Could 2026 be the year of the 4-day workweek? Here’s what top business leaders have predicted about the shift

Artificial intelligence’s rapid development in 2025 accelerated feelings of anxiety about the future—with worries about shrinking entry-level opportunities, rising electricity costs to power sprawling data centers, and whether an AI-fueled bubble could destabilize the economy. 

But alongside those concerns came a more hopeful idea: that technology could turbocharge productivity so much so that the traditional five-day, 9-to-5 workweek may no longer make sense. And it’s just not burnt-out...