Leusden, December 11, 2025 – More than half of employees conceal the fact that they use AI at work. Nearly half upload company data to public tools such as ChatGPT. And two-thirds do not check the output. This is according to the AI & Digital Marketing Trends 2026 report by Beeckestijn Business School, which was published today.
“We call this shadow AI,” says Bart Meerdink, author of the report and Managing Partner and core lecturer at Beeckestijn. “Employees are experimenting extensively, but out of sight of IT and management. This poses risks, but also presents a huge opportunity, you provided you know how to channel that energy.”
Lessons from the boardroom
The report describes how Dutch pioneers such as Ahold Delhaize, ING, KLM, and Essent are tackling this challenge. No ban on proprietary tools, but central platforms with clear frameworks. One AI owner instead of fragmented initiatives. And above all: room for ideas form the shop floor.
Frans Mulller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize: “The challenge is to maintain the energy of the workforce, but channel it towards projects that really have an impact.” NS CEO Wouter Koolmees emphasizes the importance of support: “If you present something that people have to follow, resistance arises.” And ING CEO Steven van Rijswijk advocates focusing on the problem, not the technology: Start with the problem. Only then move on to the technology, not the other way around.”
All as a new interface
A second trend identified by the report is that AI is changing the way consumers find information and make purchases. New AI browsers are not only replacing the search bar, but also guiding entire workflows. By 2026, more than half of all searches will be completed without anyone clicking through to a website.
The report predicts that agents will become the new customers. An AI agent that makes choices on behalf of the user wants to know: is it correct, is it relevant, can I trust it? Companies that do not optimize their data for agents will lose visibility. It will not be SEO, but AIO: Agent Interaction Optimization.
Career impact
Finally, the report warn of the impact on careers: 44% of all skills will change within five years. The demand for AI skills in job vacancies is more than twenty times greater than five years ago. And 97% of managers say that employees need to develop new AI skills. Meerdink: “AI skills have become your most important career skills. Not to operate tools, but to make yourself faster, smarter, and more valuable.”
About the report
The AI & Digital Marketing Trends 2026 report describes a total of five trends. In addition to AI adoption, the battle of the interface, and career impact, the report delves deeper into changes in the marketing funnel – where conversions are increasingly taking place outside of a company’s own website – and new AI features on social media.
- Trend 1: From isolated cases to central AI adoption
- Trend 2: The battle for the interface
- Trend 3: Funnels in 2026: Alive and full of innovations
- Trend 4: Socials 2026: Real people and AI assistance
- Trend 5: AI skills = Career skills
The full report is available to download for free.
