Fast Company – Summer 2026

Fast Company – Summer 2026

Summary

Fei-Fei Li brings AI into the physical world with world models — as Fast Company's Summer 2026 special issue maps 42 ways you should be using AI right now, from autonomous shopping to a drone navy at sea.

The cover story (p.54) profiles Fei-Fei Li, founder and CEO of World Labs, building a newer kind of AI beyond large language models that understands the physical world. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (p.68) maneuvers self-driving cars onto his super app. The AI 20: Rising Stars (p.78) features the third annual list of humans expanding AI's reach. "42 Ways You Should Be Using AI Right Now" (p.62) is Harry McCracken's practical AI tools roundup spanning productivity, creative work, and coding. "Confessions of an Agent Power User" (p.52) documents a day in the life of an AI agent early adopter. Chili's comeback story (p.) shows how CEO Kevin Hochman got the chain's sizzle back after years of declining traffic. A Navy drone armada (p.74) covers the US Navy's shift toward unmanned surface vessels.

Editor Brendan Vaughan opens with "The New Nature of Change." The special issue theme is "Autonomous — A human's guide to navigating the next wave of AI."

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.54 · Fei-Fei Li Brings AI into the Physical World
World Labs CEO Fei-Fei Li explains world models — AI systems that understand physics, space, and object permanence beyond text. The article cites her lab's breakthrough in 3D scene understanding that requires only 2 reference images. AI researchers working on spatial intelligence can use the 2-image benchmark.

▸ Features

p.68 · AI in the Driver's Seat: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
Khosrowshahi discusses integrating autonomous vehicles into Uber's super app in select US cities by 2027. The article cites a 40 percent cost-per-mile reduction target for autonomous trips versus human-driven ones.

p.62 · 42 Ways You Should Be Using AI Right Now
Harry McCracken's practical roundup of AI tools categorized by productivity, creative work, coding, and personal organization. Each entry includes a specific use case and tool name. Anyone who has not used AI in their workflow gets a turnkey starting list.

p.52 · Confessions of an Agent Power User
Azeem Azhar documents a day using AI agents for scheduling, research, code review, and email triage. He estimates the agents saved 4 hours per day. Knowledge workers evaluating AI agent adoption get a realistic before-and-after comparison.

▸ AI 20

p.78 · AI 20: Rising Stars Expanding AI's Reach
The third annual list of 20 executives, engineers, and researchers driving AI across industries. Categories include healthcare, finance, climate, and education.

▸ Comeback

p. · How Chili's Got Its Sizzle Back
CEO Kevin Hochman turned around Chili's by streamlining the menu from 120 to 75 items and improving cook times. Same-store sales increased 15 percent in 2025. Restaurant operators can use the menu-rationalization playbook.

▸ Technology

p.74 · A Drone Navy Takes to the Seas
The US Navy's unmanned surface vessel program deploys 50 drone ships for surveillance and logistics. Each vessel costs $15 million versus $2 billion for a destroyer. Defense contractors can benchmark procurement costs.

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Editor's Take

This special issue delivers on its "Autonomous" theme with real breadth. The Fei-Fei Li cover story is the highlight — world models are genuinely underreported compared to LLMs, and the 2-image 3D scene benchmark is a concrete technical detail. The 42 Ways AI roundup is the most practical piece in any Fast Company issue this year. The weakest feature is the Navy drone piece: interesting but reads like a DOD press release without independent cost verification. The Chili's comeback is well-reported but has no AI connection, making it feel misplaced in an autonomous-themed issue. Still, for the Fei-Fei Li interview and the 42 Ways guide, this issue is essential for anyone navigating the current AI wave.

Strengths
• Fei-Fei Li world models with 2-image 3D benchmark
• 42 Ways AI tools roundup — turnkey for new adopters
• Uber cost-per-mile target for autonomous trips

Weaknesses
• Navy drone piece lacks independent cost verification
• Chili's comeback has no thematic connection to autonomy

Verdict: Essential — The Fei-Fei Li interview and AI tools guide make this the most practical single issue of Fast Company this year.

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