Artificial intelligence has taken off at such a fast pace, moving from a fringe technology to a major driver behind the transformation of industries, economies and everyday life.
But by extension, the more AI is capable of doing, the more risks come with it, from job displacement to opaque decision-making to poor safety practices by the companies building these systems. In 2026, experts expect that the world will have to reckon not only with the promise but the dangers of AI, with real consequences and across sectors.
From Evangelism to Evaluation
Leading researchers at Stanford's Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence initiative say 2026 could be a turning point in how society approaches artificial intelligence. After years of rapid expansion and hype, it is expected that the focus will shift towards rigour, measurement and transparency, moving away from speculative claims to careful evaluation of real-world performance and impact.
Experts argue that discussions about what AI can do, such as generating text or analysing images, are going to be increasingly followed by questions about how well it does something, for what cost and for whom.
In practical terms, researchers envisage the development of real-time 'AI economic dashboards' that would track where automation is improving productivity or taking jobs from people to let policymakers and businesses more appropriately respond to the effects of AI on the economy.
Safety Standards Lag Behind Innovation
While AI's potential continues to attract investment and public interest, safety practices among major developers remain insufficient, a global assessment released in late 2025 shows.
The Future of Life Institute AI safety index found that top firms, including OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and Meta are severely under-delivering on emerging global standards, with little in the way of a strategy for controlling competent AI systems.
One area in particular the index was concerned about was the industry's ability to control 'smarter-than-human' systems that had reasoning and logical capabilities. It called for caution, stating that none of the companies they evaluated had a reasonable plan for maintaining such advanced models in contained form because the competition to build them was growing.
Max Tegmark, president of Future of Life Institute and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT described the regulatory attitude of the industry as follows: 'Despite recent uproar over AI-powered hacking and AI driving people to psychosis and self-harm, US AI companies remain less regulated than restaurants and continue lobbying against binding safety standards.'
This disconnect between the rapid evolution of technology and the need for culled, enforceable governance, however, is perhaps one of the most important dangers facing society as AI systems are built into everything from healthcare and diagnostics to the law to automated decision-making.
Workforce Disruption and Economic Risk
Beyond safety frameworks, the effect of AI on labour markets is likely to worsen in the coming year, as foreign exchange improves.
According to Stanford researchers, measuring the impact of AI on the economy could uncover both economic productivity improvements and when workers get left behind.
Tools to measure job displacement and earnings may turn out to be significant policy handles to leverage, much as the adoption of AI is likely to speed up in sectors that include both programming and customer service and routine office tasks.
Economists and technology experts think that 2026 will be the year when the story surrounding AI will transition from infinity-quotient optimism to a general sense of sobering realism. While the technology continues to create new opportunities, there have been mounting concerns that the AI 'bubble' of hype and investment may not always bring a proportionate benefit to society, nor may it be a good allocation of resources if not held back.
Ethical and Societal Considerations
The dangers of AI are not just economic and job-related. Ethical concerns, such as biases in decision-making, erosion of privacy, and misinformation, are not addressed. High-profile cases have drawn attention to the potential harm AI chatbots and machine learning systems can inflict due to the contribution of self-harm and psychological stress on vulnerable users.
These problems highlight the need for comprehensive safety and accountability structures, particularly as the use of generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives. Experts argue that the lack of transparency and enforceable standards doesn't just undermine public trust but also makes systemic failures more likely, with widespread societal consequences.
Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism
Stanford faculty predict that 2026 will be characterised by a deeper, more subtle interaction with AI technology, in which the excitement of innovation is tempered by careful oversight and evaluation. Simply put, society will be forced to confront the question, not just 'Can AI do this?' but 'How well, at what cost, and for whom?'
The upcoming year is bound to be a defining one: the course of AI could significantly shape economic and regulatory structures and everyday life. Whether advanced artificial intelligence becomes a force for broad prosperity or a source of disruption may depend very much on how these risks are managed, not only by technologists but also, and to a large degree, in policy terms, by policymakers, businesses and the public.
