The first is a sharp increase in AI scams, not because they’re getting more sophisticated, but because they will be more accessible and easier for nontechnical criminals to deploy. Last month, I wrote about AI-powered scams that use highly personalized, error-free emails, AI-generated images and videos, along with accurate clones of legitimate websites. 

With a bevy of free AI software, scams can be created quickly and easily with no programming required. What once took a crew of bad actors can now be done by an individual. Once user credentials are captured, an AI program can test them against an unlimited number of websites with little oversight by humans. AI lowers the cost and effort required, which means more attempts aimed at more people more often. 

The second trend follows naturally from the first. AI-based malware and attacks on businesses will increase, and many organizations remain unprepared. According to Cisco’s 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index, only 4% of companies surveyed globally were classified as “mature” in their ability to defend against modern cyber threats. Further, Gartner warned that most enterprises are deploying AI faster than they are securing it. By 2026, that gap will widen, as attackers move faster than defenses can adapt. 

The third shift involves public perception. Research has shown that when people are told a piece of content was generated by AI, their previously recorded scores plummet regardless of how much they originally liked the piece. 

A study conducted by researchers at the Harker School, the University of California at Santa Barbara and Carnegie Mellon University, revealed bias against AI-generated text. The study found that when participants read unlabeled texts, they showed little preference between human and AI writing, but once labels were added they “overwhelmingly” preferred anything labeled human-generated, even when the labels were intentionally swapped. 

But in 2026, I expect this bias to decrease as AI usage increases and the models themselves improve, especially when it comes to hallucinations when it doesn’t know the answer. Today, Anthropic’s Claude family is the one most often characterized as guessing less and refusing more, but no model yet has eliminated this problem. Developers are working on it, so I expect publicized improvements, which will reduce the negative sentiment. 

AI video and image generation will catch on more quickly. Earlier this month, I wrote about Sora and how easy it has become to turn an idea into a short video. That ease keeps improving. Image generation inside tools like ChatGPT continues to get better. Competing models across the industry are converging on the same goal: less effort, better results. In 2026, AI-generated visuals won’t be limited to social media experiments. They’ll show up in classrooms, presentations, internal training and family projects. Visuals rely on creativity and prompting skill, allowing nonartists the ability to generate extraordinary content without expensive software or professional equipment.

Which brings us to the fifth trend, and the counterweight to all of this digital growth. Analog and physical media will make a comeback beyond the group of hipsters who prize vinyl and actual cameras, and the bakers who took up sourdough making during the pandemic. This “digital backlash” is especially prevalent among younger adults who are turning toward “grandma hobbies” such as knitting, crochet, gardening, bird�’watching and, yes, baking. Researchers attribute the adoption of slow living activities to a generational reset against always�’online culture rather than a passing aesthetic trend.

Taken together, these trends describe a year of adjustment rather than disruption. AI continues to spread, both as a tool and a threat. Scams and attacks increase because they work. Content generated with AI becomes easier to make and easier to accept. At the same time, people seek balance by returning to physical experiences that feel grounding and human. AI may be here to stay, but it will be balanced by pastimes enjoyed for generations.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.