For years, AI in the AV industry sounded like a future promise — something talked about in keynotes and trend reports, but rarely felt on the job site or in day-to-day operations.

In a recent episode of the Built Together podcast, Mark Coxon, Director of Market Development at AVI-SPL, shared a provocative analogy that should make every CIO and CTO rethink their approach to workplace technology: the Snickers bar workplace.

Over the past season of Built Together, one thing has become abundantly clear: the AV industry is no longer just about technology — it’s about people, culture, and how rapidly evolving tools shape the way we work, gather, and collaborate.

If the AV industry has learned anything over the past five years, it’s that the pace of change is accelerating—and 2026 is shaping up to be a transformational year. Between advancements in AI, the rise of smart environments, new demands for cybersecurity, and the explosive growth of content-driven experiences, the audiovisual ecosystem is expanding into directions that reach far beyond traditional displays and projectors.