The Speed of Culture Podcast

Episode: “Prompt shift: Top consumer AI trends reshaping search, shopping, and creativity in 2026”

Host: Matt Britton (Founder and CEO, Suzy)
Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special solo episode, Matt Britton offers his top predictions for how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact consumers, brands, and culture in 2026. He delves into why the pace of change has accelerated, how each new generation of consumers ushers in new expectations, and explores ten pivotal trends that brands and individuals must understand to keep pace in this transformative era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Acceleration of AI and Its Democratizing Power

• Matt’s Perspective: In 2025, AI moved from the realm of experts and deep pockets to being a tool that enables anyone with an idea to create—movies, songs, apps—at unprecedented speed and ease.
• Quote: "Now, any idea that you have in your mind, whether it's an idea for a movie or a song or an app, can really be brought to life incredibly easily and more so every single day." (01:35)
• AI is accessible: It requires minimal specialized skill, and its improvements are outpacing every prior technological advance.
• AI is as much a consumer revolution as a business one, echoing the Internet and smartphone adoption timelines.

2. The Generational Shift: Gen Alpha and the Age of AI Natives

• Matt shares the evolution: Gen X saw the rise of the Internet. Millennials (“digital natives”) never knew a world without it. Gen Z (“iPhone/social media generation”) drove the mobile and content creation revolutions.
• Quote: "Gen Alpha...will never know a world where you cannot interact with technology the same way that you do other people." (11:41)
• Gen Alpha (“Generation AI”) is growing up with AI companions and expects seamless, intuitive technological integration.

3. AI’s Rate of Improvement & Consumer Adoption

• Tasks AI can do are “doubling every seven months,” making past experience with AI almost irrelevant.
• "Today is very much the worst AI is ever going to be. If it can do something just okay today, it's going to do that same task in a profound manner into the future." (16:46)
• Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are likened to AOL for the Internet: the “crowbar” that brings consumers into the AI fold.
• There are still generational gaps in adoption—AI is wrongly perceived as for the “whiz kids,” but its interface is as easy as texting.

4. AI at Home: Matt’s Personal Use Cases

• Matt describes creating:
  • A "personal healthbot" trained on 25 years of health data (“to keep Matt Britton alive”)
  • "Mombot"—an AI assistant for his 75-year-old mother to help with passwords and appliances
  • AI-powered tools for financial management and tax preparation
• Quote: "I created my own personal health bot... and the answer really freaked me out. It freaked me out because it was so personalized and it gave data sources...from 10 years ago and supporting studies that shows that this was my biggest risk." (23:30)
• Prediction: As consumers create their own personalized AIs, this same framework will permeate the enterprise and home environments.

5. The End of the Knowledge Economy

• As AI automates tasks formerly requiring years of education (taxes, contracts, data analysis), cognitive “soft skills” will become paramount: analytical thinking, creativity, resilience, agility.
• Quote: "...being adept at identifying the problem you want to solve is so much more important now than knowing how to solve the problem." (28:10)
• Education must evolve, moving away from memorization/regurgitation towards critical problem-solving.

The Top 10 Consumer AI Trends for 2026

(timestamps: starting at 29:58)

1. AI-Powered Job Displacement Goes Mainstream (29:58)

• AI-driven layoffs have already reshaped tech; this will expand to “Main Street” companies.
• Economic caution: Expect layoffs, tighter budgets, and more price-sensitive consumers.
• Massive wealth transfer ($84 trillion) from boomers to younger generations will dramatically shift spending habits.

2. The Internet’s New Front Door (34:55)

• Conversational AI is replacing search engines as the primary way consumers discover products.
• "In AI, you can actually be from an unknown company, the one that ChatGPT is recommending in the span of a couple days." (36:14)
• AI-powered search is fundamentally altering the funnel—brands must optimize for specificity and conversational context.

3. The Era of Chat-Based Shopping (38:10)

• E-commerce will become conversational, with consumers shopping directly through AI assistants in chat interfaces.
• Example: Integration of ChatGPT with Etsy for in-chat checkout.

4. AI-Content Optimization Supersedes Traditional SEO (39:27)

• Content must be personalized and specific, as AI recommendation algorithms will rapidly elevate winners in search and shopping.

