New Tech.co data has revealed that 61% of logistics professionals have either delayed or cancelled Electric Vehicle (EV) trials, following the latest government rollbacks on diesel.

In early December, President Trump eased efficiency standards for diesel cars and trucks, ultimately making them a cheaper option for logistics companies than EVs.

Professionals have reacted immediately to this change by wavering in their adoption of EVs, which shows how much influence government policy has on sustainability initiatives within the logistics sector.

Logistics Industry Slows EV Adoption Following Trump Diesel Rollbacks

Our data shows that trialing for EVs in November more than tripled, with 38% of logistics professionals stating they were trialing the technology.

However, our December data indicates a shifting mindset. Trialing for EVs among logistics professionals has since dropped to 11%, suggesting that the sector is no longer intending to move to more sustainable methods in the long-term.

Likewise, for the first time in our research, trialing alternative fuel among logistics professionals dropped to 0%, suggesting a wider acceptance of diesel following the new laws.

Trump Lowers Fuel Efficiency Standards, Making Diesel Cheaper

Our data suggests a correlation between the number of EV trials and recent changes in US regulation surrounding heavy trucks. In early December, President Trump lowered the standards of the amount of pollution cars and trucks can emit.

This change made diesel trucks cheaper for logistics businesses, because they would no longer need to purchase expensive and complex emission-reduction technology alongside them.

Therefore, it becomes more cost-effective for professionals to invest in diesel, and makes the prospect of adopting EVs much more expensive comparatively.

Not only is the upfront cost of diesel trucks compared to EVs far less, but it also can take years of investment and use for businesses to actually see return-on-investment.

Is Sustainability Within Logistics Dependent on Government Policy?

As the percentage of EV trials being delayed or cancelled increased, so did the percentage of businesses claiming adapting to regulations as their top priority in December. Meanwhile, the percentage of professionals claiming sustainability was their top priority, regressed to 6%.

This suggests that logistics professionals are more concerned with navigating a new regulatory environment than investing in sustainable initiatives, and that the US government has a significant impact on the priorities of logistics professionals.

But does this hold concerns for the future of the industry, particularly when it comes to sustainability? It’s very likely that logistics professionals will only start to take more bold steps towards a more sustainable future when the government makes it in their best interest to do so.

AI agents will be a key cybersecurity risk in 2026, according to new research from Gartner. The consultancy published the findings as part of a report on the top cybersecurity trends of the year, with other key trends spotlighting “regulatory volatility” and “postquantum computing.”

According to the firm, the uptake of AI agents and recent proliferation of vibe coding platforms will create new attack surfaces for cybercriminals to exploit. Gartner believes a higher level of governance and oversight is required to prevent a potential cybersecurity catastrophe.

The rapid ascent of AI has given rise to innumerable opportunities, but it has not been without its risks. As the technology is relatively new, development has not been able to keep pace with deployment. Consequently, existing safeguards are not fit for purpose, with mounting evidence that AI agents are vulnerable to exploitation.

AI Agents Open New Attack Vectors for Cybercriminals

AI agents will be a key target for cybercriminals in 2026 — and organizations need to tighten up their oversight and governance to nullify the rising threat, according to a new report from Gartner.

Published as part of a cybersecurity trends report, the institution believes that the rise of agentic AI — and particularly the explosion of no-code and vibe coding platforms — will create new “attack surfaces” for hackers to target.

AI-assisted vibe coding platforms, which allow users to spin up their own apps and programs from a simple written prompt, have democratized access to app-building software — and in the process handed cybercriminals unfettered access to swathes of unsecured code.

Scale of Problem Likely Much Worse Than Feared

Businesses have a problem. Not only are agent development and adoption growing, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of whether or not employees are actually using them.

“While AI agents and automation tools are becoming increasingly accessible and practical for organizations to adopt, strong governance remains essential. Cybersecurity leaders must identify both sanctioned and unsanctioned AI agents, enforce robust controls for each and develop incident response playbooks to address potential risks.” – Alex Michaels, Director Analyst at Gartner

Recent research suggests that as many as 28% of staff would continue to use tools like ChatGPT even if explicitly prohibited from doing so. This means that the scale of the threat is likely much worse than predicted — and action is required as a matter of urgency.

Cybersecurity Pros Face Uphill Struggle

It’s a perilous time to be in the cybersecurity business. With new technologies emerging all the time, the threat landscape is in a constant state of flux — and security personnel are having a hard time keeping up.

The yawning skills gap is only making a bad problem worse. Recent research illustrates that as many as 88% of professionals in this space have experienced a “significant” impact of the hiring and retention problem, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.

In this climate, businesses are under pressure to upskill their existing employees on how to spot cyber risks. With 98% of senior leaders unable to identify all the signs of a phishing attack, this will not be an easy task — but if catastrophe is to be averted, it’s an urgent one.

The new year is in full swing, with more and more businesses getting on board the AI bandwagon. As a result, mass layoffs have become quite common, as many companies are already laying off employees in favor of AI.

There is still hope for workers that want to stay employed for the foreseeable future, though. CEOs and presidents have noted that employees who are proficient with AI tools are poised to stay competitive, and that could be you.

That is, of course, if you commit to upskilling with free AI training courses, like the ones we’ve collected below.

Google AI Essentials Specialization

⌛Length: 4 hours

As one of the largest and most recognizable companies in the world, it’s understandable that you would want to get your AI education from Google. After all, Gemini has become one of the most popular models in the world, with Apple now planning to use it to supercharge Siri.

If you want to use it to power your own AI upskilling, though, you’ll need to know some essentials, and this course is perfect for that. This beginner level, five-course program will give you all the basics you need to “help develop ideas and content, make more informed decisions, and speed up daily work tasks.”

Even better, this course is available in 18 different languages, and you’ll get a LinkedIn course certificate when you’ve completed it, which you can use to convince prospective hiring managers to bring you on.

Check out Coursera to learn more about this course.

AI for Business Professionals – HP Life

⌛Length: 1 hour

You may not hear HP mentioned a lot in the AI discussion, but the company is betting big on the technology by integrating it into its PCs and launching the HP AI Companion for content generation.

With this course, you’ll learn about how to use AI to improve your business and streamline productivity in a meaningful way. You’ll also learn about the role of AI in business in 2026, how to use specific tools and features to optimize operations, and create a plan to bring AI into your enterprise.

More importantly, the class also focuses on the difference between AI tools and AI-integrated features, as well as the importance of ethics when bringing the technology in your business.

Check out HP Life to learn more about this course.

ChatGPT Prompt Engineering – Udemy

⌛Length: 1 hour

ChatGPT is still the most popular AI model in the world, with 800-900 million active users globally using it on a weekly basis.

You’re only as good as your prompts, though, which is why taking this ChatGPT prompt course could make a big difference. It provides users with all the tools they need to effectively prompt ChatGPT (and other AI models) with pointed, specific queries that will get you what you actually need.

This course goes beyond just teaching you what prompts to use, too. You’ll get hands-on experience with real-life examples that will bring your prompts to life in a practical and helpful way, and you’ll get tips on how to actually turn those prompts into actual applications.

Check out Udemy to learn more about this course.

Embark on Your AI Journey with Free AI Tools from Microsoft Education

⌛Length: 3 hours

Microsoft was one of the first big tech firms to get on the AI bandwagon with substantial investments in OpenAI after launching ChatGPT. Subsequently, it stands to reason that the company would provide some of the most valuable information when it comes to learning how to use AI.

This specific AI course is aimed at educators that want to bring AI tools into the classroom. According to the description, the class will help learners “create engaging lesson plans, provide detailed feedback, save time, or develop future-ready skills” for their students.

