I came across the article “5 Industries AI Will Completely Take Over by 2026” in Medium’s newsletter, and I’m deeply compelled to write an “anti-article”, if you will, to paint a brighter picture of how AI will be shaping our future. Sometimes a contrary perspective is necessary, especially when I come across articles that use fear as clickbait.
As I often express to others, technology is a double-edged sword – there’s a good side and a bad side to it. But with AI, the bad isn’t that bad if you look at the brighter side. Yes, it will displace some jobs, and no, it will not take over the world like Skynet in the Terminator franchise.
Without taking jobs (and industries) away, here are five industries that artificial intelligence can empower that some people may forget to mention.
In the context of this article, “empower” means that the industry will be enhanced by AI in meaningful ways—but not replaced or overtaken by it.
Marketing and Advertising
Let’s start with the obvious one. The common AI models that power today’s popular AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, and Claude are technically called Large Language Models (LLMs). As the name implies, it is a language model that excels extremely well in language mastery. So, it is trained to perform any tasks related to human language, from programming to translation, incredibly well. Therefore, by 2026, it would be no surprise if virtually every copywriter were using some sort of LLM tool to improve their work. However, I highly doubt copywriting jobs will go extinct by then.
Copywriting is a major part of marketing and it seems obvious that AI is already turning heads and scrolling eyes by generating torrents of articles and reports from simple prompts. This incredible ability of LLMs to write will empower the marketing and advertising industry, such as by churning out perfect pitches for posters and ads. For instance, Jasper AI is a powerful AI copywriting tool that can generate engaging ad copy, blog posts, and social media content, significantly speeding up content creation for marketing teams. Similarly, platforms like AdCreative.ai leverage AI to generate conversion-focused ad creatives and perform AI-powered product photoshoots, streamlining the visual aspects of advertising.
One free graphic editing tool that I often use is Canva’s AI. It helps me to cut to the chase when I want to prototype something fast, such as generating ideas for logos, or even creating short five-second video clips to enhance my YouTube videos.
By the way, the cover image for this post was designed by Canva AI. Here’s the prompt that I used – Generate a 1920×1080 JPG cover image for the article entitled “5 Industries That AI Will Empower Without Taking Over by 2026” without text on the image.
Legal
The legal industry, often perceived as traditional, stands to gain immensely from AI empowerment. AI tools can automate tedious tasks like document review, contract analysis, and legal research, freeing up legal professionals to focus on more complex, strategic work. Back in the last decade, I watched a documentary that pitted an AI legal research software against a human legal research analyst. The AI software won by a huge margin. However, this doesn’t mean legal professionals will soon be replaced. Rather, their efficiency and accuracy will be significantly enhanced. For example, Lexis+ AI is a comprehensive legal research platform and interactive AI assistant that can draft documents, summarize cases, and analyze legal arguments, acting as a trusted colleague for legal professionals. Another notable tool is Harvey AI, which specializes in rapid research and grounded results, providing accurate citations for complex legal questions across various domains.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce is another industry where AI is already making a significant impact and will continue to empower businesses by 2026. The most common AI-related experience we all may have witnessed is in product recommendations. From this to inventory management, AI can drive efficiency and growth. One example is OptiMonk AI, which helps e-commerce businesses create personalized pop-ups and A/B tests to optimize conversion rates. Additionally, AI-powered chatbots like Lyro AI Chatbot can handle customer inquiries, provide instant support, and guide customers through the purchasing process, improving overall customer satisfaction and reducing the workload on human customer service teams.
Media and Entertainment
Have you seen the latest video that is completely generated by Google Veo 3?! Watch it below.
This video speaks for itself. Next industry, please…..!
Education
Last but certainly not the least, the education sector is ripe for AI empowerment. I just don’t see a future where kids will not use ChatGPT or Manus AI to search for information or do their homework. I’m also pretty sure that there will be anti-AI tools emerging next year to counter these so-called homework robots.
On a more politically correct note, MagicSchool.ai is a leading AI platform designed for educators, helping teachers with curriculum development, feedback, and differentiation, enabling them to create tailored learning content. Similarly, Brisk Teaching is a Chrome and Edge extension that assists teachers with curriculum, feedback, and differentiation, allowing them to focus more on direct instruction and student engagement. These tools empower educators to be more efficient and effective, ultimately benefiting students with more personalized and engaging educational experiences.
Here’s the Truth
Ok, the truth is that I used Manus AI to help me write this piece you just read. But I need to emphasize the word “help” because I only let it empower me, not replace me. Try to spot the AI and the not. Ready or not, AI will play a major role in our productivity and way of life in 2026. Perhaps then I could write another piece, and you won’t be able to tell which is AI.