2025 has been a fascinating time for anyone interested in how technology shapes the way we work and live. Looking back a few developments particularly caught my attention:

AI enterprise adoption still has a long way to go. This was the year AI assistants moved beyond the novelty of a few techocrats and early adopters. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, generative AI adoption reached 54.6% of working adults by August 2025—far outpacing the early adoption rates of personal computers and the internet at similar stages. However, McKinsey research shows that most organizations are still in the experimentation or piloting phase with nearly two-thirds of respondents saying their organizations have not yet begun scaling AI across the enterprise.

The AI app wars. Menlo Ventures research shows enterprise AI spending reached $37 billion in 2025, up from $11.5 billion in 2024, with more than half going to AI applications rather than infrastructure. According to McKinsey research, half of the AI high performers intend to use AI to transform their businesses, and most are redesigning workflows. While the goal is a shift toward immediate productivity gains, the question that remains to be answered is does workflow redesign help or hinder employees.

Knowledge is everywhere and nowhere. By 2025, 54% of organizations were juggling more than five different platforms just for documenting and sharing information, while 31% admitted they didn’t even know how many tools they had in play. The promise of “knowledge management” has devolved into knowledge chaos—information scattered across Slack threads, Google Docs, Notion pages, SharePoint sites, and email archives, with no single source of truth. Teams spent more time searching for answers than using them. It’s becoming clear that the real challenge isn’t capturing knowledge but making it retrievable and actionable when it actually matters.

Focus is finally a feature. With distraction at an all-time high, apps started building in protections rather than notifications. Research shows 70% of employees report feeling distracted at work, with interruptions occurring every 11 minutes on average. In response, everything from iOS Focus modes to app-level “deep work” settings emerged. The industry recognized that helping people disconnect is as important as keeping them connected. Read more: Mastering Daily Focus – Return On Minute

Looking ahead

I’m curious what 2026 will bring. One trend I’m watching closely is the maturation of voice interfaces. We’re moving past the “Hey Siri” phase into something more fundamental voice becoming a primary way we interact with our tools. However, the approach isn’t new. Winston Churchill dictated thousands of words nightly to his secretaries, often producing 4,000-5,000 words in an evening session, and his ability to speak excellent prose made him one of those rare people whose speech could be converted directly into polished writing.

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” — Winston Churchill

What’s changed is the technology. The numbers tell the story: after three months of usage, an average user of voice dictation apps writes more than 50% of their characters through voice, and professionals using voice recognition create documentation 3x faster than typing. The shift represents voice becoming a primary interface for personal work—dictating emails while commuting, capturing meeting notes hands-free, or drafting documents without touching a keyboard. Companies like Wispr are building toward a voice-driven future where voice becomes the primary interface for getting work done, moving beyond dictation to full workflow automation.

The bottom line

In 2026 we’ll see less time typing, more auditory capture of thoughts, and the ability to work effectively in moments when screens aren’t accessible. How this will impact your bus commute is still up for debate. What we can expect is that voice is evolving from an accessibility feature to a speed advantage for many.

Whatever comes next, I hope the season ahead gives you time to recharge, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most.

Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Real-Time Population Survey (2025), McKinsey State of AI Report (2025), Menlo Ventures State of Generative AI in the Enterprise (2025), The Churchill Project, Hillsdale College, TechCrunch (Nov 2025), Nuance Communications (2025), 30+ Voice AI Stats for 2025

Headline image by Erin Alder from Pixabay