Those that take the course will learn how to use tools like Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and the AI features within other Microsoft platforms like Teams and even Minecraft.

Check out Microsoft Education to learn more about this course.

AI Literacy and Compliance – University of Helsinki

⌛Length: 1 hour

If you want to ensure that your team is equipped with the knowledge necessary to use AI in the modern world at their jobs, this course from the University of Helsinki could be the way to go.

This course covers everything that your staff would need to be prepared for the new AI normal, including how to be AI ready at work, what large language models are capable of, and how to use AI models at your job.

There’s also a chapter within this course that focuses on AI safety in the workplace, including how to use it ethically, how to protect company data and intellectual property, and how to customize your own company’s AI policy.

Check out the Elements of AI page to learn more about this course.

Why You Need to Learn AI in 2026

If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you might be confused about why all this emphasis is being put on AI in the business world in 2026.

If you’ve been paying attention, though, you know that generative AI technology has completely changed how we do business and that employees need to get on board quick or be left behind.

As many as 12% of US workers are currently using AI on a daily basis at work, and 68% of CEOs plan to increase their spending on AI in the new year.

All that to say, AI has become an absolute must for businesses and employees alike, and we don’t recommend falling behind in the long run.

LinkedIn has just announced a team-up with three vibe-coding platforms – Lovable, Relay.app, and Replit – that will give users the ability to connect their coding accounts with their LinkedIn account.

The benefit? Users can advertise their abilities through certificates that will be visible on LinkedIn and helpful for potential employers.

Here at Tech.co, we’ve researched and tested the platforms in question. You can even check out our comparison pages for Replit and for Lovable vs Base44, another popular brand, before you jump into updating your LinkedIn.

How the New LinkedIn/Vibe Coding Team-Up Works

LinkedIn has always had certificates of various accomplishments, thanks in part to their paid “LinkedIn Learning” hub, which offers video courses on any skill under the sun.

However, this new partnership means that the AI coding certificates will be essentially underwritten by the vibe coding platforms themselves. Users can’t self-report their skill — it’s being confirmed (or denied) by the actual AI coding companies.

According to the LinkedIn announcement, Engadget reports, the exact skill-measurements will vary depending on the coding platform: Lovable might award someone a “bronze” score while Replit uses numbers and Relay.app calls them an “intermediate.”

What Skills Will the Certificates Cover?

Lovable and Replit are coding apps, so certificates from them will indicate that someone has AI experience with software coding or debugging.

In contrast, Relay.app is for creating and maintaining AI agents for dedicated tasks like personal assistance or social marketing — so a skills certification from Relay.app indicates a wider application beyond companies that create code as a part of their workflow.

LinkedIn is positioning the new feature as just one of a series of ways to tell who actually has the AI skills that are in demand right now:

“This is less about replacing any of those other existing signals, and more about showing new ways that people are doing work. And how do we give a verifiable signal to both hirers and other people looking at their profile, that they actually are using these tools on a regular basis.” – Pat Whealan, Head of Career Products at LinkedIn

Another platform, the video and podcast editor Descript, is also included in the new integration, giving users a chance to show off their media editing knowledge in addition to AI coding experience.

Why Should Your Business Care?

These new certificates offer a quick way for businesses to figure out which potential employees have the AI coding know-how they need.

In 2026, AI is everywhere, and many businesses are hoping to pick up a few benefits from the tech. Granted, we may be in an AI bubble that will eventually pop, but everyone wants to hedge their bets.

If you’re getting a new white-collar employee anyway, it can’t hurt to pick up one who has some experience with an established vibe coding app such as Lovable, Relay.app, and Replit.

A new report has found that organizations see AI as the biggest factor changing cybersecurityin the new year.

While AI does have the potential to solidify security procedures, AI-driven attacks are a concern and the technology looks to increase the sophistication of existing cyber threats such as phishing.

As a result, cybersecurity remains a top priority for businesses in 2026, particularly as new technologies shape the landscape of threat.

AI Will Drive Cybersecurity Changes in 2026

According to a survey from The World Economic Forum, 94% of respondents anticipate that AI will be the most significant driver of cybersecurity changes in 2026.

In conjunction, the percentage of organizations assessing the security element of AI tools before deploying them has increased. 37% of organizations were following this practice in 2025, and this has risen to 64% in 2026.

Overall, only 36% of organizations reported not having any processes in place when a new AI tool is introduced, suggesting a growing validation of AI’s potential security risks.

AI is Strengthening Defenses And Enhancing Offenses

AI is mostly understood in its potential to better productivity and revenue across businesses. However, there also are ways to harness the technology’s strengths in order to bolster a business’s cybersecurity measures.

There are examples of AI being used in automated threat detection, giving experts the opportunity to quickly contain incoming attacks. The technology can also be used to monitor network traffic, and even predict potential security breaches, so that teams can beef up their security in anticipation.

That being said, on the other side of the coin, organizations are realizing the security risks that come with deploying AI. The report found that 87% of experts identified AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest growing cyber risk over the course of 2025.

Think, for instance, of SpamGPT — an AI-powered platform designed to orchestrate mass phishing campaigns. Or, even deepfakes, that already have a record of causing disruption within organizations.

Cybersecurity Remains a Critical Focus for Businesses

As a result of the conflicting nature of AI, it’s no wonder cybersecurity remains a serious focus for businesses. The report found that 73% of respondents had had someone in their network personally impacted by cyber-enabled fraud over the course of 2025.

Organizations also understand that AI is becoming a strong factor in determining cybersecurity practices. 63% of respondents said that a rapidly evolving threat landscape and emerging technologies is their organization’s greatest challenge to becoming cyber resilient.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that businesses are slowing down on AI development, however, even amidst reports of poor ROI.

In general, we’d recommend caution be exercised over excitement, in order for businesses to make effective decisions when implementing, and protecting against, AI.

A new Gallup poll found that 12% of US employees now say that they use AI for work on a daily basis.

Over the last few years, AI has become the driving force of the economy, spawning layoffs and manifesting blockbuster deals the likes of which we’ve never seen. As a result, adoption of the technology has been on the rise by both employees and businesses alike.

Still, return-on-investment continues to be a sticking point for businesses that get on board, which could make these numbers plateau sooner rather than later.

AI Adoption on the Rise

According to a new Gallup poll, more than 1 in 10 US employees now use AI for work every day as of November 2025, a substantial increase from just two years prior.

In 2023, only 4% of US employees were admitting the same, which means that AI adoption could be in the early stages of its mainstream success.

On top of that, 26% of US employees say that they use AI frequently in the workplace, more than a quarter of the 22,000 US workers surveyed.

Business AI Strategy Is a Must

The Gallup poll also found that, as of November 2025, 26% of US employees say that their company has outlined a clear AI strategy to them.

This is another substantial increase over just the last year and a half, with only 15% of employees saying the same in mid-2024.

Suffice to say, if you aren’t in the quarter of enterprises that are not only exploring AI tools for your businesses but also explaining the strategy to your employees, it’s time to make a change.

Other AI Adoption Stats

The Gallup study also published a wide range of other interesting statistics about the adoption of AI in the workplace.

• 9% of US employees say they are “very comfortable” with using AI for work tasks.
• 30% of employees strongly agree that their team’s use of AI is supported by their manager.
• 48% of US employees say that their company has installed AI tools to improve operations.

It’s worth noting, however, that the above stats are true as of August 2025. Given the speed with which AI has spread across the business world, it’s safe to assume those numbers have increased even more in those last few months.

AI Boom or Bust?

This Gallup polls show that AI adoption is clearly on the rise. Usage by employees has tripled over the course of two years, and the number of businesses that are articulating AI strategies to employees has nearly doubled in just a year and a half.