5. AI-Powered Creative as the Norm (41:30)

• Creativity is democratized: Anyone can create hyper-realistic art, music, or video on demand.
• Matt’s real-life example: Turning a real estate listing into a country music video overnight, astonishing conference attendees.
• Quote: "This type of creativity is what is going to go mainstream in 2026, where if you have the idea, you're going to be able to create it." (44:55)

6. Hyperpersonalization Becomes Baseline (46:20)

• Every consumer touchpoint should be tailored: no two users receive the same email, ad, or web experience.
• Suzy's Signals newsletter cites as example—personalized content based on user attributes.

7. Consumers Will Learn AI at Home, Then Bring to Work (48:52)

• Restrictions in enterprise environments spur personal experimentation with AI.
• Matt encourages “build something for yourself,” from tutoring agents for kids to streamlining home management.

8. Creators Move Into AI Tech Products (50:30)

• Celebrities and influencers will launch AI-powered products, leveraging their trust and audience for distribution—even as building the core tech becomes commoditized.
• Example: Ryan Serhant (real estate influencer) launching a sales training tool.

9. AI Becomes Central to Health and Longevity (51:53)

• The "quantified self" movement explodes as AI synthesizes data from wearables, medical records, and dietary logs—helping consumers take control of their health and wellness, and potentially influencing industries like retirement planning.

10. AI Enters the Classroom—Driven By Students (52:42)

• Despite lagging curricula, students (especially high schoolers) will bring AI into education, challenging educators to catch up.
• Parental engagement is necessary to bridge this gap—Matt shares how he co-creates stories and videos with his daughter as part of daily learning.
• Quote: "But I think you're going to start to see a bigger and bigger push. And I do think it's going to be a lot of the students, especially in high school, start to bring this into the school versus the school, push it onto the students." (53:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• "Today is very much the worst AI is ever going to be." — Matt Britton (16:46)
• "Gen Alpha...will never know a world where you cannot interact with technology the same way that you do other people." (11:41)
• "It's not about the tools, it's about the problem you want to solve." (54:09)
• On the changing nature of creativity:
  "Younger people and many older people don't really care how the music's made. It's how the music makes them feel." (41:30)
• On the education paradigm:
  "Being adept at identifying the problem you want to solve is so much more important now than knowing how to solve the problem." (28:10)

Q&A Segment Highlights (53:15 - 56:07)

Q: Will Gen Alpha be at a disadvantage because of AI?

• "Gen Alpha is going to be at a severe advantage...they're going to be AI native...and probably be a lot more productive in the workforce." (53:27)

Q: How should someone get started building with AI without coding experience?

• Matt urges listeners to start with a real-life problem (“I started with my own health”), gather relevant data, and follow step-by-step AI instructions. Focusing on depth and meaningful problems drives learning.
• "It's not about the tools, it's about the problem you want to solve." (54:09)

Q: Will AI results ‘tap out’ or become redundant?

• The value of unique, first-party data is increasing; companies that supplement AI with fresh, human-centered data will stand out. (55:41)

Structure of the Episode

• [00:49 - 01:59] Matt’s reflections on 2025’s AI revolution; setting the stage for 2026 forecasts.
• [05:25 - 06:14] Example: Creating high-production AI video overnight, demonstrating AI’s reach.
• [10:00 - 29:00] Evolution of consumer generations and AI’s role; personal anecdotes.
• [29:58 - 53:02] Deep dive into the 10 crucial AI trends shaping 2026: jobs, search, shopping, creativity, health, personalization, and more.
• [53:15 - 56:07] Listener Q&A: Generational impacts, getting started with AI, the importance of fresh data.
• Engaging, optimistic, and candid tone throughout—peppered with personal stories and practical advice.

Useful For:

• Brand Leaders & Marketers: Insights on how AI is disrupting discovery, personalization, and content creation—in practical, actionable ways.
• Educators & Parents: Perspective on how tech-native youth will shape expectations and norms.
• General Audience: Clear framework for understanding not just what is changing, but why it matters—and how to ride the wave rather than be swept under.

For further details or to review particular trends or stories, refer to the provided timestamps.