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Why 2026 Will Be the Year of Human-AI Collaboration
What will separate AI winners and losers in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team looks ahead to a year where human-AI collaboration, organizational redesign, and platform consolidation will define businesses looking to make the most impact.
As they prepare for CES in January, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on what’s emerging across industries and what leaders need to act on now. From AI’s shift into core processes, to evolving expectations around talent, to the rising premium on authentic, human-centered experiences, this conversation explores where real transformation is taking shape.
For leaders charting their next move, this episode offers practical insight into where the real momentum is heading and how to align for it.
—
Quotes
“If you had asked me coming into 2025, ‘Who are the leaders going to be in AI?’ I would've pointed straight to the expected candidates. What I would not have pointed to, would've been DeepSeek, the R1 model out of China. I would not have picked that up. That was surprising.” – Jake Carter
“To me what was probably the most surprising was towards the beginning of 2025 it was all focused on tech, data, and getting your house in order. But then in the back half when things started moving really quickly, it's like, ‘Oh wait, we've gotta get our people up to speed. We've gotta get our processes up to speed.”’ – Ryan Medellin
“ As someone who comes from a strategy, management consulting perspective, it's just a really fun time to be alive and a fun time to be in a craft and fun time to be able to be thinking about stuff. And you know, I find that we're able to be innovative in ways today that it's just bigger. It's broader. It's not just simply, ‘How do we roll out a new product or think about a certain tangential element.’ It's really around, ‘How do you think about your business in a different way? How do you think about your partner ecosystem in a different way?”’ – Kevin Erickson
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:50 Today's topics
04:10 Kevin's journey with Credera and the podcast
08:45 Jake's perspective and surprises over the past year
11:35 How the world is reacting to AI
15:40 Preparing for the next wave of innovation
22:00 A technology tangent
23:40 Pure Signal at CES 2026
34:00 Closing thoughts
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
Kevin Erickson
Ryan Medellin
Jake Carter
Learn more about Credera
View all episodes
By Pure SignalWhat will separate AI winners and losers in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team looks ahead to a year where human-AI collaboration, organizational redesign, and platform consolidation will define businesses looking to make the most impact.
As they prepare for CES in January, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on what’s emerging across industries and what leaders need to act on now. From AI’s shift into core processes, to evolving expectations around talent, to the rising premium on authentic, human-centered experiences, this conversation explores where real transformation is taking shape.
For leaders charting their next move, this episode offers practical insight into where the real momentum is heading and how to align for it.
—
Quotes
“If you had asked me coming into 2025, ‘Who are the leaders going to be in AI?’ I would've pointed straight to the expected candidates. What I would not have pointed to, would've been DeepSeek, the R1 model out of China. I would not have picked that up. That was surprising.” – Jake Carter
“To me what was probably the most surprising was towards the beginning of 2025 it was all focused on tech, data, and getting your house in order. But then in the back half when things started moving really quickly, it's like, ‘Oh wait, we've gotta get our people up to speed. We've gotta get our processes up to speed.”’ – Ryan Medellin
“ As someone who comes from a strategy, management consulting perspective, it's just a really fun time to be alive and a fun time to be in a craft and fun time to be able to be thinking about stuff. And you know, I find that we're able to be innovative in ways today that it's just bigger. It's broader. It's not just simply, ‘How do we roll out a new product or think about a certain tangential element.’ It's really around, ‘How do you think about your business in a different way? How do you think about your partner ecosystem in a different way?”’ – Kevin Erickson
—
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
01:50 Today's topics
04:10 Kevin's journey with Credera and the podcast
08:45 Jake's perspective and surprises over the past year
11:35 How the world is reacting to AI
15:40 Preparing for the next wave of innovation
22:00 A technology tangent
23:40 Pure Signal at CES 2026
34:00 Closing thoughts
—
Links
Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!
Kevin Erickson
Ryan Medellin
Jake Carter
Learn more about Credera