Getting a Grip on AI for Your Business in 2026

Why AI is no longer optional — and a practical, low-regret way to take control.

By now, most business leaders have moved past the “Is AI real?” phase and into something more complicated: AI is everywhere, but it still feels slippery.

You can see the potential. You’ve probably tested a few tools. Colleagues are quietly experimenting. Vendors are enthusiastically selling. Competitors are “doing something with AI” (whatever that means). And yet — in many organisations — AI is still not properly owned, governed, or connected to strategy.

That’s the risk.

Not because AI is a shiny trend, but because its influence is becoming structural: how work gets done, how customers get served, how decisions get made, and how fast competitors can move.

2026 is shaping up to be the year where the conversation shifts from capability to advantage — and businesses that don’t get a grip will feel that gap widening.

The 2026 reality: AI becomes the operating environment

A useful way to think about 2026 and getting a grip on AI for your business is this:

• AI moves from “tool” to “system” (embedded across workflows, platforms, and products).

• Agents and multi-agent systems become mainstream — not just chatbots, but AI that can take steps, complete tasks, and collaborate across tools (with humans in the loop). 

• The winning organisations stop asking “What can AI do?” and start asking: “Where do we want AI to create measurable advantage?”

• Governance and assurance stop being ‘red tape’ and become a precondition for scaling. 

• Boards (and customers) increasingly expect clarity on risk, ethics, data, and accountability — because AI can amplify harm as quickly as it amplifies productivity. 

Meanwhile, the market narrative is getting sharper: prove value. Many organisations will focus less on novelty and more on ROI, reliability, and adoption — turning AI experimentation into operational results. 

So yes — you can dislike the hype. You can be cautious. You can even decide to move slower than others.

But if AI isn’t part of your strategy at all, your competitors will still use it to:

• respond faster to customers,

• automate internal friction,

• accelerate sales and marketing cycles,

• reduce delivery costs,

• improve quality and consistency,

• and free people up for higher-value work.

Competitive advantage doesn’t ask permission.

“Getting a grip” means moving from curiosity to control

Most businesses don’t fail with AI because they’re not intelligent enough.

They fail because AI introduces a set of challenges organisations aren’t set up for:

• fragmented experimentation (“shadow AI”),

• unclear ownership,

• weak data readiness,

• poor use case selection,

• unmanaged risk,

• and low adoption because people weren’t brought with them.

That’s why I like the phrase “getting a grip”. It implies something practical:

• You can steer it.

• You can make it safe.

• You can make it useful.

• You can make it yours — aligned to how your business actually works.

The UK Government’s AI Playbook is a strong reference point here because it frames AI adoption as a disciplined, responsible process — understanding capabilities and limits, managing risks, and deploying in ways that maintain trust and security. While it’s aimed at the public sector, the principles translate brilliantly into business. 

Harnessing the power of AI: Robotic hands delicately manipulate a digital cube, symbolizing innovative solutions for business challenges.

The Talisman approach: a practical path to AI advantage

At Talisman, we simplify this into a clear, outcome-led journey:

1)

Understand what AI is (and isn’t) — in your context

Before strategy, you need shared understanding:

• what AI can realistically do for your business,

• what it can’t do (yet),

• where risk sits (data, privacy, IP, bias, safety),

• and what “good” looks like in your operating environment.

Talisman service alignment:

• AI Awareness Session (plain-English, business-first, grounded in real examples)

• Leadership briefing: “AI advantage without AI chaos”

2)

Get honest about readiness

Readiness isn’t about being “mature”. It’s about knowing where you are so you can choose the right next step.

In practice, readiness breaks down into:

• Leadership intent (is this real, or theatre?)

• Skills and capacity (who can drive this?)

• Data readiness (is your data usable and governed?)

• Technology landscape (where will AI live?)

• Risk and governance (how will you stay safe and compliant?)

Talisman service alignment:

• AI Readiness Assessment (fast, practical, and designed for action)

• Clear outcome: a baseline plus a recommended route (Explore / Enable / Embed)

3)

Choose the right use cases (this is where most money is lost)

AI doesn’t create value because it’s clever. It creates value when it targets:

• repeatable work,

• information bottlenecks,

• slow decision cycles,

• customer friction,

• quality issues,

• or growth constraints.

The trap is choosing use cases that are:

• too big,

• too vague,

• too risky,

• or not connected to a business outcome anyone cares about.

The better approach: build a short pipeline of use cases across horizons:

• Now: quick wins (time saving, simplification, content/knowledge support)

• Next: workflow integration (process + toolchain improvements)

• Later: differentiated capability (new products, new services, defensible advantage)

Talisman service alignment:

• Explore Playbook (guardrails + practical tools)

• Use Case Discovery Canvas / Opportunity Mapper workshops

4)

Build your “safe-to-scale” foundations

This is where serious organisations separate from dabblers.

To scale AI without pain, you need foundations such as:

• clear policies (what’s allowed, what isn’t),

• data rules and access controls,

• vendor and tool due diligence,

• human oversight for high-stakes decisions,

• and a simple governance rhythm (not bureaucracy).

This is exactly why governance and assurance are rising up the agenda for 2026. 

And it’s consistent with the UK Government playbook’s emphasis on safe, secure, responsible use — especially when AI is deployed into real services and decisions. 

Talisman service alignment:

• Enable Playbook (capability + governance uplift)

• Data readiness and risk/ethics quick scans

5)

Pilot properly — then embed

Pilots fail when they’re treated as experiments with no operational path.

A good pilot has:

• a clear owner,

• a measurable outcome,

• defined controls and review points,

• real users involved early,

• and an adoption plan (training, comms, ways of working).

Then you embed:

• into processes,

• into role expectations,

• into governance,

• and into culture.

Talisman service alignment:

• Embed Playbook (ways of working + adoption + continuous improvement)

• Practical change and engagement support (so it actually sticks)

Visualizing the Future: Creating Strategic Plans for AI Innovation.

What to do next: a simple “next 30 days” plan

If you want to get a grip quickly — without overcommitting — here’s a sensible next step sequence:

1. Run an AI Awareness Session for leadership (get aligned, cut through hype)

2. Complete an AI Readiness Assessment (baseline + route map)

3. Identify 3–5 priority use cases across Now / Next / Later

4. Pick one pilot that is valuable, safe, and measurable

5. Put basic governance in place so experimentation doesn’t become risk debt

This creates momentum and control — which is exactly what 2026 will reward.

The point isn’t to “do AI”. It’s to stay competitive on purpose.

AI is already changing the ground rules. The organisations that win in 2026 won’t necessarily be the ones with the flashiest tools.

They’ll be the ones who:

• choose the right problems,

• put safe foundations in place,

• bring their people with them,

• and turn AI into a capability — not a scramble.

If you want support getting a grip — in a way that’s practical, safe, and tied to real outcomes — that’s exactly what Talisman is here to do.