Gareth Turner
Five Predictions for How AI Will Shape Businesses in 2026
At Libra, what I saw during 2025 was an explosion in the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and others, but often in a sporadic and unstructured way. People were experimenting, testing ideas, and using AI to support individual tasks, rather than as part of a joined-up business approach.
We ran an AI-focused event in February as part of our technology sector, and one statistic surprised me at the time. I would estimate that around 80% of the people in the room had never used a GPT-style model before. Given the pace of change since then, I suspect that number has now reversed, with the vast majority having at least some exposure to AI tools.
What that tells me is that very few people are now unaware of, or underestimating, the importance of AI going forward. The question for 2026 is no longer whether businesses will adopt AI, most are already discussing it as part of their strategy, but how AI is actually being used, and how deeply it is integrated into day-to-day processes and decision-making.
With that in mind, here are five predictions for how I believe AI will shape businesses in the year ahead, particularly across manufacturing and supply chains.
1. AI will shift from analysis to real-time operational intervention
AI will move beyond dashboards and retrospective analysis, and into real-time operational decision support. In manufacturing and supply chain environments, AI will increasingly recommend actions based on live data, constraints, and priorities. The real value will come from enabling timely intervention, not just better reporting.
2. Scenario planning will become part of everyday operations
Scenario planning will no longer be a periodic exercise carried out during annual planning cycles or moments of disruption. AI will allow businesses to continuously assess scenarios in the background, supporting day-to-day planning decisions and helping teams understand trade-offs as conditions change.
3. Planning roles will evolve from building plans to judging outcomes
As AI takes on more of the computational workload, planners will spend less time creating plans and more time evaluating options. Judgement, experience, and an understanding of risk will become more important than manual effort, with humans remaining accountable for the decisions taken.
4. AI literacy will become a core business capability
By 2026, AI literacy will not be limited to technical specialists. It will be expected across operational and leadership roles. This means understanding how to work with AI, how to challenge recommendations, recognise limitations, and know when human intervention is required.
5. Competitive advantage will come from integration, not adoption
Most organisations will have access to AI tools, but far fewer will have embedded them into their processes, governance, and decision-making structures. The real differentiator will be how effectively AI is integrated into the way work gets done, while keeping accountability firmly with people.
As we move into 2026, AI will be less about experimentation and more about execution. The organisations that succeed will be those that move beyond adoption and focus on how AI genuinely supports better decisions.
