Beyond the Hype: Making AI Your Performance-Enhancing Ally in 2026

If 2025 was the year of the "AI Wave," 2026 is the year we learn to ride it.

Art installation at a Barcelona Museum

Art installation at a Barcelona Museum

Last year, AI entered our everyday vocabulary in a way we’ve never seen before. It wasn’t just a topic for Silicon Valley boardrooms; it was being discussed at dinner tables and in elementary school classrooms. But with that visibility came a fair amount of anxiety. Many of us started the year viewing AI as a threat—to our jobs, our unique intelligence, and our sense of importance.

As we step into this new year, the world is beginning to realize something profound: The "New World Order" isn't a battle of Human vs. Machine. It’s a partnership.

We are moving away from the fear of being replaced and toward the excitement of being empowered. AI is not here to take things away; it is here to act as a performance-enhancing tool that makes us more efficient, more creative, and more impactful.

 

Art installation by Yuyoi Kusama in Barcelona

How I Use AI to Protect My "Bandwidth"

In my own coaching and consulting practice, I view AI as an essential enabler. I use AI strategies and tools to make my work faster and simpler, not so I can "do more work," but so I can reclaim space to think. By automating the mundane, I find I have more bandwidth for my high-stakes projects, more creative energy for my interests, and most importantly, more presence for my boys.

Many of my clients have expressed a deep desire to use AI more effectively, but they often feel stuck behind a single screen: ChatGPT.

 

It’s Not Just ChatGPT: Leveling the Playing Field

While ChatGPT was our introduction, the innovation happening every week in this space is staggering. AI is no longer reserved for high-tech research or machine learning labs; it is leveling the playing field for professionals across every sector:

  1. Job Seekers: AI is transforming how we match skills to roles, optimize resumes, and even practice for high-stakes interviews with real-time feedback.

  2. Small Business Owners & Startup Founders: It acts as a "force multiplier," allowing founders to scale marketing, operations, and customer insights without needing a massive team on day one.

  3. Corporate Executives: For leaders, AI is a strategic leverage tool—summarizing complex data, identifying market trends, and freeing up the mental energy needed for visionary decision-making.

  4. Daily Users: From managing the "mental load" of family schedules to learning new languages or skills, AI is the ultimate life-admin assistant.

 
AI Kiran badge for Twisha Anand

A Credential with Purpose: AI Kiran

My commitment to this "Tech for Good" mission recently reached a new milestone. I am honored to have been recognized as an AI Changemaker and a member of AI Kiran—an initiative supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

This membership isn’t just a badge; it’s a commitment to staying at the forefront of AI and ML so I can help you navigate this transition with clarity and confidence.

 

You Asked, I Listened: The 2026 AI Workshop

Because so many in the Elevate community have asked for a practical, human-centered way to master these tools, I am starting the year with exactly that.

I’m thrilled to announce a hands-on AI for Performance & Alignment Workshop. We won't just talk about the tech; we will look at how to integrate it into your specific workflow so you can stop being "busy" and start being "impactful."

The goal isn't to become a tech expert; it’s to become a more empowered version of yourself.

Register for the AI Workshop Here

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From "User" to "Executive": How We Operationalized AI at the January Workshop

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The Heavy Laptop Lid: Finding Your Way Back to Momentum