WSJ The Future of Everything 2026: AI, Work, Money & Leisure

Published 15 May 2026

Author

8 min read

At The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) The Future of Everything conference (May 4-5, New York City), business leaders and journalists gathered to discuss the most pressing issues facing society. From the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) at work and home to the evolution of financial priorities for the young and old alike, we identify the key takeaways.

AI & Workplace Culture

Evolving Financial Priorities

Augmented Downtime

AI’s rapid entrance into the workplace is redefining the skills that make employees valuable and the paths people take to develop them. Speakers explored how AI is prompting a shift in desirable professional skill sets, both related to digital fluency as well as human empathy and intuition. For more, see The Future of AI at Work.

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Conference speakers highlighted how longer lifespans and changing demographics are reshaping consumers’ financial priorities, pushing finance beyond investing, into holistic life management. With 61% of Americans naming money as their top life stressor, there’s a wide audience for this type of integrated advice (Intuit, 2026).

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Speakers explored how technology is quietly embedding itself into even the most analogue areas of daily life, presenting visions that ranged from AI pets to user-created plug-and-play digital restaurant concepts.

WSJ The Future of Everything 2026: AI, Work, Money & Leisure

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Topics

AI & Robotics

Consumer Electronics

Financial Services & Fintech

Leisure

Science & Technology

Work & Education

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