit their content strategies to ensure AI is empowering creators, not replacing them. The cost of generating low-quality content has dropped to zero, but the cost of repairing a brand’s reputation is rising. Elizabeth Maxson, CMO at Contentful, advises leaders to recognize that “generic, low-value messaging—dilutes brand identity and audience trust,” forcing teams to spend valuable time “cleaning up” rather than creating.
- The Move: Stop viewing AI as a cost-cutting mechanism for content production. As Lora Kratchounova, Principal at Scratch Marketing + Media, warns: “Companies that try to save with AI as opposed to using AI to extend and empower their teams’ creativity and unique voices will end up putting their feet in their mouths”.
Dismantle Silos to Build a Unified “Growth System”
The separation between brand building and demand generation is an obsolete artifact. To deliver the seamless, human-centric experiences customers demand, these functions must merge. Chris Todd, Principal of Marketing Operations at CTM, notes that “the problem today is that silos and specialization have created bottom-up KPIs” that fracture the customer view.
- The Move: Shift to unified success metrics. Erika Rollins, VP of Marketing and CX at CTM, predicts that the “smartest marketers will design demand campaigns that reinforce brand positioning,” effectively merging brand and demand into a “single, AI-powered growth system”.
Formalize “Agent Management” as a Core Competency
Organizations need to prepare their human talent to manage their digital counterparts. This involves shifting the organizational mindset from “using software” to managing a workforce. Tifenn Dano Kwan, CMO of Amplitude, states that “a new organizational metric – agent count – will emerge as AI becomes a core part of how marketing (and every function) operates”.
- The Move: Redefine the role of knowledge workers. Kalpak Shah, Head of Tech, Internet, & Platforms at R Systems, advises that employees must transition into “agent managers” who “tell the system what needs to happen and supervise it” rather than navigating menus. Crucially, this requires discipline; as Unni Kurup, Director of Client Consulting & Strategy at Theorem, notes, “governance will become just as important as efficiency”.
Summary
These predictions suggest a profound paradox: as Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly autonomous, seamlessly integrated into our daily workflows, and undeniably ubiquitous, the intrinsic value and necessity of the human element will not only endure but will dramatically increase. This isn’t a retreat from technology, but a fundamental shift in how we leverage it.
In the realm of creation and communication, this paradox manifests clearly. A savvy marketer, for instance, will actively reject what can be termed “AI workslop”—the generic, algorithmically-generated content that lacks soul, authenticity, and distinction. Instead, the premium will be placed on genuine storytelling, compelling narratives, and emotional resonance that only human creativity and empathy can provide. AI will be the indispensable tool for hyper-segmentation, A/B testing, and distribution optimization, but the message itself—the spark that connects—must be authentically human-driven.
Similarly, in operations and customer experience, the role of the human manager will evolve from managing people to orchestrating a symphony of digital intelligence. The successful manager of 2026 will be the conductor of a team of digital agents, specialized AI bots, and sophisticated automation systems. Their value will lie in their ability to design complex processes, define nuanced strategic goals, and maintain the delicate balance between maximum efficiency and human-centric service delivery. This orchestration will allow for truly hyper-personalized service, where individual customer needs are met with precision and speed far exceeding current capabilities, but always under the strategic oversight and ethical guidance of a human leader.
The ultimate takeaway is this: the winners of 2026 will not be the organizations that simply adopt the most AI, but those who are most adept at using technology to fundamentally amplify, rather than indiscriminately replace, the human touch. This means using AI for scale, speed, and data crunching, thereby freeing up human capital to focus on high-judgment tasks, ethical decision-making, strategic innovation, and the deep, empathetic connections that form the bedrock of lasting customer and employee relationships. The future is not about less humanity, but about elevating the importance and impact of our most human qualities.
