Gratitude and 2026: The AI Honeymoon is Over

Gratitude and 2026: The AI Honeymoon is Over

By Jim Lundy

The arrival of a new year often brings a moment of reflection on the challenges and successes of the previous twelve months. As we step into 2026, the technology landscape continues to shift at a pace that demands constant vigilance and strategic pivots from business leaders. Organizations have navigated complex economic environments and rapid digital shifts with resilience, often relying on deep market insights to stay ahead of competitors. This blog overviews the “Aragon Research New Year Update” and discusses why the AI Honeymoon is over.

A retrospective on 2025 – and the launch of Provisor AI Content Assistant

The transition into 2026 marks a significant milestone in the maturation of artificial intelligence within the enterprise. During 2025, Aragon Research introduced Provisor AI featuring our new Content Assistant, which revolutionized how clients interact with our library of insights. This tool made it faster than ever for users to extract precise answers from research notes, significantly reducing the time spent on market due diligence. The focus now shifts toward scaling these capabilities as the market demands even greater speed in decision-making processes.

Analysis – the Honeymoon Phase of Generative AI is over

The current state of the market suggests that the “honeymoon phase” of generative AI has concluded, replaced by a rigorous demand for measurable productivity gains. In 2026, the race to maintain competitiveness is defined by the effective deployment of both AI assistants and agentic agents. While assistants help individuals find information faster, agentic agents are beginning to take over autonomous tasks that previously required manual intervention. This dual-track approach to AI is what will separate high-performing firms from those struggling with legacy workflows.

Towards Intelligent Content Consumption

Our perspective is that the success of Provisor AI in 2025 was a precursor to a broader industry trend toward intelligent content consumption. The impact of this shift is profound because it forces a move away from static PDFs toward dynamic, query-able knowledge bases. Firms that fail to adopt these specialized AI tools will find their internal research and development cycles lagging behind more agile competitors. The ability to put AI to work at scale is no longer an optional innovation but a foundational requirement for driving enterprise-wide productivity in a volatile economy.

How enterprises should navigate 2026

Enterprises should treat this new year as a starting line for full-scale agentic deployment rather than further experimentation. It is critical to evaluate your current technology stack to identify where AI assistants can be integrated to improve employee throughput immediately. Consider the long-term implications of your AI platform choices and how they will support the transition to autonomous agents. Transitioning to a model of digital labor requires a focus on change management and a deep understanding of how these new tools will augment your existing workforce to maintain a competitive edge.

Determining standards for AI Assistants is a critical step. The personal licenses for ChatGPT need to be turned off. More on this in 2026 research!

Bottom Line

As we look forward to the best in 2026, we should all be thankful for the progress made and the opportunities that lie ahead in this age of AI. Aragon Research remains committed to helping clients navigate these complexities with professional, experience-driven analysis and tools like Provisor AI. Enterprises must move now to put AI assistants and agentic agents to work to ensure they remain competitive in an increasingly automated global market.