Today, most professionals are already using AI in some form, whether they talk about it openly or not. The question heading into 2026 is no longer who has access to these tools. It’s how to stay relevant now that everyone does. Setting 2026 goals connected to this issue is essential.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, employers highlight resilience, flexibility, and agility as among the most in-demand skills in the workforce, alongside analytical and creative thinking and technological literacy.
Against that backdrop, a set of skills continues to surface across industries that are harder to automate. These two goals reflect the skills that need to be developed in 2026 in order to stay relevant.
2026 Goal: Develop Public Speaking Skills
Well-composed emails, polished summaries, and detailed proposals are no longer signals of exceptional ability; they are expected, given how AI can help.
What still differentiates people is how they communicate when there is no script.
In a meeting, can you shift the conversation when you notice the client is no longer interested in the current proposal? If one of your teammates goes off-script, can you think on your feet and still participate in the pitch?
AI can help draft an email or clean up a proposal. What it can’t do is notice when a room goes quiet or when a point didn’t land. It can’t adjust mid-thought or mid-speech – only a human who is confident in their speaking and communication skills can handle those situations.
Action steps to build this skill:
- Challenge yourself to speak up once per meeting without preparing your comment in advance
- Practice explaining your work without slides or notes
- Volunteer to summarize discussions verbally instead of in follow-up emails
- Sign up for an improv class and learn to think on your feet
2026 Goal: Build AI Literacy As A Core Skill
AI literacy is not about keeping up with every new tool or release. It’s about developing discernment and understanding when AI is a helpful tool, when it’s misleading, and when to avoid using it.
Right now, many professionals fall into one of two extremes. Some are avoiding AI entirely. Others are trusting outputs too quickly and copying and pasting content as “fact”. Both approaches create risk.
True AI literacy is about knowing how to ask better questions, write effective prompts, evaluate responses critically, and recognizing that just because ChatGPT states something as fact doesn’t mean it is.
Employers expect workers to collaborate with AI while still owning decisions and outcomes. Knowing how to check, challenge, and refine AI output will be as important as generating it.
Action steps to build this skill:
- Cross-check outputs instead of assuming accuracy – do your own research
- Use AI to critique your thinking rather than outsourcing it
- Notice where AI lacks context or nuance in your specific field – pay attention to bias
2026 Goal For Students: Start Building These Skills Now
Students can also work on these goals, even if they aren’t yet in the workforce. Most of the skills can be developed through clubs, sports, part-time work, side hustles, and community volunteering. Find environments that already mirror real workplaces: group projects, shifting expectations, deadlines, and public pressure to perform.
Public speaking can be developed at pitch competitions or in debate clubs. AI literacy starts by learning how to create the most effective prompts and knowing the best questions to ask. Adaptability gets developed when you need to balance work and school. Self-direction shows up when you decide to launch a side hustle to make extra money.
Action steps to build this skill:
- Volunteer to speak first in class discussions or group presentations at least once a week
- Join one activity that forces live communication (debate, theater, student council, mock trial)
- Practice ownership by running one small project end-to-end (school event, fundraiser, club initiative)
Why These 2026 Goals Matter In An AI Economy
While AI can draft proposals, summarize transcripts, and generate answers for you, it cannot walk into the meeting or classroom for you. It cannot notice when the conversation shifts, when the audience stops paying attention, or when a client’s silence signals hesitation. It cannot improvise in a live moment when things aren’t going to plan. That’s where public speaking and effective communication earn their place in 2026.
When it comes to setting your 2026 goals in this AI economy, relevance won’t be determined by who uses AI. It will be determined by who can pair AI-assisted output with human presence, clear thinking, and credible decision-making.
Forbes
