2026 Tech Trends That Will Change Your Life

Fourth measles case confirmed in L.A. County; person visited LAX, restaurants while infectious February 19, 2026

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has confirmed its fourth measles case of the year. The infected individual flew into LAX and visited a few San Gabriel Valley fast food restaurants.

Andrew J. Campa

SoCal company accused of starting 680-acre wildfire pays $2.5 million February 19, 2026

A business owner was operating an excavator on Aug. 25, 2021, to assess the viability of developing a commercial property in Fontana when the steel treads of the excavator ignited dry vegetation in a rocky area, sparking what would become the South fire.

Cierra Morgan

Trump administration looks to join suit alleging LAUSD discriminates against white students February 19, 2026

The Justice Department has petitioned to join a lawsuit challenging LAUSD's decades-old desegregation policy that provides extra resources and smaller classes to predominantly minority schools.

Howard Blume

Commentary: Yes, Wasserman should go. But what about all those other guys in the Epstein files? February 19, 2026

L.A. Olympics committee head Casey Wasserman is the rare elite who has been held accountable in the aftermath of the latest Epstein files release.

Lorraine Ali

Long-awaited reports outline problems with Palisades infrastructure February 19, 2026

In a road map for rebuilding infrastructure, the reports outlined nearly a billion dollars in projects through 2033, including more than $650 million for electrical undergrounding and $150 million for water system upgrades.

Noah Haggerty, Noah Goldberg, Ian James

A series of deadly California storms continues to bring more rain, snow and danger February 19, 2026

Since Monday, a series of storms has drenched much of California and dumped feet of snow in the Sierra.

Summer Lin

Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorses former Rep. Katie Porter for governor February 19, 2026

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) endorses former Rep. Katie Porter, her protege and former law student, for governor.

Seema Mehta

Lopez: Their houses burned but they'll return, ready to write Altadena's next chapter February 19, 2026

Michele Zack's updated history of Altadena dwells on the past, peeks into the future.

Steve Lopez

When it comes to shark attacks, there's a grim reason California stands out in the U.S. February 19, 2026

Shark attacks in 2025 were back to a normal level after a down year in 2024. California continues to overindex in unprovoked attacks, and in 2025 recorded the only shark-related death of the year in the U.S..

Meg Tanaka

Break in cold case leads to 39-year-old man, now facing murder charge in L.A. Juvenile Court February 19, 2026

Victor Perez pleaded not guilty to killing a woman in Hollywood in 2003. Because he was 17 at the time, Perez is being prosecuted as a juvenile — at least for now.

Matthew Ormseth

From ambient AI to decentralized data networks, the defining tech trends of 2026 are pushing boundaries and forcing a deeper reckoning with how technology integrates into everyday life.

According to a recent report by The Guardian and Deloitte Insights, the most transformative technologies of 2026 are not just innovations. They are systems reshaping industries, behavior, and power structures. These five trends are leading the charge.

Ambient AI: Artificial intelligence is becoming embedded in daily environments through smart homes, vehicles, and wearable devices. Unlike older models that required direct commands, ambient AI anticipates needs by learning from passive signals like gestures, tone of voice, and physiological markers.
Edge Computing: Processing power is moving closer to the devices themselves. Smartphones, cameras, and appliances can now handle complex AI tasks without relying on cloud servers. This reduces latency and enhances privacy, especially for applications in healthcare and public safety.
Sustainable Tech Infrastructure: Green data centers and low power chips are gaining priority as tech companies face pressure to reduce emissions. Companies like Google, Amazon, and Alibaba are investing in carbon neutral AI training, water efficient cooling, and recyclable components.
Digital Identity and Verification: With fraud and identity theft on the rise, new standards are emerging around biometric authentication and decentralized digital IDs. Governments and private firms are rolling out systems that allow people to control how their identity is verified and shared online.
Human Machine Collaboration: The conversation is shifting from automation to augmentation. AI tools are now enhancing human creativity, productivity, and decision making. In fields like journalism, design, and medicine, professionals are using AI as a partner rather than a replacement.

As these trends mature, experts emphasize the importance of ethical foresight. “Technology in 2026 is not just about capability. It is about context and consequence,” said Dr. Leila Rowe, a digital ethicist at MIT. “We are building tools that shape how we live, trust, and relate to one another.”

The tech trends of 2026 are subtle yet seismic. Their real impact lies not in novelty, but in how deeply they are woven into the systems that run our world.