Mary Shea, PhD

In 2026, generative AI is reshaping how B2B selling organizations operate and organize. This piece explores how AI teammates change sales roles, enablement models, and seller performance, creating a new class of B2B sellers and a widening performance gap between teams that adapt and those that do not.

We are entering a new phase of AI where individual speed is no longer enough. The real advantage comes from how teams share context, connect information, and build on each other’s work. In this piece, I explore why productivity now depends on the networks around us and how the next generation of AI will act as a true networked teammate that understands people, relationships, and the flow of work.

In an AI-first world, your network, not your résumé, is your real advantage. As hybrid work and AI reshape how we connect, “Always Be Networking” (ABN) is the new rule. At Meerkat, we help professionals turn static contact lists into living relationship graphs powered by AI intelligence, blending human connection with smart insights to build trust, visibility, and opportunity in the future of work.