The tech that will invade our lives in 2026

NEAR the start of each year, I look at what’s new in consumer technology to give a heads-up on the innovations that could actually affect your day-to-day life, amid the many fads you can ignore.

In the past, many trends showed up on this list repeatedly, such as smart homes, fitness tech and electric cars, because the tech took time to mature. (Not everything pans out; while those last two examples became hot, smart home technology still has some rough edges.)

Now, it’s undeniable that generative artificial intelligence (AI) – the tech driving chatbots – is rapidly changing how many people use their devices and browse the Web. The AI boom is also causing tech companies to experiment with selling new gadgets that may succeed the smartphone.