Why the power of relationships still matters in the AI era (1/2)

We are in the early stages of AI transformation with businesses embracing digital labor and AI-first strategies. Products are becoming more intelligent, more responsive and more capable of acting in the world rather than simply waiting to be used. Factories are becoming more self-monitoring and adaptive. Software development is becoming more agentic.

In one domain after another, AI is moving from the margins of the enterprise toward its operational core. It is taking on more of the business functions that organizations once depended upon humans alone to perform. The future is autonomous.

The evidence is clear. According to Informatica’s 2026 survey of 600 Chief Data Officers, AI adoption has reached 69% of businesses with revenues of $500 million +, up from 48% in 2025 and 45% in 2024, with 47% adopting agentic AI. The 2026 State of Sales Report from Salesforce finds that nine out of 10 sales teams use ...