As OpenAI scrambles with its “code red” alert to outmaneuver Google—echoing the search giant’s own panic-fueled layoffs a few years back—it’s easy to see why we’re eyeing some hairy AI twists by 2026, like potential job cuts at OpenAI that could ripple through the tech ecosystem. One ominous forecast involves global pushback against data centers, where activists are rallying on social media, potentially giving bad actors in China and Russia an opening to amp up disinformation campaigns using AI-generated content, which might slow US AI progress and hand those rivals an edge in military and industrial tech. For small businesses and MSPs, this could mean higher costs for cloud services or disrupted supply chains if data center builds stall. Meanwhile, expect AI-powered robots to steal the show at events like CES, with companies like Google integrating chatty LLMs to make bots smarter at everyday tasks, from sorting recycling to fetching snacks, potentially revolutionizing operations for makers and pros but raising questions about reliability in real-world settings. All this hype underscores a wild ride ahead, so SMBs should start stress-testing their AI strategies now to avoid getting caught flat-footed.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/backchannel-2026-predictions-tech-robots-ai/
