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Wharton's Ethan Mollick: Agentic AI will rise in 2026

December 28, 2025 / 00:54

This episode discusses the rapid adoption of generative AI, its capabilities in performing complex tasks, and its integration into organizational processes. Key points include the current usage statistics of AI models, the potential for AI to assist in education, and the need for deeper interactions beyond simple queries.

The conversation highlights that a billion people are using generative AI weekly, indicating a significant shift in how these technologies are perceived and utilized. The hosts mention that AI can perform difficult jobs and even assist with math, suggesting a growing reliance on these tools.

There is an emphasis on the ongoing disruption caused by AI, with no signs of a slowdown in its development. The discussion points out that organizations are beginning to rethink their processes to incorporate AI more effectively, moving beyond basic functionalities.

The episode also touches on the concept of 'agentic work,' where individuals will assign tasks to AI for completion, indicating a future where AI plays a more integral role in daily operations.

TL;DR

Generative AI is rapidly adopted, reshaping jobs and education, with organizations needing to rethink their processes for deeper interactions.

Episode

0:54
00:00:00
There's a billion people using
00:00:01
generative AI models on a weekly basis
00:00:03
right now. We have evidence that they
00:00:05
can do hard level jobs, that they can do
00:00:07
hardle math. People are treating these
00:00:09
things as companions. They're getting
00:00:10
help with school for better, for worse.
00:00:12
That's already here. The change is baked
00:00:14
in. We could stop with AI development
00:00:16
today and have 10 years of disruption as
00:00:18
we figure stuff out. Right now, there's
00:00:19
no sign of a slowdown in the growth of
00:00:22
AI adoption. It's going to move, I
00:00:24
think, increasingly inside
00:00:26
organizations. We're seeing
00:00:27
organizational adoption increase as
00:00:28
well. and organizations are have to
00:00:30
rethink processes and approaches to
00:00:31
figure out how to use AI effectively. It
00:00:34
can't just be chat bots where people ask
00:00:36
write my essay for me or summarize this
00:00:37
data for me. It's going to have to be a
00:00:39
deeper form of interaction. So be
00:00:41
watching for that kind of agentic work
00:00:43
starting to appear where people work
00:00:44
deeply with AI assign AI tasks that it
00:00:47
completes and so on.

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 70
    Best concept / idea
  • 60
    Most influential

Episode Highlights

  • Organizational Transformation
    Organizations are rethinking processes to effectively integrate AI into their workflows.
    “Organizations are having to rethink processes and approaches to figure out how to use AI effectively.”
    @ 00m 30s
    December 28, 2025

Episode Quotes

  • People are treating these things as companions.
    Wharton's Ethan Mollick: Agentic AI will rise in 2026
  • The change is baked in.
    Wharton's Ethan Mollick: Agentic AI will rise in 2026
  • We could stop with AI development today and have 10 years of disruption.
    Wharton's Ethan Mollick: Agentic AI will rise in 2026
  • It's going to have to be a deeper form of interaction.
    Wharton's Ethan Mollick: Agentic AI will rise in 2026

Key Moments

  • AI Companions00:09
  • Baked Change00:12
  • Disruption Ahead00:14
  • Deeper Interactions00:39

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