As I was collecting Crystal Ball predictions for 2026 from readers, I found myself thinking a lot about the future of work.
In part, of course, that’s because you all were thinking about it—combing through email after email, I found waves of predictions about how AI will change our workplaces and our jobs. And I sensed two things: An undercurrent of anxiety, and a resounding sense that AI is our now and future coworker.
The anxiety may have been yours, readers, but it was perhaps mostly mine: I think it’s possible we’re moving towards a future where the most mundane tasks we humans have to do right now are taken over by agentic armies in a way that’s fundamentally good. Much as the Internet created new ways of working that have improved people’s lives, I’m hopeful that AI can too. But then, there’s part of me that says: No, we’re about to move into a world of relentless job contraction and depersonalized professional interactions, made more depressing by the fact they spring from craven laziness above all else.
All of this to say, I’m conflicted. And my ambivalence isn’t helped by the fact that Term Sheet readers—many of whom are investing in the technologies and startups that will shape tomorrow’s workplace—have divergent perspectives. Here’s a sampling of how readers are thinking about an issue that will only become more consequential going forward:
