When everything is content, nothing is content anymore. A look at the 2026 brand and digital trends and why the future is no longer in the crowd but in the class.
We need to talk. About the elephant in the room that spread across our feeds. AI content exploded in 2025. Suddenly anyone could generate anything. The result? A flood of mediocre texts, hallucinating facts and images with the same, smooth plastic look all the time. The Internet is in danger of sinking into “AI slop” — synthetic data garbage that feeds algorithms but bores people. At the same time, a new pillory mentality that normalizes devaluing people when a typographically correct indent is used. Just like up here.
For 2026, we therefore see a massive backlash at MINT. The technological playground is maturing. Here's our perspective on how we're navigating this new reality.
1. Down with mediocrity
The AI Slop has an interesting side effect: It devalues the average. If an AI can write a solid LinkedIn post in seconds, solid isn't worth anything anymore.
In 2026, the gap between mass-produced AI and human quality will widen. That doesn't mean we're giving up AI. But the focus is shifting from generation to curation. We're becoming more directors of our tools. The ability to filter out the one brilliant one out of 1000 AI ideas and give it the human touch becomes the most valuable skill set of all. If you press buttons thoughtlessly, you lose. Whoever demonstrates emotional intelligence and sensitivity wins.
2. Lo-fi video and effective recruiting
When text is written by machines, people search for evidence of real life. The format of the 2026 election is therefore radically video-centered. But it's different than before.
We see the end of glossy image films and the triumph of low fidelity videos. In marketing, sales and especially when it comes to approaching young talent, authenticity beats production value.
Gen Z and Alpha no longer read BulletPoint-heavy job ads. They want authenticity. An uncut “Day in the Life” video, shot with a smartphone, creates more trust than any smooth-ironed image film.
3. From SEO to GEO
For years, we've been optimizing for Google's ranking. But in the age of ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Search, the game is changing. We are moving from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
AI (of the future) isn't looking for keywords, it's looking for citability. The question is no longer: “Where do I rank? “, but: “Am I the source that the AI cites when it formulates the answer? “Brands must become true knowledge leaders in 2026. Unique data, expert opinions, and in-depth analyses are the only way to take place in the generated answers. Anyone who just repeats is hidden.
4. Authenticity is not = 100 % perfection
When visual perfection is just a prompt away, perfection becomes suspect. A flawless face, perfect illumination — easy with Nano Banana.
We are heading for a renaissance of “raw authenticity.” Trust is created where you see the seams. The noise in the picture, the improvised sentence, deliberate glitches, the small flaw, these are the new quality seals. Design can start again. Brutalism and organic textures are visual evidence of human authorship. We must have the courage to allow deliberate disorder.
5. Let AI agents do the hard work
As we look more human and “slippery” (haha) on the outside world, the real revolution is happening in the background: Agentic AI.
We're moving away from chatbots to autonomous agents. These systems don't wait for instructions, they act. They analyse market data, suggest budgets or personalize the customer journey in real time. This frees us from the operational burden. The time we no longer spend with Excel lists is flowing into what AI can't do: empathy, strategy, and real human connection.
Summarized
The hype is slowly over, and that's a good thing. 2026 is no longer about what the technology can do, but who we can be through it and what goal can be achieved.
We must stop producing mediocrity. Instead, we use technology for GEO and Agentic workflows to become more relevant, personal and — paradoxically — more human on the front end.
Now is the year when humanity, technology and values come together.
