In 2026, Mobile World Congress celebrated 20 years in Barcelona, and I look back to MWC26 thinking about how far the industry has come.

While AI is accelerating progress at unprecedented speed, I see something else emerging in parallel. People are starting to crave distance from technology. It is a natural response to overload, and I needed to highlight the concern.

Every year, our discussions about the technology's future change and evolve. While some predictions come true more quickly than anticipated, others fade.

I have watched many policy debates rise and fade across the tech world. Few have created what I see right now around Australia's upcoming social media age law. With the December 10 deadline approaching, the world is already calling it a ban. The government calls it a delay in access, the public calls it everything from necessary to outrageous, and no matter where you stand, this is a turning point. We can all agree on that.

With less than a month until Christmas, I feel a responsibility to raise a topic that continues to grow every year. Digital hoaxes and scams are evolving faster than most people can keep up with. This season brings excitement, generosity, travel, and celebration. But at the same time, it also brings distraction. Scammers know this, and they plan around it. They count on busy minds and tired eyes. They count on people skipping verification because the queue is long, the

I'm frequently asked whether the AI boom will end. Uncertainty gives rise to the query. They observe changes in the headlines. They observe fluctuations in valuation. They hear pundits discussing bubbles. Every time I hear the worry, I remember the earlier cycles that did much more to change the world than to disturb it.

It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since I entered the Dublin Web Summit as a member of a startup. I recall the enthusiasm. I recall the excitement of founders pitching in packed halls. In 2015, 42,000 people showed up. Ten years later, Web Summit Portugal had over 71,000 guests.

As we approach 2026, infrastructure is the backbone of the digital economy and the driving force behind the AI revolution. In recent months, there has been a considerable increase in infrastructure announcements. The pace represents a competitive race to lay the groundwork for the future, and the size is worldwide.

Today, as I look back, HUMAIN has become a force of action, driving new partnerships, incredible leadership, and a powerful narrative that merges technology with human progress. I knew I was onto something when I chose to keep a close eye on this initiative.

The rise of AI has pushed data consumption and energy demand to levels we have never seen before. Every query, every model, every piece of generated content requires enormous computing power. Behind every chatbot and every predictive model are data centres running at full throttle.

In this piece, I want to look at how far delivery robotics has come, who is leading the way in real-world deployment, what challenges still exist, and what intelligent automation really means when it starts delivering at scale.

This week, the European Commission announced two new strategies to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across European industries and science. The goal of these projects is to build a digital future that is more competitive, connected, and morally sound.