Algorithms are increasingly effective at locking us into bubbles. They provide us with content that confirms our beliefs. They divide us into smaller and smaller groups.
The 2026 challenge is simple in concept, difficult in execution: let's look for universal topics. And it's not about some values being better than others – it's about finding a space where we can meet despite our differences. Sports is a perfect example here – when Robert Lewandowski scores a goal, both conservatives and liberals cheer him on. When Adam Małysz landed on Wielka Krokiew, nothing else mattered. Sport has something that transcends divisions – pure emotion, effort, overcoming boundaries and community.
Similarly, family (understood in various ways, but still family). Old age. Interpersonal relationships. Emotions – because I assume that arguments, love and everyday challenges look similar in every relationship. Each of us will grow old someday. And each of us wants to feel part of something bigger.
Stories of real people — not idealized heroes, but ordinary people with their everyday struggles, dreams, failures and triumphs — these stories have the power to speak to everyone.
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In the world of marketing. Intellectual humility, or it's time to get off the pedestal
I recently attended an industry gala. The slogan was: “Creativity enters the theater,” because the gala took place in a theater. Imagine: you go with an advertisement to a place where art has been happening for centuries and you say “now we enter here with creativity.”
Marketing as an industry has created its own hierarchy of values, its own rewards, its own measures of success. And somewhere along the way we forgot that we should draw from theater, film, literature, music – and not the other way around. So the challenge is this: let's go back to the roots – to creativity, to great ideas. To art. Let us have intellectual humility. Let's ask questions. Let's look for other opinions. Let's talk to people who think differently than us.
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A camera on your phone doesn't make you a filmmaker
Remember when iPhones came out with good cameras? Everyone said: “Now you can make movies with the same quality as with a camera.” So what? Everyone has a camera on their phone, but not everyone is a filmmaker or photographer.
It's exactly the same with language models. We can create lots of assets. We can target them precisely. We can flood the Internet with content. Performance marketing is pushed to the limit. But the thing is, it's not an advantage anymore.
The advantage is history. Emotions. What the language model won't come up with – because it has no childhood memories, it doesn't have a wounded heart, it doesn't know what failure feels like or what happiness smells like. It can generate, but it cannot feel. In 2026, the challenge will be quality, not quantity. Uniqueness, not scale.
Changes require support, not being left to their own devices
Technological revolutions have always been a cause for concern. And rightly so – because they always meant that the world as we knew it ceased to exist. But the truth is that not everyone has equal opportunities in the new reality. It's easy to talk about “redefining yourself” when you have resources, contacts, and education. It's more difficult when changing your profession means risking loss of stability. For many people, technological change is not an exciting adventure – it is a threat. The challenge for 2026 is not only about individual courage, but above all system support. Companies, institutions, the state – we all should take responsibility to ensure that the transformation does not leave people alone. Because real change isn't about leaving people overboard – it's about building bridges.
AI – let's not get caught up in what dominates the conversation
And finally – the topic that also dominated my column. At every conference, on every panel – AI, AI, AI. And rightly so, because it is technology that is changing the way we work. But with all the hype, it's easy to forget about the fundamentals.
2026 will be the year of complete creative freedom – the combination of technology and the beauty of the human mind. Or it will be the year when we stop thinking because it will be more convenient for us to ask a chatbot. When we look at content, we no longer know whether it was created by a human or AI. In this world, authenticity will become the greatest currency. Therefore, let's stick to the dramatic structure, emotions and originality. Because the stories of real people – with their real problems, dreams and emotions – are something that no technology can replace.
So we go back to Krychowiak and Brad Pitt: it doesn't matter where you go, it matters with whom. In 2026 – and in any other year – it will be people who matter. Their stories. Their emotions. Their authenticity. Technology is a tool. But it's up to us to decide whether we will use it to create something meaningful or to flood the world with more colorless content.
And the choice, as always, is ours.
