The Technology That Will Take Over Our Lives in 2026

SadaNews - With the beginning of each year, we review the latest consumer technologies to give you a glimpse of the innovations that may actually impact your daily lives, amidst many fleeting trends that you can ignore.

In the past, several "trends" have been repeated in this list, such as smart homes, fitness technologies, and electric cars, because these technologies took time to mature. However, things do not always go smoothly; while the latter two "trends" gained significant popularity, smart home technology still suffers from some shortcomings.

Now, it cannot be denied that generative artificial intelligence, the technology powering chatbots, is rapidly changing how many people use their devices and browse the internet. Additionally, the AI boom is pushing technology companies to experiment with new devices that may become the successor to smartphones. The prevailing optimism among consumers regarding self-driving cars has boosted the spread of "Waymo" robot taxis, a subsidiary of "Google," in major cities, paving the way for a notable expansion of these services this year, including on highways.

Key Trends for the New Year

Here are the key trends to watch this year:

1. We will finally talk to our computers. Over the past fifteen years, companies like "Apple," "Google," and "Amazon" have strongly bet that voice assistants "Siri," "Google Assistant," and "Alexa" would convince people to regularly talk to their computers to accomplish tasks. This expectation has not fully materialized, as people mostly use "voice assistants" for some basic tasks, such as checking the weather, playing music, and setting kitchen timers. It is very rare to see people talking to voice assistants in public places.

However, we may finally witness a shift in consumer behavior with the increasing prevalence of AI-powered chatbots, such as "ChatGPT," "Gemini," and "Claude," as many people are already communicating with these robots via text messaging.

Imitating Human Voices

Thus, it makes sense to predict that as AI's ability to mimic human voices increases, more people will start talking to their computers, even in public places, says Lucas Hansen, founder of CivAI, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of AI capabilities and implications.

He adds, "The number of people talking to AI is increasing, not just as a search engine, but as a conversation partner. If you can put on headphones and talk to it as if you are making a phone call, bystanders will not notice that you are talking to AI."

While the robotic voices in popular chat programs like "GPT" and "Gemini" still sound somewhat artificial, companies are working to make them sound more natural. The startup Sesame AI is making significant progress in developing an AI voice companion that mimics human tone. Hansen stated that this development could make interacting with AI more enjoyable, but it could also exacerbate issues for individuals with mental health problems, such as those who have suffered from obsessive delusions, and even those who have committed suicide after speaking with chatbots.

Smart Devices as Alternatives to Smartphones

2. The search continues to design a successor to the smartphone. Similar to the ongoing changes in laptops, annual updates for smartphones have become routine (for faster performance, longer battery life, and better cameras). While smartphones are not going away, the accelerating pace of AI has provided an opportunity for tech companies to experiment with devices they hope will become the next dominant personal computing device, with some companies betting heavily on smart glasses.

Smart Glasses

"Ray-Ban Meta" glasses, used by people to take photos and listen to music, have had reasonable success, with millions sold so far. Now, "Meta" is doubling down on its investments. Late last year, the company began selling the "Meta Ray-Ban," which includes a digital screen to display data and applications at the corner of the user's eye.

Other tech companies, including "Google" and the startup "Pickle," have unveiled similar glasses equipped with screens. This time, tech companies hope that the integrated interactive AI systems in these glasses will make them more appealing.

Meanwhile, "Apple" is banking on the next major innovation after the phone being a new and improved device. The company plans this year to launch its first foldable iPhone, allowing it to expand in size to resemble a smaller iPad, according to a source familiar with the product who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

Competitors such as "Google" and "Samsung" have sold foldable phones for years, but these devices have remained exclusive to a specific segment, partly due to their high price (over $1,800) and durability issues.

Smarter Internet Browsing

3. AI is changing the way we browse the internet. AI is fundamentally transforming the internet, whether we like it or not. When performing a search on "Google," the AI-generated response is often the first thing we see. Additionally, the AI chatbot from "Meta" is integrated into "Instagram" and "WhatsApp" and cannot be disabled. Companies like "OpenAI" and "Browser Co." have released web browsers with integrated AI assistants that answer our inquiries about the sites we browse. In "Windows," "Microsoft" has added a smart assistant called "Copilot" that answers user questions. AI has become an integral part of our lives.

To differentiate itself, Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox browser, has taken a less bold approach in using AI. Last year, it added AI tools to Firefox for summarizing articles and getting help from an assistant, but instead of automatically activating these features, it clarified that users have the option to activate them.

However, AI usage on the internet is expected to continue this year. "Google" has announced its intention to integrate AI technology into its applications that we rely on daily, such as "Gmail," to summarize emails and compose replies. The company is also expected to expand AI integration this year with a new search engine that permits users to talk to an AI assistant for answers to their questions, along with new tools for online shopping and restaurant reservation.

Self-Driving Taxis

4. Self-driving taxis are becoming widely spread. In a clear indication of the continuity of robot taxis, Waymo, Google’s self-driving taxi service, continues its expansion.

Last month, following a power outage in San Francisco that caused Waymo cars to shut down at intersections and get stuck in traffic, the company suspended its services for a day. The incident raised questions about how these cars affect safety in emergencies such as earthquakes and power outages. The company clarified that traffic signal failures delayed the vehicles' response, contributing to the congestion, and that it will learn from this incident.

Late last year, Waymo, which operates 2,500 vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas, began allowing some passengers to use self-driving taxis on highways, including to airports. Meanwhile, Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving taxi service, began offering services in San Francisco, and "Tesla" is testing its vehicles in the city. This week, "Uber" unveiled its new self-driving taxi, which it plans to launch this year. In other words, if you haven't tried riding in a self-driving car yet, this may be the year to do so.