18 Coffees Featured in Fast Company: Why AI and Purpose Are on a Collision Course in 2026
Managing Partner Caleb Gardner was recently quoted in Fast Company's "In 2026, corporate purpose will come to a fork in the road," sharing insights on how AI is forcing companies to choose between embedding purpose as a competitive advantage or watching it fade into irrelevance.
The article, written by Carol Cone and informed by the Purpose Collaborative—a network of 40 impact-driven companies—examines a critical inflection point for organizations in 2026. As political volatility, ESG backlash, and AI-enabled transformation reshape the business landscape, companies face a stark choice: integrate purpose into their core operating system, or quietly let it disappear.
Purpose as Competitive Advantage—Or Survival Risk
Caleb highlighted the bifurcation happening across industries:
"For companies that can integrate and connect purpose to actual business value, it will be a source of competitive advantage, helping them stand out from the AI 'workslop.' For others, it will fade into the background as they fight for survival."
This "AI workslop" Caleb references reflects a reality many organizations are navigating right now: as generative AI floods the market with content, products, and services that look increasingly similar, purpose becomes one of the few meaningful differentiators. But only if it's embedded structurally—in strategy, governance, KPIs, and decision-making—not just marketing language.
AI's Challenge to the Business Case for Purpose
Caleb also pointed to a deeper existential question AI is forcing organizations to confront:
"Over the last year, AI-enabled 'jobless growth' forced companies to answer an existential question: What are humans actually for? Companies have justified centering purpose at least partly because they needed humans (who deeply care about their impact on the world) to be productive. If the narrative becomes about how AI can do the work better, purpose advocates may lose their most powerful business case."
This tension is at the heart of 18 Coffees' work with clients implementing AI strategies. Organizations need change management expertise to ensure AI adoption doesn't hollow out the human reasons people need to be effective.
Consistency Over Caution
In a polarized political climate where many organizations are pulling back on public commitments to purpose, Caleb offered clear guidance:
"Think long-term about your purpose and be boldly consistent, and you'll be rewarded for it no matter the political climate."
Bold consistency builds trust. And trust is what drives employee engagement, customer loyalty, and long-term resilience.
What This Means for Leaders
The Fast Company article, drawing on insights from purpose-driven firms across 20+ countries, makes it clear: pressure tests whether purpose is real.
Organizations that survive this fork in the road will be the ones that:
Embed purpose into measurable systems (retention, inclusion, decarbonization, product decisions)
Treat purpose as proof, not just story
Use AI as a tool to scale human impact, not replace it
Stay rooted in values even when the cultural and political ground feels unstable
At 18 Coffees, we help organizations implement human-centered AI through effective change management, so teams actually adopt it.
Read the full Fast Company article here: In 2026, corporate purpose will come to a fork in the road.
