AI, incentives and power in 2026

The AI hype is over, and the industrial reality has begun. Here are some predictions for 2026, from the rise of disposable software to potential clashes over worker rights.

Published: Monday, December 22nd 2025

15 mins (3.6k words)

Article archive - page 1

  • Mercury 2 won’t outthink frontier models but diffusion might out-iterate them

    The release of Mercury 2 suggests diffusion models may change agent design - not by increasing intelligence, but by making iteration dramatically faster. As iteration gets cheaper, verification becomes the bottleneck, reshaping how software engineering systems are built.

  • No Mac Mini, no worries: running OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi.

    OpenClaw gives us a taste of a personal AI assistant that can actually do things, but you don't need to buy an expensive Mac Mini or give full access to your digital life for it to be useful. This guide walks through running OpenClaw on an inexpensive Raspberry Pi for long-lived research tasks.

  • 5 signs your organisational capabilities are aspirational

    A quick checklist to test whether a capability is real or just aspirational, covering ownership, metrics, roadmap, playbooks, and delivery cadence.

  • The AI infographic wars intensify with ChatGPT release

    ChatGPT's new image model is squaring up against Gemini's recent dominance, and the results are strong enough to turn process docs into instant visual explainers.

  • A locally running LLM advisory board

    A local LLM board of advisors that reuses existing Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT subscriptions, with models debating and converging on answers together.

  • Chrome finally adds split view tabs

    Split View for tabs arrives in Chrome, making side-by-side work and note-taking far easier than juggling windows.

  • Gemini 3: initial usage thoughts

    Gemini 3 feels tighter, more consistent in long responses, and more willing to pull in relevant images and references than earlier versions.

  • Bring back the weird, fun and joyful web

    As web dev becomes codified and KPI-driven, it risks losing the joy. A call to make something weird, wacky, and fun again.

  • Strategy is still a human activity

    A week of deep strategy work with clients highlights the uniquely human capabilities that we need to keep as businesses transition to using more AI within the enterprise and across their workforces.

  • Atlas and the AI browser strategy divide

    Atlas highlights the strategic focus of browser makers versus AI-native companies with the incumbents prioritising inward integration versus more of an ecosystem play.