Happy New Year: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤'𝐬 𝐀𝐈 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐲 (Edition #6)

Welcome to this week’s AI Ally!

Why 2025 Belonged to the Humans

Hey team, Tanqueray here. If 2025 was the year of "What is a prompt?", then 2026 will be the year we stop asking questions and start giving orders. We will officially move past AI Literacy and entered the era of AI Mastery.

But Mastery isn't just about technical speed; it’s about context. This past year, I committed to a personal journey: 52 weeks of uncovering and sharing Black History from across Charleston, SC, and beyond. I spent every week digging into the innovations of the past—from the ironwork of Philip Simmons to Gullah Geechee navigation. What I realized is that AI is just the latest tool in a long line of human attempts to scale brilliance. Innovation is in our DNA, and we are using these new tools to honor that legacy.

Photo Credit: Philip Simmons Foundation, St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church

Partner Spotlight: Global Strategy at EDF Renewables

Focus: The Delivery Lead’s Roadmap to the Cloud

This year, TR Edwards Consultancy partnered with EDF Renewables to support a fundamental shift in how North American assets are managed.

By the end of 2025, EDF Renewables will have migrated all owned Solar & Storage assets to a homegrown, cloud-based platform. This transition involved replicating on-premises functionality in the cloud while launching high-performance dashboards and KPIs via Nsight Solar & Storage.

The Power of Analytics: Centralizing global data into a "single source of truth" to identify underperformance and cost-saving opportunities.
The Mastery Shift: Standardizing data access and functionality to support greater global operational efficiencies.

Photo credit: Gemini AI

Partner Spotlight: Charleston Wine & Food
Focus: Operational Empathy & Logistics

Closer to home, TR Edwards Consultancy worked with the Charleston Wine + Food Festival (CHSWF) team to tackle the "paperwork blizzard" of coordinating 400+ participants across 100+ events.

The AI Solution: We leveraged Agentic AI to automate exhibitor and vendor applications, contracts, scheduling and logistics for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival.
The Impact: By letting AI agents handle the complex logistical load, the CHSWF team was able to stay focused on their "People First" core value, ensuring the festival remained a world-class human experience.

Interactive: The 2025 AI Mastery Scorecard

Are you a Literacy Learner or a Mastery Orchestrator? We built a live micro-app to help you audit your workflow.

[CLICK BELOW TO LAUNCH THE MASTERY SCORECARD APP]

https://aially2025.streamlit.app/

Mastery Scorecard App

Photo Credit: Gemini AI

Not at Mastery Yet? The 2026 Guide

If you're still bridging the gap, remember my 52-week project. Mastery takes consistency, not magic.

Step 1: Define the Logic. Just like documenting history, you have to map the steps before you automate them.
Step 2: Use the "Handshake." Connect your logic to a tool like Streamlit to build your first Micro-App.
Step 3: Lead with Empathy. Use your reclaimed time to do something that matters—like learning about the history of the streets you walk every day.

The Big Question for 2026

We’ve achieved Mastery. We’ve reclaimed our time. We’ve honored our history.

Now that the "grunt work" is in the graveyard, what is the one story or project you’ve been putting off that you’re finally going to tackle in 2026?

Why Micro-Apps Matter in 2026

Scalability: Instead of answering the same question 10 times, you build a tool that answers it 1,000 times.
Authority: Sharing a link to a functional app carries more weight than sharing a PDF or a long email.
Agentic Future: This is the first step toward building "Agents" that don't just talk, but actually execute work for you.

Your First Challenge

Don't overthink it. Your first app doesn't need to be complex. It just needs to be useful.

Idea: A "Meeting ROI Calculator" or a "Project Pitch Grader."

What’s the first manual process in your department that deserves its own Micro-App?

Join Us in 2026!

I invite you to join me at one of my upcoming events or, if you are interested in elevating your next conference, secure a dynamic AI strategy session or motivational keynote address with Tanqueray by connecting with tanqueray@tredwardsconsultancy.com today.

1. AI & Data Leadership Coaching Series: Hands-On: AI & Data Coaching for Leaders

Date(s): January & February 2026
This specialized leadership series is restricted to a small cohort. Because availability is highly limited, ensure your participation by registering for priority alerts when enrollment dates are released. Register here.

2. IHOPE Center of the Lowcountry Business Series: AI in Business Development

Date: February 2026
Stay tuned for details

3. Helm Summit

Date: March 2026
Stay tuned for details

We are In This Together: Leveling Up for 2026

If the chaos of the last two years has taught us anything it is that even in a world obsessed with Agentic AI talent is still the ultimate flex. We have watched these systems flip the script on the global economy but at the end of the day your success comes down to your human team mastering the tech and not the other way around. Huge thanks for sticking with us and trusting our vision. We are still obsessed with the same simple mission of killing off those soul crushing inefficiencies so you can reclaim your time and focus on the big picture human centric work that actually moves the needle on revenue.

We are staying deep in the trenches testing the tech and breaking things so you do not have to make sure you are leading the pack through 2026. Thanks for being the best part of our journey so far. Catch some literal R&R over the holidays and let us get ready to hit the ground running for a year of serious exponential growth.

Warmly,

Tanqueray (Tanq) Edwards

#AIAlly