Archive
Category: Trends & Analysis
8 in 10 Workers Are Still Doing AI’s Job for It
IN THIS ISSUE: New Workday research reveals that most employees are still spending their days manually bridging broken systems, even as AI adoption spreads. Then, a new Gallup survey finds most Americans don’t want AI data centers in their backyards, putting a number on the public resistance threatening the industry’s $700 billion infrastructure push. The […]
Microsoft: Meet the Frontier Professional, the Rarest AI Worker in Your Organization
Every company wants to become AI-native, and the pressure is real. Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index finds that 65 percent of AI users fear falling behind if they don’t adapt quickly. But knowing you need to transform and knowing how to do it are two entirely different problems. One of the most practical places to […]
Adobe Must Defend Its Creative Advantage as AI Transforms Design Tools
Adobe kicks off its annual Summit in Las Vegas this week with more to prove than usual. The company that once defined the creative software market is now navigating an AI shift that threatens to make its tools less essential—and its premium pricing harder to justify. Not only that, but it’s navigating these waters without […]
Can Seattle Become America’s Next AI Capital?
IN THIS ISSUE: Seattle has long been one of America’s most consequential technology cities—and the evidence suggests it may be more ready for the AI era than its national reputation reflects. This week’s column makes the case for Seattle as a serious AI capital, drawing on its unique concentration of cloud infrastructure, renewable-energy advantages, aerospace […]
One in Two Venture Capital Dollars Went to AI in 2025, Largely Concentrated in San Francisco
Investors aren’t showing restraint when it comes to AI. According to new data from Crunchbase and HumanX, AI companies pulled in $211 billion in venture capital last year—an 85 percent jump from 2024. Put differently: One out of every two VC dollars went into AI. The money isn’t evenly spread. Unsurprisingly, it’s heavily concentrated in […]
Vibe Coding Is Here to Stay, but Human Oversight Remains Critical
The tech industry embraced vibe coding in 2025, as software development became one example of how artificial intelligence can disrupt professions. Instead of traditional line-by-line hand coding, developers can now instruct a bot to code an application through an intent-driven prompt. Vibe coding startups like Lovable have attracted tremendous investor interest, reaching unicorn status in […]
AI Agent Ambition vs. Reality: Enterprises Expect Mass 2027 Deployment, But ‘Sprawl’ and Skills Gaps Keep 97% From Scaling
If 2025 feels like the year AI agents finally arrived, 2027 may make it look tame by comparison, with analysts projecting an outright surge in enterprise-grade bots. But for now, even as companies adopt these digital workers, their ambitions far outpace their execution; 97 percent have yet to figure out how to scale agents across […]
68% of Companies Use AI, but Frontier Firms Are Driving Real Enterprise Impact
Seven months ago, Microsoft introduced the concept of the Frontier Firm, arguing that AI would fundamentally reshape the enterprise. Its research predicted that within two to five years, most companies would be well on their way to becoming AI-native. Now, a new Microsoft-commissioned study by IDC offers an early look at that trajectory—and how closely […]
Most Companies Still Aren’t Ready for AI, But Leaders Are Starting to Capture Value
The number of companies truly ready for AI may have plateaued, with just 13 percent saying they’re prepared to operationalize the technology. That’s according to Cisco’s third annual AI Readiness Index, released earlier this month. While the topline number hasn’t shifted year over year, the context has. Cisco says the so-called “Pacesetters”—a small but disciplined […]
AI Forces a Skills Reset: 85% of U.S. Workers Could See Roles Reshaped
Artificial intelligence is transforming not only the jobs people hold, but also the skills they rely on to do them. New data from LinkedIn shows that 85 percent of U.S. professionals could see at least a quarter of their skills affected by AI. In other words, a significant portion of workers’ expertise may need to […]