Gen Beta has arrived.
At midnight on January 1, 2026, the world quietly crossed a generational threshold, and almost no one noticed.

In this episode, Ryan Vet breaks down why Gen Beta begins in 2026, what makes this generation fundamentally different from Gen Alpha and Gen Z, and why generational shifts don’t follow calendar pages; they follow cultural tipping points.

This isn’t speculation or trend-chasing. It’s a grounded, research-backed look at how artificial intelligence moved from novelty to invisible infrastructure, reshaping childhood, parenting, education, and leadership in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

You’ll learn:

• Why Gen Beta is more than just a new generational label
• How AI adoption crossed a cultural tipping point—and why that matters for kids born in 2026
• What it means to grow up AI-native, not by choice
• Why convenience may be replacing competence—and the long-term implications
• How Millennials and Gen Z parents are shaping a new era of childhood
• Why debates about when Gen Beta starts miss the bigger point

Ryan also introduces the concept of Generational Blur—the messy, overlapping reality of how generations actually form—and explains why shared language matters, even when the edges are fuzzy.

If you’re a parent, educator, leader, futurist, or simply trying to understand what’s changing in the world, this episode sets the foundation for a deeper exploration of Gen Beta and the cultural forces shaping their future.

Gen Beta isn’t coming.
They’re already here.

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

What will actually shape society by 2026—and which signals are already visible right now?

In this episode, generational futurist Ryan Vet explores how 2026 will arrive faster than we expect, why the pace of change is no longer linear but compounding, and why 2026 won’t be remembered as a year of answers but as a year of signals.

Rather than offering hype-driven futurist predictions, Ryan breaks down the deeper forces already reshaping society beneath the surface. Drawing on generational patterns, cultural history, and current data, he explains why artificial intelligence, trust erosion, education shifts, and widening cultural divides are not isolated trends but interconnected expressions of a larger recalibration already underway.

This conversation looks at what’s quietly changing now—and what that means for leaders, parents, educators, and institutions heading into 2026.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

AI in 2026
Why we’ve already crossed the AI tipping point, how adoption has accelerated faster than any prior technology, and why the most significant risk isn’t job loss—but how AI changes thinking, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving long before the effects are obvious.

Cognitive offloading and dependency
How everyday tools like GPS, voice assistants, and AI tutors slowly reduce cognitive effort, why each tradeoff feels harmless in isolation, and why friction is where learning actually happens. Ryan explains when assistance quietly becomes erosion—and why this matters more than automation.

Technology management, not technology debate
Why 2026 marks a shift from arguing whether technology is good or bad to learning how to manage dependency intentionally.

Education in 2026
Why credentials are losing influence, proof is replacing prestige, and learning models are fragmenting across public, private, hybrid, and alternative paths—and why demonstrated capability increasingly matters more than titles or degrees.

The contradiction shaping the next generation
Why parents and schools are restricting screens while AI adoption accelerates into classrooms, toys, learning platforms, and daily workflows—and the tension this creates for early development.

Trust, credibility, and leadership
How trust is eroding across generations, why credibility is becoming provisional, and why people increasingly place trust in individuals rather than institutions.

Cultural polarization beyond politics
Why polarization now extends far beyond political affiliation into workplaces, brands, leadership expectations, and everyday life.

The arrival of Gen Beta
What it means for a generation to grow up from day one in a world where AI is an assumed layer of reality—and how early formation is changing in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

This episode ultimately asks the harder questions:

What happens when assistance quietly becomes erosion?
When does convenience weaken capability?
How do you lead, teach, and parent intentionally in a world moving faster than refl

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Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com

What Gen Z’s relationship with Christmas reveals isn’t really about holiday greetings—it’s about the future of faith, belief, and institutional trust.

In this episode, generational futurist Ryan Vet explores a growing contradiction shaping Gen Z: belief in a higher power is rising, while participation in organized religion is collapsing. Drawing on data from Pew Research, the General Social Survey, Barna, Gallup, and Springtide Institute, Ryan explains why Gen Z is not becoming less spiritual—but far more selective about where and how belief shows up.

Is it okay to say Merry Christmas this year? Using Christmas as a cultural signal, Ryan unpacks why debates over saying “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays” are mostly noise, and what they reveal about a deeper generational shift. Beneath the surface is a widening divide between spirituality and religion, authenticity and performance, belief and institutions.

This episode explores:

• Why Gen Z belief in a higher power is increasing while church attendance declines
• How institutional skepticism—shaped by Gen X—resurfaced and intensified in Gen Z
• Why Gen Z is deeply allergic to hypocrisy and performative faith
• The surprising rise in Bible sales, increased commitment among churchgoing Gen Z, and a gender shift in attendance
• How spirituality is being reframed as mental health, grounding, and self-connection rather than doctrine

Through a futurist lens, Ryan explains why Gen Z is not indifferent to faith—but polarized. Some are doubling down with conviction and consistency, while others are opting out entirely, often because organized religion feels inauthentic or misaligned with lived values.

The defining question of this moment isn’t how we greet customers in December.
It’s whether belief systems—religious, institutional, or cultural—can hold together under scrutiny.

If you’re interested in:

• Gen Z and religion
• Spirituality vs organized religion
• Generational change and cultural polarization
• Faith, authenticity, and institutional trust
• What Christmas reveals about belief and belonging

…this conversation will challenge how you see both the data and the deeper signal underneath it.

🎧 Listen now and vote in this week’s Your Perspective poll.

Send us a text

Ryan Vet is a USA TODAY bestselling author, futurist, and international keynote speaker whose insights on generations, culture, and the future of work have been featured in Forbes, Financial Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS. His research helps leaders understand emerging generational patterns and anticipate societal shifts before they fully unfold.

If you want deeper research and behind-the-scenes insights on generations and the future of culture and society, join Ryan’s weekly newsletter:
👉 https://collide.ryanvet.com