However, other studies have found that AI adoption doesn’t necessarily translate to AI success. In fact, the numbers are not great when it comes to return-on-investment so far, with 56% of CEOs saying that they haven’t seen any revenue or cost benefits from implementing AI.

Clearly, everyone is still figuring out how AI fits in their operation, including AI companies that are losing a lot of money on a yearly basis.

Wix, one of the world’s leading website builders, has launched a new AI-enabled website builder tool. Called “Wix Harmony,” the tool is designed to “bridge the gap” between traditional website builders and vibe coding, according to Wix.

The tool is built around Aria, an AI agent that reportedly understands natural language and the full context of a user’s site. With Aria, users can input a command and the agent will roll out the changes across the entire site, without compromising the underlying architecture or functionality.

The popularity of both AI and vibe coding has skyrocketed in recent years, allowing those of us without coding experience to create professional tools and apps. Wix hopes that its new solution represents a giant leap forward in the unfolding innovation race.

Wix Unveils New AI Website Builder Tool, Wix Harmony

Wix’s new AI website builder tool, Wix Harmony promises a “first-of-its-kind hybrid experience” that combines the company’s existing editing capabilities with vibe coding.

Wix Co-founder, Avishai Abrahami, states: “With Wix Harmony, now anyone can create a beautiful website, design easily with prompts and natural language without sacrificing scalability, security, reliability and performance. This is the benchmark of what a website builder should be.”

The vibe coding approach means that users can simply ‘describe’ their ideal website via a prompt, and have it replicate that vision on screen. If it’s not quite right, the user can tweak the concept until they’re happy with the result.

Wix Harmony Promises to “Reinvent” Website Building, Company Claims

By combining the platform’s flagship drag-and-drop editor with new vibe coding capabilities, Wix hopes that its latest innovation will revolutionize website building.

Wix Harmony is built around Aria, a new AI agent that is capable of processing natural language and executing complex tasks, including generating layouts, page copy, components and design assets. It is built on top of Wix’s existing backend architecture, meaning that any changes it rolls out will not break code, add bugs, or affect the site’s functionality in another location.

“Aria makes vibe coding a website feel effortless. You can give her an idea, and she’ll turn it into sections, pages or custom components, all while you stay in control to tweak and personalize everything.” – Yarin Singolda, Wix Harmony product marketing manager

The company is at pains to emphasize what separates Wix Harmony from other vibe coding platforms and website builders. Namely, it can be used to build fully-functioning, production-ready sites that are secure, reliable, and scalable.

Check out the Best AI Website Builders, including Wix

How Much Does Wix Harmony Cost and How Can You Get it?

Good news. If you think Wix Harmony sounds like the sort of tool that would help you build that dream website, you won’t have to pay an extra dime to access it, assuming you’re already using a Wix website builder tool.

Even if you’re not, you can get access to Wix Harmony today without the need to spend a cent, as Wix has confirmed that it’s included in the entire suite of Wix offerings, even the entry-level free plan. However, it’s worth noting that if you want additional features, such as a custom domain, or eCommerce tools, you will need to upgrade to paid plan.

Wix is Tech.co’s highest rated AI website builder in our research, and we’re excited to try out the new Harmony tools. If you want to too, there’s no wait. Harmony has been rolled out across Wix’s plans already.

Our top rated AI website builders:

The hits keep coming for cybersecurity as we head into a new year. For starters, one report recently found that 48% of cybersecurity leaders failed to report data breaches in the past year, due in part to fears of punitive responses.

At the same time, the US Department of Defense stated in October 2025 that it plans to cut back on several types of cybersecurity training, including annual training that one expert has called “critical.”

We wanted to check in with a wide range of tech experts and C-Suite executives to see if we could figure out what’s coming down the pike for IT teams in 2026.

Artificial intelligence continues to be the buzziest technology around, so it’s little surprise that the large majority of our responses were guessing how AI would impact digital security. Read on to learn about the most interesting trends ahead of time, from shadow AI challenges to autonomous agents to AI-powered malware.

Top Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026:

• IT Systems Will Need Observability And Visibility More Than Ever
• AI Must Be Attributed – Or Risk Being Mistaken For Compromise
• The Rise of Shadow AI
• Regulatory Scrutiny Comes for AI-Created Software
• Cybersecurity Becomes a Core Data Competency
• AI-enabled Malware Will Surge This Year

IT Systems Will Need Observability And Visibility More Than Ever

The term high availability, or HA, refers to an IT system that’s almost always accessible and reliable for use. The goal is to be as close to 100% reliable as possible, and in 2026, that goal’s tougher than ever.

According to Cassius Rhue, Vice President of Customer Experience at SIOS Technology Corp., observability and visiblity will be essential for keeping complex IT environments up and running. Why is visibility so important these days? The sheer sprawl of modern work.

“As IT infrastructures expand across on-premises, cloud, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments, visibility into application performance and health and interdependencies of the elements of the IT stack will become mission-critical,” Rhue says.

“In 2026, observability will emerge as a key differentiator for HA solutions, allowing IT teams to identify and resolve issues before they impact uptime.” -Cassius Rhue, Vice President of Customer Experience at SIOS Technology Corp.

This year, Rhue tells us, the most successful HA platforms will be those that provide deep insights across the full stack—from hardware to application layer.

AI Must Be Attributed – Or Risk Being Mistaken For Compromise

Here’s a scenario for you: Your IT team discovers an identity in its environments that no one has explicitly created and can’t be accounted for.

Until a few years ago, that was an obvious sign that your security had been breached. Today, however, it might just mean that you haven’t kept track of what an AI agent was up to, and it created the identity thanks to its autonomous workflow.

“This creates attribution challenges,” says Paul Nguyen, co-founder and co-CEO at the security platform company Permiso.

“When an identity behaves suspiciously, security teams need to determine: Is this legitimate autonomous behavior or is it compromise? Without clear attribution (human owner, approval chain, business justification), this determination becomes difficult.”

Nguyen foresees that organizations will start to implement attribution tracking to keep track of AI-generated identities. AI agents will need to log their decisions, and tag their creations with their name, timestamp, and business justification.

“By year-end 2026, identity attribution becomes a prerequisite for secure agentic AI deployment.” -Paul Nguyen, co-founder and co-CEO of Permiso

Without this extra regulation, security teams won’t have the audit trails they’ll increasingly need to do their jobs.

The Rise of Shadow AI

The term “shadow AI” refers to any unauthorized employee use of AI tools in the process of doing their jobs. The AI work is powering the company, but the company isn’t aware of the type of tool, time spent, or other variables.

Needless to say, shadow AI use isn’t good news for a company, and it’s a big concern that has driven companies to adapt AI policies over the last few years, to let their employees know what is and isn’t allowed.

Monica Landen, CISO at Diligent, predicts that shadow AI will continue to take root across the new year, despite the significant governance and security risks it poses.

“As investments in AI surge, with a projected increase of 40% in 2026, organizations must take proactive measures to mitigate these security risks and ensure their workforce is aligned with organizational AI policies,” Landen says.

How can companies counter this issue? Landen recommends AI governance policies, lessons to educate employees on the risks and benefits of AI use, and efforts to monitor AI use.

For a hand, see our guide on How to Create an AI Policy

Regulatory Scrutiny Comes for AI-Created Software

“2025 proved that AI can write code faster than ever, but not necessarily safer,” notes Bhagwat Swaroop, CEO of Sonatype.

Some of the AI-driven cybersecurity concerns that Swaroop flags include unverified dependencies, outdated packages, and security gaps that traditional testing won’t catch. Add in shadow AI, and building securely is a bigger challenge than ever.

