Seven trends to watch in 2026
Health in the era of longevity
We are living longer, which means the world’s population is getting older. The challenge is to ensure that those extra years are spent in good health. This year, the oldest baby boomers will turn 80 – a point at which healthcare spending increases dramatically. We expect preventative health to become a bigger focus for governments, healthcare companies and individuals. That includes using data to better predict who is vulnerable to certain diseases, designing more extensive and effective screening programmes for conditions like cardiovascular disease, as well as tackling disease risk factors such as obesity and smoking. Proactive investment in disease prevention could give each US citizen an additional 15 healthy years, according to research by Deloitte.1 We also expect to see innovation in therapeutics and med-tech, with AI helping to speed up drug discovery and diagnosis.
Powering productivity with AI
Besides driving growth in healthcare, an ageing population puts strain on productivity. The last baby boomers are now reaching retirement age, and labour shortages are set to increase in coming years. Technology has a key role to play in filling the gap thanks to the development of agentic AI – where machines have the agency to independently set goals and execute tasks without human intervention. We are already seeing scaled agentic AI services: AI code assistants, for example, have enabled corporate software developers to be 20-40% more productive. Customer support is another area where AI is helping to boost efficiency and streamline processes.
The rise of the robots
This could be the year when robotics technology makes a revolutionary leap. Generative AI has transformed how robots interact with their environment, particularly in consumer settings. Other developments in AI are shortening the research and development cycle for robotics and automation. In 2026, some 575,000 industrial robots are expected to be installed worldwide, up from 555,000 the previous year.2 We also see strong growth in collaborative and humanoid robots, which are becoming popular in closed work environments, such as car factories and data centres (where they do not mind the heat, and do not need light), and in autonomous vehicles. This year is expected to see the launch of several new autonomous vehicle models, as well as the debut of robotaxis on London’s streets.3
We see strong growth in collaborative and humanoid robots, which are becoming popular in closed work environments, such as car factories and data centres (where they do not mind the heat, and do not need light), and in autonomous vehicles.
Clean eating
When it comes to food, the trend is “back to basics”. Natural and local ingredients are growing in popularity as people strive for healthier, more sustainable lifestyles. We see greater awareness of the risks of ultra-processed food, as evidenced by grassroots movements like Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) and by increasingly stringent government regulation on allowed ingredients, food labelling and advertising. A greater use of weight loss drugs, such as GLP-1, appears to be playing a crucial role. A study released earlier this year has found that consumers are modifying their food purchasing behaviour after adopting appetite-suppressing drugs in favour of nutrient-rich, natural foods such as yoghurt and eggs.
Power storage
The clean energy revolution continues apace: energy from non-fossil fuel sources, such as renewables and nuclear power, now accounts for 41% of the world’s electricity generation.4 The barrier to even greater progress has been the intermittent nature of wind and solar power; we need to find better ways to store the energy to see us through what in German is known as Dunkelflaute – cold, cloudy and windless days. This year, we expect to see further progress in the development of energy storage systems (ESS). They span from large-scale batteries that can be paired with wind and solar plants to small and increasingly affordable batteries designed to be used with domestic rooftop solar panels. Global energy storage capacity is growing at 23% a year, according to Bloomberg NEF.5 Innovations include the increase in the storage duration for lithium-ion batteries (to eight hours from six), as well as the development of hydrogen-based solutions.
Road to resilience
As well as trying to halt climate change, we need to become more resilient to its effects. Increasingly frequent extreme weather events are forcing governments to prioritise investment in resilient infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and sustainable adaptation strategies. In the last year alone, the world experienced more than 150 extreme weather events, causing an estimated USD320 billion in global economic losses – 40% higher than the decade-long annual average.6 As the impact of climate change and environmental degradation increases, it is clear that investing in adaptation and resilience – concrete steps such as installing stormwater pump stations, retrofitting existing buildings with efficient cooling technologies or adopting early flood and wildfire warning systems – becomes just as important as measures to mitigate global temperature rises.
Machine-to-machine learning
The more we use Large Language Models – at work or at home – the more potentially sensitive data we release out into the world, putting the onus on keeping that information safe. At the same time, agentic AI is paving the way for ever more sophisticated cyberattacks. Generic phishing emails with poor spelling are easy to spot. But an authentic-looking message from Human Resources or a realistic voice note can deceive even the most vigilant among us. Machines hacking machines are an emerging area of concern in data protection. All this presents a big challenge for the cyber security industry – but also a big opportunity for security companies that can harness AI’s power to protect organisations and consumers. There is a hacker infiltration every 39 seconds, and millions of records are stolen through breaches everyday.7 It’s not surprising, therefore, that global spending on cyber security is forecast to grow by nearly 14% a year, according to Gartner. The challenge is to develop machines and software that can defend us from other machines.
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