REWARD
2026 – the year for human connection in the digital age
Alexander Bell, Keynote Speaker, explains why we should all remember to embrace human interactions as we head into the new year and beyond
A s we brace ourselves for the year ahead, with our calendars looking more sci-fi than ever before, am I the only one who does a double take whenever I see the year 2026?! It seems impossible not to feel overwhelmed by the technological predictions making the daily headlines. Will this be the year artificial intelligence (AI) takes over human intelligence? Wasn’t that meant to be last year?! Some believe it already has, while others, such as Demis Hassabis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Google’s AI arm, DeepMind, claim we’re still maybe ten years away. Phew. We’re safe. For now… I think?! But one thing is for certain, 2026 will see AI and technology continue its march into every aspect of our work and lives. 2027 and 2028 too. And there’s nothing we can do to stop it. In fact, we must adopt it, adapt to it, embrace it, promote it, celebrate it and willingly hand over more of our daily to-dos to it. Why? Because, well, what’s the alternative? To be left behind, disadvantaged, failing to move with the times, part of the old crowd, the old way of doing things. We’ve spent the last few years seemingly obsessed with AI. It’s here, it’s happened, it works, it’ll keep getting better and it’ll eventually be smarter than us. That much is clear. But obsessing over every update, news headline and new prompt hack won’t change this fact.
empower us. To free us up from the mundane, repetitive and time draining tasks, to allow us to refocus our efforts and connect more as human beings, boosting engagement between our teams, colleagues, customers and clients. I may be biased, having spent a large part of my career working with the likes of Google, IBM and Warner Bros., but I’ve seen first-hand just how powerful technology can be. And it’s vitally important that we prioritise the huge potential technology offers, but it’s only when we pair this innovation on equal value with our people that we can realise its true potential. Because technology can only ever be as powerful as the people using it. And if your people feel as if they’re running a race against technology, trying to keep up, constantly feeling left behind, then no amount of technology is going to fix this. Instead, you need to shift your focus back to your people. For decades, we’ve claimed that people were the most valuable assets of our organisations. It was printed in every annual report, plastered across the walls of every meeting room and included in every CEO’s opening annual general meeting speech. But in this age of digital everything, it feels like we’ve drifted further away from this statement than ever before. Every business is now de facto a technology business, and it feels like the word ‘people’ has been scratched out from the mission statement and replaced with the word ‘AI’ instead. But technological progress is still progress.
And it’s important. Of course it is. As we mark exactly 150 years since the invention of the telephone in 1876, I’m reminded just how incredible and important technology and innovation can be. Today, there are more connected devices than people on the planet. Far more, in fact. Over 22 billion in 2026, according to Statista. We’ll be outnumbered three to one by these smart devices within the next three years. I can’t think of an industry that’s been more impacted by technology than payroll. Well, maybe the printing press, but payroll predates the printing press. From ancient record-keeping practices dating back to 3200 BCE, used for documenting beer rations (according to ChatGPT), to etched in stone records and agreements from 5th-century BC Athens. Digital payroll today might bear little resemblance to the analogue payroll of yesteryear, but this ancient concept of keeping records, trading resources, tracking agreements and being held accountable is, at the heart of it, really about people. And that idea will outlive even the most
advanced technology innovations. Because despite clever platforms,
hyper connectivity, AI and smart tech, it’s your people who are the front line when something goes wrong. Your people who fight for improvements, stand for what’s right and give your organisation its soul. And it will be your people who, at the end of this year, will come together to look back at what’s been achieved. Businesses that spend the next year
Because the real opportunity with technology isn’t to replace us, but to
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | December 2025 - January 2026 | Issue 116 40
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