The response? A push for greater transparency on software that has been developed by LLMs or AI agents, and one that comes with more regulation.

“AI Bills of Material will enter C-level conversations,” Swaroop predicts, while “the EU AI Act and Cyber Resilience Act will push for full transparency in software development, including AI-generated content.”

Organizations can prepare by tracking code provenance and validating model inputs across development lifecycles.

Cybersecurity Becomes a Core Data Competency

John Morris, CEO of Ocient, has yet another way that AI will be impacting cybersecurity: The exponentially-growing data loads fuelled by AI’s real-time analyses will push cybersecurity to a “critical inflection point,” he says.

Organizations will need to hustle to upgrade their infrastructure in order to handle these high-velocity data environments.

“Companies will begin treating cybersecurity as a core data competency, not just an IT concern. In 2026, protecting the data means protecting the business. As the data load snowballs, so too will the urgency to secure it at scale.” – John Morris, CEO of Ocient

Let’s hope companies heed this warning: Cybersecurity strategies must be prioritized in a world where data use is sky-rocketing and threats are emerging with every new system integration.

AI-enabled Malware Will Surge This Year

The bad actors of the software world will also invest in AI in 2026: According to LastPass Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst Stephanie Schneider, more and more threat actors will deploy AI-enabled malware in active operations this year.

Google’s Threat Intelligence team has found that this type of malware can “generate scripts, alter codes to avoid detection and create malicious functions on demand,” Schneider explains.

“Nation-state actors have used AI-powered malware to adapt, alter and pivot campaigns in real-time, and these campaigns are expected to improve as the technology continues to develop,” she adds.

With the malicious technology only set to be become more powerful across the coming year, it’s another sign that cyber defenders will have a challenging threat landscape to navigate.

We say it every year, but it still holds true in 2026: Cybersecurity teams are continuing to compete with threat actors in an ever-escalating arms race. AI may be a powerful tool, but it’s just the latest one in a long line of threats to IT environments everywhere.

Marc Benioff is speaking out about AI, with the Salesforce CEO saying in an interview that “there has to be some regulation” in regard to the world-changing technology.

AI has been evolving at break-neck speeds over the last few years, with a seemingly endless supply of funding from the big tech firms of the world. As a result, some unsettling use cases have arisen, largely due to a lack of regulation.

Hopefully that changes soon, though, with even the head of the largest CRM in the world — with a vast selection of AI features to boot — calling for it to be regulated more substantially.

Benioff: There Has to Be Some Regulation

In an interview with CNBC, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff spoke about the importance of AI regulation, noting that the technology could quick get out of hand without some intervention.

“It can’t just be growth at any cost. There has to be some regulation.” – Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce

Benioff pointed to some of the more egregious AI errors as a reason for the government to get involved, like AI models that are coaching children on how to die by suicide.

AI: The Next Social Media

In the interview, Benioff made an apt comparison between the current lack of regulation of AI to a similar refusal to slow down social media innovation when it was taking off. And as we know, that didn’t go very well in the long run.

“Bad things were happening all over the world because social media was fully unregulated, and now you’re kind of seeing that play out again with artificial intelligence.” – Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce

Suffice to say, AI is having a similar impact on the world that social media did. People are dumber, scams are rampant, and the only people having a good time are the ones running these companies.

AI Dangers Are Still Too Common

While businesses around the world are trying to get on board with AI in any way they can, the reality is that AI isn’t moving the needle. For one, return-on-investment just isn’t happening for many businesses.

On top of that, though, the errors it makes are quite substantial. One company saw its entire database deleted by its AI model, with even the model itself admitting that the move was a “catastrophic failure.”

Suffice to say, this technology clearly needs to be regulated before any more catastrophes, even if it’s at the expense of high-speed innovation.

According to a survey conducted by PwC, most CEOs haven’t yet seen financial return on AI investments within their businesses.

These findings come as CEOs face significant pressure to adopt AI. Even worse, many also reported being concerned about whether their business is transforming fast enough to keep up with a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Most significantly, the survey concluded that many businesses are yet to make the large scale transformations necessary to adopt AI effectively, confirming that we are still at the early stages of the AI business era.

Companies Aren’t Seeing Financial Return from AI

According to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey, most CEOs are not yet seeing financial return from investments their companies have made in AI.

While 30% of CEOs reported increased revenue from AI in the last 12 months, and 26% reported seeing lower costs, 56% say they’ve seen neither revenue nor cost benefits from their investments.

The survey’s findings are based on responses from over 4,000 CEOs across 95 countries and territories.

Concerns Around AI Business Growth

Despite many not seeing ROI on AI investments yet, CEOs are still concerned about whether their business is transforming fast enough to adapt to technology like AI, which continues to advance at a rapid pace.

Businesses will no doubt be feeling increasing pressure to adopt AI, particularly as key figures within the industry continue to broadcast the technology’s advancements and its future potential.

Indeed, other studies have shown that CEOs remain all in on AI, despite returns not being as significant as expected. But, data has also shown that many AI investments have been made based on wanting to keep up with the hype, rather than to better business operations.

Businesses Yet to Make Large Scale AI Transformations

Even though it might not feel like it, AI is still a new technology, and we’re very much in the early stages of its reign. This fact seems to be confirmed by PwC’s survey.

In fact, only a small proportion of CEOs say they are applying AI to a large or very large extent to areas in their business such as demand generation (22%), support services (20%), and products, services, and experiences (19%).

Likewise, only 53% of CEOs agree that the culture of their organization enables the adoption of AI, suggesting that businesses need to focus just as much on making their environment adaptable to the technology.

As AI grows, it remains crucial that businesses build solid foundations, including clearly defined road maps and sufficient levels of investment.

According to a new report from Paytronix, AI will play a critical role in the hospitality and convenience store industries to come, as customers favor personalized experiences with brands.

The report suggests that AI can assist in providing customized promotional messages on a large scale, enable predictive ordering, and leverage a dynamic pricing strategy.

As well as with AI, technology remains an essential tool for hospitality businesses in 2026, particularly as customers place additional value on digital and mobile-first experiences.

AI Will Drive Personalized Customer Experiences in Hospitality

According to Paytronix’s 2026 Trends Prediction report, AI will play an instrumental role in how customer experiences and relationships develop within the hospitality and convenience store industry.

Customers are now seeking more emotionally resonant and personalized experiences with brands, the report claims, where personal relevance is valued higher than prices.

Paytronix’s annual report provides an in-depth view into the future of the restaurant and convenience store industry and has hailed AI and technology as essential for businesses moving forward.

How Hospitality Businesses Should Leverage AI

In short, AI is no longer optionalfor hospitality businesses. “AI-based hyper-personalization” the report states, can provide “customization on a large scale” for hospitality customers, “skyrocketing guest satisfaction and loyalty.” To stay competitive, hospitality businesses are urged to utilize its power.

On the one hand, AI can provide personalized messaging on a large scale, where consumers can be informed of promotional offers that are relevant to their experience with a brand. This could be, for example, the reduction in price of a favorite item.

Likewise, AI can enable predictive ordering systems that anticipate the needs of guests through analyzing past behavior and transaction histories. It can also take into consideration external factors that have influenced purchase history, such as the weather and time of day.

Thirdly, AI is able to assist in providing a dynamic pricing strategy. This will enable prices to be modified based on customer satisfaction and demand data, in real-time. Again, this will give customers access to personalized deals that could lead to more long-term brand relationships.

Digital Hospitality Experiences Are Key for Longevity

The report also claims that AI and automation will help hospitality businesses navigate a challenging environment. Tim Ridgely, vice president of engineering at Paytronix, has said that automation will provide “a lifeline for small operators navigating rising costs in an already high-risk industry.”

