In 2026, AI will increasingly take physical form inside the workplace, as organisations invest in dedicated environments where employees can see, test and interact with AI together. Leading firms are already developing AI studios, labs and experience spaces that allow employees to engage with intelligent systems in real time.
For much of the workforce, AI still feels imposed and overwhelming. In our 2025 global workplace survey with SPS Global, we found that just 27% of employees report that they are actively excited about the impact of AI, the remainder are cautious, neutral or fearful.
In 2026, this gap will start to close as artificial intelligence becomes more visible and accessible.
Watching models in action, experimenting with real use cases and observing how AI responds to human input in a physical space, with colleagues, can help build confidence and reduce resistance.
Crucially, in this context, AI adoption will shift from an individual activity to a shared organisational capability. Instead of employees experimenting along with copilots or chatbots, team learn together – bringing all facets of the workforce into one collaborative learning space. This will be further enforced by Open AI’s new feature that allows up to 20 people to collaborate with ChatGPT in the same conversation.
These environments also serve multiple organisational functions including onboarding and upskilling employees, aligning leadership around AI strategy, engaging clients and partners, and reinforcing values around responsible and ethical AI use. Much like executive briefing centres or innovation labs before them, AI studios will become places where organisations can see the collaborative power of AI and human teams in action.
In 2026, organisations that treat AI purely as software for individual use will risk fragmented adoption and uneven capability. Those that anchor AI in physical space are better positioned to translate ambitious strategies into a collective learning exercise across the entire company, resulting in sustained performance, trust and cultural alignment.