Beyond AI, hospitality and convenience stores should be focused on technology as a key driver of longevity within an increasingly pressured and competitive environment.

In the report, Paytronix detailed how customer preferences are now strictly digital-first. Gen Z and Millennials want mobile-first brand experiences, and Gen X and Boomers value digital experiences for simplicity and reliability.

Therefore, even outside of AI, technology is still set to play a key role in satisfying hospitality customers.

The questionable return-on-investment for AI just took another hit, with a recent study pointing to the technology creating a lot of correction work for employees that use it.

Modern AI technology has been a real give and take over the last few years. While its ability to streamline operations is obviously impressive, the nitty gritty details often get lost along the way, leading to some brutal AI errors and hallucinations.

Study: AI Time Savings Spent Fixing Low-Quality Results

According to the study from Workday, titled Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI, 40% of the time saved by utilizing modern AI models is currently being used to rework and correct its errors.

Even worse, most frequent users (77%) are double and triple checking the work as much as, if not more, than projects completed by humans.

“In practice, the highest productivity drag concentrates among employees who use AI most frequently. While usage and time savings are widespread, the quality of that time—and the degree to which it translates into net value—varies significantly.” – Workday study

The Paradox of AI Productivity

There’s no denying that AI is going to change the business landscape, whether we like it or not. Adoption is through the roof, with this study showing that 87% of employees are using AI at least a few times a week.

On top of that, 85% of employees report saving one to seven hours per week using AI, which sounds great until you look a bit deeper, because unfortunately, speed doesn’t always equal productivity.

With so many employees spending those hours correcting and improving low-quality results, the increase in capacity rarely leads to long-term success.

The Best Use of AI for Business

As the study points out, and experts have noted in the past, AI should be used to improve the work of employees, rather than replace them. Because simply increasing capacity and leaving it up to your team to use it correctly is a recipe for disaster.

“Too many AI tools push the hard questions of trust, accuracy, and repeatability back onto individual users…AI should do the complex work under the hood so people can focus on judgment, creativity, and connection. That’s how organizations turn AI‑powered speed into durable, human‑led advantage.” – Gerrit Kazmaier, president, product and technology, Workday

Simply put, you need to give your employees the best AI tools to do their jobs and provide upskilling so they can handle it, rather than trying to reduce your workforce with advanced models you don’t understand.

Slack has announced a new native AI agent that “understands your work, adapts to your style, and helps every employee to move faster,” according to a press release. Beginning this week, phased rollout of the feature will continue throughout February and March.

According to the press release, Slackbot, the existing automated bot that delivers notifications, reminders, and responses to basic user queries, has been “rebuilt” to function as a “trusted, always-on colleague that answers questions instantly and acts on your behalf.” As it is native to Slack, the new AI agent doesn’t require installation and is simply activated by engaging it in conversation.

In recent years, AI has gone beyond a neat innovation and become table stakes for the business sector. And with most CEOs steadfastly committed to the technology, this trend is showing no signs of abating.

Slack Unveils New, Improved Slackbot

Slack, the interpersonal messenger platform used by thousands of businesses around the world, has launched a new AI agent. According to a press release, it will begin phased rollout in January and continue into February.

According to the company, Slackbot has been enhanced with a new set of AI-powered features. At present, it will only be made available to Business+ and Enterprise+ customers, meaning that you’ll have to pay at least $9 per user, per month to get the benefits.

The company also claims that this rollout does not signal the end of its AI ambitions. Rather, users should expect Slackbot to become “even more capable,” eventually consolidating itself as a vital cog in a business’s day-to-day operations.

New Slack AI Agent Different to Competition

Slack has indicated that the key difference between its AI agent and similar efforts from its contemporaries lies in context. In other words, because the tool is native to the platform, it is already embedded in users’ conversations, and does not require any adjustment time to understand your business or ways of working.

Thus, Slackbot is able to proactively summarize complex conversations, draft messages in the user’s tone of voice, and flag issues that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. The company claims that it will be particularly valuable for synthesizing information from across users’ disparate channels, calls, and individual chats.

According to Chief Product Officer and interim CEO, Rob Seaman: “To be truly useful at work, AI needs context…with Slackbot, we’ve built an intuitive, deeply native experience inside Slack that people can trust to help them move work forwards, not just answer questions.”

AI Deeply Entrenched in Everyday Business Operations

With this latest announcement, Slack is joining the likes of Meta, Google, and many other tech giants in betting big on AI. There is certainly a huge appetite for it across the business sector, with several high-profile companies streamlining their workforces while embarking on AI pushes in recent months.

While the upsides are well-documented, there is also a growing body of evidence that AI is not the silver bullet that many have speculated. In particular, companies are vulnerable of accruing “AI debt,” a term given to describe when improper deployment of the technology creates unwanted financial, morale-based, and reputational ramifications.

Slack hopes that its revamped Slackbot will push the company forward. Nonetheless, it should remain – along with its competitors – mindful of the potential repercussions that could arise when “innovation for innovation’s sake” trumps reason.

The term “vibe coding” is relatively new: It refers to the process of creating new software applications entirely (or mostly) through AI prompts. The generative AI tools are trained in other app’s code, so they can reproduce similar lines of code, saving you from the trouble of figuring out how to write it yourself.

The process is ten times faster than human creation, and it lowers the barrier of entry. Sounds great, right?

However, there’s a catch: Vibe coding is far from a perfect process. It’s how to create an app that “mostly” works. You’ll need to work on your own bug-spotting skills in order to fine-tune the application, and that’s only if you know how to deliver the right prompts in the first place.

If you’re trying to start vibe coding in 2026, we’ve already rounded up the top vibe coding tools and prices to know. Here, we also have the best free resources and video tutorials available online.

Base44: Quick Start Guide

⏰Length: At your own pace

Our Base44 review found the no-code platform to be a beginner-friendly option that’s fairly priced with decent integrations.

It’ll let users generate an unlimited number of apps, with full-stack capabilities and domain connectivity, and apps can have helpful functions like authentication and user management baked in, as well.

Better yet: The product’s website comes with a collection of free written guides that are available to everyone, not just paying users.

The documentation is all hosted online for anyone to scroll through, no download required. You’ll learn how to build an app, use the Base44 editor, and manage the credits that the platform uses to power each AI action.

The online materials also include a prompt guide, prompt library, and a collection of app templates to get you started.

Head over to the link to start combing through the Base44 quick start guide right now.

Code Academy: Intro to Vibe Coding

⏰Length: 1 hour

Looking for a general-purpose overview of vibe coding? Look no further. Code Academy has a quick hour-long crash course on the topic.

With this beginner-level option, you’ll learn about what approaches will most effectively deploy an AI coding assistant, how vibe coding can help you build new personal projects, and how best to tell when to use AI assistance in coding and when you’ll need to skip it.

You’ll wrap up with a quick quiz to test your knowledge retention, and you can even get a certificate of completion, if you’re paying for the academy’s Plus or Pro plans. Technically, this course is not offered for free — however, you’ll just have to sign up for a free Code Academy trial to access it, and since it only takes an hour to complete, you’ll have plenty of time to cancel your trial afterwards without paying a cent.

Check it out at Code Academy and get started today.

University of Chicago: Vibe Coding Fundamentals

⏰Length: 5 hours

Serious vibe coders may need more than just an hour-long overview, and the University of Chicago has the course for them. These video training sessions take a full five hours to complete, so you’ll need to dedicate a Saturday to the process.

Once signed up, you’ll need to work through three modules: Intro to Vibe Coding, Understanding Vibe Coding, and Getting Results.

Along the way, you’ll tackle concepts including how both beginning and experienced developers can benefit from vibe coding, as well as how to set up an AI-assisted coding environment.

The three AI coding platforms you’ll learn about are all ones that we’ve reviewed and approved of here at Tech.co — click through for our reviews and comparisons of Replit, Lovable, and Bolt.

Then, simply jump straight to the training course itself, which is hosted on the online learning platform Coursera here.

Microsoft’s Introduction to Vibe Coding

⏰Length: 1 and a half hours

Not every course is entirely for beginners, even for a process as simple as vibe coding. This module comes with a few requirements: First, a basic understanding of the software development process, and, second, a little experience developing prompts for large language models (like ChatGPT).

Since it’s created by Microsoft, this free course is aimed at helping users with the GitHub Copilot Agent, one of the most well-known AI tools that the tech giant has under its perview.

By the time you wrap up the quick session of learning, you should be able to grasp how vibe coding can help aid software development, how to craft effective prompts for GitHub Copilot specifically, how to create product requirements and wireframe diagrams, and how to generate a prototype app.

Head over to the Microsoft learning website to get started now.

DeepLearning AI: Vibe Coding 101 with Replit

⏰Length: 2 hours

According to the course description, users will learn to build and share two different applications, a website performance analyzer and a voting app, while customizing their code with the aid of AI tools. They’ll learn “the principles of agentic code development” alongside skills needed to build and host apps.

The specific coding agent taught by this course is the Replit platform — we’ve covered its functions and compared them against competitors with this guide by Tech.co senior writer Gus Mallett, covering how rival vibe coding platform Base44 stacks up to Replit.

Replit is best for users who already have some understanding of coding, we determined, and so it’s no surprise that this particular training course covers concepts that might be intimidating to newcomers.

For example, you’ll be using product requirement documents and wireframes in addition to the right prompts as you build and iterate on your prototypes.

Get started figuring out Replit by heading over to the DeepLearning AI website here and enrolling for free.

Vibe Check: Is AI Coding for You?

Vibe coding didn’t exist two years ago. Now, it’s been named the 2025 word of the year by Collins English Dictionary, beating out such esteemed competition as “bio hacking” and “glaze.”

In 2026, there’s nothing stopping you from creating your own websites and apps. But that also means that there’s nothing stopping anyone else.

To stand out among the AI coding gold rush, you’ll need some common sense and a few good ideas: There’s no better way to get them than a little studying. Here at Tech.co, we’ve drummed up some vibe coding guides that can help you with the basics, from our look at how to vibe code a website in five steps to our full list of no-code options for app creation.

Coders, newbies, and total amateurs can all get started today, and any one of the above training courses can kick off your journey in a single day with the greatest coding tool of all: A little knowledge.

Mark Cuban isn’t mincing words when it comes to AI, with the widely-known business icon stating that the technology is “stupid,” but businesses that don’t embrace it are doomed to the ash heap of failed enterprises.

It’s hard to argue with either of Cubans points, honestly. AI is infamous for its many errors and hallucinations, but it seems to be the only thing driving the economy in 2026, so businesses clearly need to get on the train or get off the tracks.

Luckily, there are dozens, if not hundreds of helpful AI tools that can help businesses stay relevant in the modern era, and hopefully Mark Cuban doesn’t think they’re stupid too.

Cuban: AI Is Stupid

In a discussion with Adam Joseph, the founder of Clipbook, a content and workflow company that Cuban is invested in, the entrepreneur dove straight into the name calling in regard to the world’s current innovation infatuation.

“AI is stupid, but it’s somebody who’s a savant that remembers everything. It does a really good job of assembling all those things that it collected and presenting that just as somebody who has a great memory.” – Mark Cuban

Let’s be honest, he’s right. AI is still more defined by its shortcomings in 2026, with more and more stories surfacing of the technology getting it wrong in a serious way. From deleting entire company databases to thinking a clarinet is a gun, the technology simply is not as good as tech firms need it to be.

Cuban: Your Business Will Fail Without AI

While Cuban doesn’t believe that AI is any more capable than a person with a really good memory, he also notes that its utility is far too valuable for businesses to pass up.

“There’s going to be two types of companies: those who are great at AI, and everybody else. And the ‘everybody else’ is going to fail because AI is such a transformative tool.” – Mark Cuban

Simply put, the stupidity of AI doesn’t make it any less valuable for businesses that know how to use it to improve productivity and streamline operations.

How to Use AI at Your Business

In 2026, there aren’t many business software options that aren’t equipped with AI. Salesforce has its AI agents to help you make sales, Gmail has its generative features that can write emails for you, and pretty much every platform under the sun is equipped with the technology.

Still, if you want to make a concerted effort to embrace AI, there are some more concrete steps you can take. For building apps, for example, vibe coding platforms have become incredibly popular, allowing users to create, customize, and even preview apps with natural language prompts.

All in all, AI is still in its infancy, and it’s more important to be using AI in general than debating how to do so. Because in just a few years, this technology is going to be running the show.

AI agents will be one of the biggest new attack vectors for cybercriminals in 2026, experts predict. According to security professionals at Palo Alto Networks, the rise of AI agents opens up a compelling new channel for attackers to exploit.

The study contends that the yawning skills gap in cybersecurity paves the way for mass deployment of AI agents. In turn, this will lead hostile parties to change the point of their attack from humans to the agents themselves. Problematically, these agents are always-on, and are thus always at risk of exploitation.

The experts also predict that this shift in the threat landscape will necessitate a new “non-negotiable category of AI governance tools” to safeguard the agents and provide a kill switch in case they are breached. And with data breaches often proving terminal for a lot of companies, the stakes could not be higher.

Hackers Will Target AI Agents in 2026

Cybersecurity experts predict that AI agents will become a key target for cybercriminals in 2026.

In 6 Predictions for the AI Economy: 2026’s New Rules of Cybersecurity, the study authors draw attention to the massive skills gap in cybersecurity, which currently stands at 4.8 million, arguing that it will lead companies to adopt AI agents at a notable rate.

According to recent research, 88% of cybersecurity professionals have experienced at least one “significant” consequence as a result of this labor crisis. It is expected, therefore, that enterprises will look to AI agents as the silver bullet solution to their security and staffing woes.

The upsides are clear. Agents can resolve service tickets and process complex workflows at a fraction of the speed that humans can. In turn, this will encourage cybercriminals — who are notorious for reinventing their tactics — to switch their focus from human operators to AI agents.

AI Agents Pose Significant Cybersecurity Risks

On the other side of the coin, AI agents command their share of risks. The researchers claim that such models can serve as a potent “insider threat” should they fall into the wrong hands. If misused, they can be granted privileged access to highly sensitive data, including critical APIs, customer information, and cybersecurity infrastructure.

In addition, AI agents are “always on,” meaning that they are vulnerable to hacking at all hours of the day. While humans – and particularly cybersecurity professionals – maintain different working hours, cybercriminals can gain access to an AI agent whenever they please. This makes it simpler for international hackers to target US businesses.

The study further argues that, because of this mass rollout, companies will look to introduce new safeguards to inoculate themselves against the new attack vector. According to the report: “This will be the dividing line between agentic AI success and failure.”

Technology, Education Needed to Combat Security Crisis

With 2026 now underway, the technology sector faces an urgent concern: how to cope with the escalating cybersecurity crisis. AI tools are more embedded into businesses’ workflows than ever, with 28% of employees confirming that they would use them at work even if explicitly prohibited.

While the benefits of ChatGPT and its contemporaries are well-documented, so too are the potential risks. Therefore, businesses are under pressure to not only introduce new technological safeguards but also to upskill their employees on identifying and reporting cyberattacks.

Shockingly, only 2% of senior leaders can identify all the signs of a phishing attack, spotlighting a problem that exists right across the business. If we are to turn the tide on hackers, we need to adopt a two-pronged approach that emphasizes investment in new technology and improving our collective cybersecurity smarts.

Making a new January resolution to finally figure out what’s going on with all this AI nonsense? Here are the free online courses that might be able to help you out.

In 2026, AI is set to face yet another pivotal year. CEOs are set to keep spending oodles on AI for the next 12 months despite signs of poor returns, a new report has confirmed.

Tech corporations and companies everywhere are packing AI tools into every product they possibly can, even while ongoing discussions suggest many users are wary of AI “slop” — a term that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently decried following Merriam-Webster’s choice to name it 2025’s word of the year.

Anyone who wants to dive into AI in the new year needs to be armed with knowledge about its benefits, drawbacks, and ethical concerns. We don’t recommend just asking ChatGPT about it, either: You’ll be best off with a series of online lessons, delivered as video lectures from some of the smartest minds in artificial intelligence.

GenAI Basics – How LLMs Work

⌛Length: 1 hour

Duke University is behind this just-the-basics course, which takes students through a quick tour of how generative AI models are built and trained, along with some explanation of the data science process in generation.

It’s not just a video, however: This course presents users with a “simple interactive demo” that won’t require an installations or software downloads. This makes it one of the best ways for a hands-on learner to wrap their mind around how generative AI models work. Some people tend to tune out when it comes to endless video-based lessons, but being able to directly interact with a model can allow new information to truly sink in.

Granted, you’ll still have a video. The specific format of this one is a split-screen, with a user’s interactive work area on one side and the video instructor on the other. By the end, you’ll be able to load language models for vectorization, and combine like words and sentences.

You’ll be able to follow along at your own pace, although it will likely take you just an afternoon or less to get through the lesson. Check it out now for no cost over at Coursera.

Enhancing UX Workflow With AI

⌛Length: 3 hours

Perhaps you already know the basic building blocks of AI, but you aren’t sure how to use AI for your own field (or even if you can). If so, you’ll need to go a bit deeper into AI with an intermediate-level course.

We can’t list every single version of a field-specific training course, so you’re on your own when it comes to training on your particular vocation. Still, here’s one example of what to look for: An online video course aimed at helping a more specific segment of the white collar workforce, user exerience experts.

Over the course of three hours, you’ll be taught how to integrate AI into UX design for greater personalization. Some of the tools and trends you’ll learn about cover the ways AI can enhance design or image creativity, AI-assisted writing, user research analysis and testing, and the ways that the technology can streamline crafting user personas and journey maps.

Check it out and get started today, over at the Uxcel platform here.

If you’ve made a resolution to learn a new skill this year, why not check out our vibe coding reviews? We’ll tell you how to get started with a project today, without coding experience!

AI Fundamentals: From Basics to Generative AI

⌛Length: 2 hours

If you’re looking for a slightly longer guide for AI amateurs, consider this course from online learning platform Udemy: It takes users through two hours in which they’ll learn about topics including machine learning, generative AI, and practical applications of Large Language Models (LLMs).

By the time you finish, you’ll be well-versed in generating AI content and images. Individual courses within the lesson plan will cover the history of AI, how generative AI works, and prompting techniques that you can use to get the right results.

You can check out the course for free over at Udemy here.

Vibe Coding 101 with Replit

⌛Length: 2 hours

Coding with significant help from AI can be termed “vibe coding,” and it comes with its own set of pros and cons. We’ve covered some of the top vibe coding platforms and found Replit is a top pick for users with an above-average background in the technical side of coding.

Now, you can jump into using Replit with a free course that can guide you through the basics of the platform within a few hours.

Among the things you’ll learn in this course are how to build and share both a website performance analyzer and a voting app by using AI to debug and customize your code. Along the way, you’ll pick up the principles of agentic code development and learn the ways in which product requirement documents and wireframes factor into your applications.

The whole course was created in partnership with Replit itself, and is available free from Deeplearning.AI over here.

AI Foundations for Everyone Specialization

⌛Length: About 33 hours

That’s right, this IBM-led course is over ten times longer than any single other course listed in this guide! Sometimes, you really need to dedicate a significant chunk of time in order to gain the real-life experience you need.

At least, that’s what the more than 70,000 students enrolled in this suite of beginner AI courses thought. You’ll work your way through entire courses dedicated to topics including “Generative AI: Introduction and Applications,” “Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics,” and “Building AI Powered Chatbots Without Programming.”

IBM’s legacy as a dominant US computing company lends plenty of credibility to this free online video series, which is available through Coursera. You can even sign up for a single course at a time, pacing yourself a little in order to ensure you don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Head over to Coursera now to sign up for these lessons.

Grappling With AI in 2026

Are AI tools invitable? Some argue that the tech-investment bubble will pop at some point in the next year, leaving companies suddenly much less interested in pushing the new tech on consumers.

Even if AI does continue on in some form, the process of adapting it will likely be slow: It took decades for desktop computers to catch on, and decades for smartphones to fully saturate the market. AI tools might well be making similar progress for years to come, as ever-increasing numbers of workers find new ways to incorporate them into their routines.

If you’re among them, don’t miss out on the past resources we’ve compiled to help AI newbies avoid the common pitfalls of artificial intelligence: Check out our guide to spotting AI-generated content, our history on AI hallucinations, and the latest news on AI’s impact on workplaces everywhere.

A new report has revealed that big company CEOs plan to continue investing big in AI in 2026.

This comes in spite of the fact that very few AI initiatives have yielded meaningful returns on investments thus far.

However, both investors and CEOs believe significant gains can still be made, and that AI will benefit companies across multiple areas of their business.

CEOs Will Keep Spending on AI Despite Poor Returns, Says New Report

According to a new report from advisory firm Teneo, CEOs of some of the world’s largest companies plan to spend more on AI in 2026, despite many of them not yet seeing meaningful returns on their investments.

In particular, 68% of CEOs surveyed claimed they planned to increase their spending on the technology, even though less than half of AI projects have generated positive returns.

The survey consisted of more than 350 public-company CEOs, and was conducted from mid-October to mid-November.

AI Yet to Generate Any Meaningful Returns on Investments

Overall, the report states that less than half of AI projects have generated more in returns than they initially cost. Ultimately, while AI spending has been loud, the noise has not correlated with the payoff.

In terms of where CEOs have found the most success with AI tools, it has been within marketing and customer service departments. Respodents also reported challenges when using AI in higher-risk areas, such as security, legal, and human resources.

Teneo CEO Paul Keary notes in the report:

“AI innovation continues to be a top investment priority – 68% of CEOs are increasing investment, and 88% believe it is already helping them navigate disruption. But the clock is ticking, as investors start to demand real transformational change. For these leaders, disruption no longer signals risk – it signals opportunity.” – Paul Keary, Teneo CEO

AI Investors and CEOs Remain Optimistic in 2026

However, despite disappointing numbers in 2025, CEOs and investors in AI believe that the technology will bring great results.

While 84% of CEOs of large companies (defined as those with revenue of $10 billion or more) believe AI initiatives will start to bring returns on investments in more than six months, 53% of the 400 institutional investors surveyed believe it will take less time.

Likewise, CEOs remain optimistic about the wider impact of AI on their business. 67% believe AI will increase their entry-level headcount, despite evidence suggesting AI is currently doing the opposite. Plus, 58% also believe AI will increase senior leadership headcount.

700Credit, one of the largest credit report and identity services providers for the automotive industry in North America, has suffered a wide-ranging data breach, with more than 5.8 million individuals thought to have been affected. The incident was identified on October 25, and was linked to a compromised third-party API on the company’s web application.

Reportedly, hackers seized information collected from automotive dealers between May and October 2025, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

Data breaches continue to plague companies across the business sector, with 700Credit the latest in a long line of hacks this year that has affected companies of all sizes, including Google, Microsoft, McDonalds, Adidas, Coca-Cola and more.

5.8 Million Affected by 700Credit Data Breach

Credit report and identity verification services provider, 700Credit, has suffered a massive data breach, with more than 5.8 million people reported to have been affected. The hackers gained access in July 2025, and were able to access customer information from automotive dealers up until October 2025, at which point they were shut down.

According to 700Credit, the attackers were able to gain access through a compromised third-party API, which allowed them to access the sensitive data in question. This is thought to include names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. The company is currently in the process of contacting affected customers.

700Credit is the largest provider of credit checks, identity verification, fraud detection, and compliance services for the automotive, marine, powersports, and RV dealers in North America. It has approximately 18,000 dealerships in its customer base.

No Evidence of Information Misuse At This Time, Company Confirms

At the time of writing, 700Credit confirms that there is no current indication of identify theft, fraud, or any other kind of information misuse. What’s more, the breach is limited to the 700Dealer.com application layer, meaning that the company’s internal network is unaffected, and thus there is no impact on 700Credit’s ability to carry out operations.

In a statement, the company said: “The investigation determined that certain records in the web application relating to customers of its dealership clients were copied without authorization.”

However, the company and its clients may not be out of the woods yet. If the breach is the result of a ransomware attack, demands may still be issued at some point in the near-future. As recent history shows us, ransomware demands can often prove highly damaging for companies, with serious financial and reputational repercussions.

Business Sector Woefully Underprepare for Current Threat Landscape

The 700Credit news is yet another reminder on the importance of adequately safeguarding customer information in the face of a tidal wave of security breaches. Recently, it was reported that 88% of cybersecurity professionals had experienced at least one “significant impact” due to an ongoing shortage of talent on the job market.

In response, a lot of businesses are putting their trust in AI tools and systems to combat the rising tide. Undoubtedly, the technology has a role to play, but it is vital that companies make sure that it is deployed correctly, and that they don’t desert their basic cybersecurity duties.

According to our own research, a staggering 98% of senior leaders are unable to identify all the signs of a phishing attack, illustrating that a talent shortage isn’t the only problem that the sector is experiencing. Companies need to do more to upskill their existing employees right across the business — or this problem will only continue to get worse.

In the business world, first impressions are everything. Given the short attention span of people in 2025 and the steep competition in virtually every industry under the sun, the only real way to cut through the noise is to make sure that your brand is thought of favorably right out of the gate.

While a firm handshake and a confident smile can go a long way, the reality is that printed products, marketing materials, and other branded items have a storied history of moving the needle when it comes to making a good first impression. From business cards to brochures, these tools will keep your brand front of mind for those lucky enough to come across them.

What kind of items, you ask? Well, at MOO, you’ll find a wide variety of high-quality products that can help you make an unforgettable first impression, so your business can start making an impact like you know it can.

Business Cards: The Very First Impression

In a networking setting, you need to leave your networker with something to remind them of you. Sharing social media handles, exchanging email addresses, and heaven forbid, writing your business website URL on a napkin are all fine, but if you want to show potential customers or clients that you mean business, high-quality business cards will get the job done and then some.

With MOO, you can do just that. The printing service provides:

• Users with access to multiple unique paper and size options
• Special finishes available, including foil and spot gloss
• Different designs on the back of every card with Printfinity
• Next-day delivery to make sure that you’re ready in time for the big event

Does Anyone Still Use Business Cards in 2026?

If you think that business cards are old news, you couldn’t be more wrong. In 2026, business cards are very much still one of, if not the most effective means of making a good first impression, especially if you tailor them to the modern era. For example, MOO offers a feature that allows users to easily add a QR code directly onto their business card, which will make it even easier for people to find your brand in an instant.

Suffice to say, business cards haven’t gone out of style. They remain a trusted tool of businesses around the world to help them get noticed when they need to the most. All you have to do is give them a modern twist, and you’ll be making a good impression with your eyes closed.

A Lasting Impression: Getting Your Brand Out There

Business cards are a great place to start, but let’s be honest, they can’t shoulder the entire burden of getting your business the attention it deserves. Simply put, there are a lot more impressions to be made beyond the first one.

That’s where you’ll want to go beyond the business card with marketing materials like stickers and brochures. Stickers are all about getting your branding, your logo, your company message out in the world so that people recognize and remember you when the time comes to make a purchase. MOO offers a lot of different shapes and materials, like metallic, vinyl, and die cut, so you can stand out amongst all the other stickers out there.

Brochures, on the other hand, will help you get more in-depth information about your company circulating. Whereas a business card is more of a reminder to follow up or reach out about a brand, the brochure provides as much information as necessary to get the potential customer or client interested in a meaningful way. MOO provides a variety of options here, as well, with all available brochures being of premium print quality.

The Gift: Your Best Impression Yet

There’s something to be said for the value of free stuff. While it might not seem like a big deal, the idea of leaving an event, a meeting, or a conference with something just feels good and memorable, particularly when it comes to the brand providing the merchandise.

MOO is equipped to handle this kind of post-event gifting, as well, with the tools you need to create custom planners, notebooks, notepads, drinkware, and pens. That’s right, your logo, slogan, or other branding will be front and center when these potential customers and clients wax poetic about the promotional products they got at the conference, meeting, or networking event.

Bringing Your Brand to Life

These may seem like nothing more than marketing materials, but in the real world, these are the kinds of small details that can be the difference between an exciting new client and business as usual.

From simple recognition to full-on closed deals, high-quality products like business cards, brochures, and custom stationery and drinkware help make your business professional. Simply put, they bring your brand to life for you and your potential customers and clients.

A new report has estimated that AI in manufacturing could grow at a dramatic rate over the next five years, with projections as high as $35.8 billion by 2030.

AI technology has been injected into the entire business world over the last few years. Platforms are rolling out generative capabilities and executives are pushing for more in hopes of improving productivity across the board.

Now, estimates show that the manufacturing industry is seeing a serious uptick as well, and it could be a sign that AI is truly going to be all around us sooner than expected.

AI in Manufacturing Is on the Rise

According to the report from BCC Rearch, titled AI in Manufacturing: Global Markets, the industry is expected to grow from $7 billion to $35.8 billion by 2030.

That’s a pretty big jump. In fact, the 38.7% increase would represent one of the more substantial growth projections across the business landscape.

The report also found that North America is currently the leading continent in this kind of investment, although it does note that the trend is persisent in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America as well.

Why Is AI in Manufacturing Growing So Much?

To be fair, AI is finding its way into businesses one way or another in 2025, and manufacturing is obviously no different. Still, there are some clear reasons why AI in manufacturing is growing this much.

“Driven by the need for production efficiency and smarter supply chain strategies, AI adoption in manufacturing is accelerating, offering cost effective solutions, predictive capabilities, and strategic insights for investors, solution providers, and policymakers to harness new growth opportunities.” – BCC Research report

Considering the issues with the supply chain over the last few years, driven by trucker shortages and tariff concerns, AI could be the silver bullet that closes the gap for businesses around the world.

The AI-ification of Business

Manufacturing certainly isn’t the only industry that has seen an influx of AI over the last few years. The tech industry has been exploding with the tech, but they aren’t alone either.

In fact, even government agencies have started to adopt AI in a meaningful way, with the FDA recently announcing that it would be using agentic AI tools for safety inspections and reviews.

Suffice to say, we’re still very much in the early stage of AI rollout in the business world, and if manufacturing AI growth is any indication, we’re in for a big shift in the coming years.