AI Trends 2026

AI risks. AI rules. AI rewards.

AI evolves, and the world shifts with it. Discover the forces reshaping IT in 2026.

CIOs and IT leaders must leverage AI opportunities without compromising ambitious goals, core values, or secure and responsible governance. Our annual AI Trends report is your strategic lens on where AI is headed next – and what to do about it.

From agentic AI to sovereignty regulations, this research cuts through the hype to deliver actionable insights on the five AI trends that will impact IT most in 2026 and beyond.

Five AI trends will shape IT in 2026

Our report unpacks the macro trends shaping AI and ties each one back to IT strategy, governance, and transformation.

1. Foundational AI principles will rewrite organizational DNA

Enterprises will develop their own guiding AI principles to address rising AI risk and align their AI strategy around core organizational values.

2. From copilots to vibe coding: AI will continue to reinvent IT

New categories of enterprise AI tools will emerge, propelling many organizations toward a crucial decision: AI platform or best-of-breed AI tools?

3. Agentic AI will come of age and power the exponential enterprise

Adoption of agentic AI will grow faster than generative AI, powering exponential growth and change across organizations while bringing new opportunities and risks.

4. Risk management will be the price of admission for AI

The potential risks of new AI applications will drive organizations to adopt AI risk management programs, even in jurisdictions with no regulatory requirement.

5. AI will hang in the balance between freedom and control

AI sovereignty will become top of mind for regulators, but legislative policies will develop in a disjointed fashion around the world.

AI Trends 2026 Research & Tools

1. AI Trends 2026 Report

IT leaders face the complex challenge of balancing AI’s potential with competing risks and responsibilities. In the race to deliver tangible AI value, IT must:

Establish foundational AI principles to address AI risks and reflect strategic principles.
Adopt a solution-centric approach and focus on driving business value with AI tools and applications that align to foundational AI principles.
Select business-driven use cases for agentic AI and include human oversight when developing agentic AI applications.
Implement a risk management program that’s focused on delivering value and mitigating potential AI risks.
Develop an adaptive AI governance framework to provide safeguards and self-regulate regardless of the legislative environment.

Read our AI Trends report now to make smarter, faster AI decisions for the coming year – and years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AI Trends 2026?

AI Trends 2026 is Info-Tech Research Group's annual strategic report identifying five key AI trends that will impact IT leaders in 2026 and beyond. Based on Info-Tech's Future of IT 2026 survey (n=700+), the report cuts through hype to deliver actionable insights on foundational AI principles, emerging AI tools, agentic AI adoption, risk management programs, and AI sovereignty regulations.

What are the five AI trends shaping IT in 2026?

According to Info-Tech Research Group, the five AI trends shaping IT in 2026 are: (1) foundational AI principles will rewrite organizational DNA, (2) AI will continue to reinvent IT from copilots to vibe coding, (3) agentic AI will come of age and power the exponential enterprise, (4) risk management will be the price of admission for AI, and (5) AI will hang in the balance between freedom and control through sovereignty regulations. Info-Tech's report provides strategic recommendations for CIOs to navigate each trend.

What are foundational AI principles?

Foundational AI principles are organizational governance standards that govern the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI applications to mitigate possible risks. Info-Tech Research Group identifies candidate principles including safety and security, data privacy, explainability and transparency, validity and reliability, fairness and bias detection, accountability, sustainability, human agency and autonomy, environmental impact, contestability, and intellectual property protection. These principles are selected and customized to reflect the organization's guiding principles and form the core of Info-Tech's AI governance framework.

How do foundational AI principles differ from strategic AI principles?

Info-Tech Research Group distinguishes between strategic AI principles and foundational AI principles in their AI strategy framework. Strategic AI principles align the business strategy with the AI strategy and reflect the organization's overall approach to using AI. Foundational AI principles, by contrast, govern the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI applications to mitigate possible risks from deploying AI-based applications. Both principle types work together to ensure AI initiatives deliver value while addressing organizational values and risk management requirements.

What percentage of organizations have implemented foundational AI principles?

According to Info-Tech Research Group's Future of IT Survey (2025, n=258), over half of respondents have implemented or are in the process of implementing foundational AI principles in their organization to address possible risks associated with AI applications. Specifically, 35% are currently assessing the principles and in early stages of implementation, and 70% of respondents feel prepared to fully prepared to operationalize their foundational AI principles. Notably, no respondents viewed AI safeguards as an impairment to innovating with AI.

What percentage of organizations have a formal AI strategy?

According to Info-Tech Research Group's Future of IT Survey (2025, n=260), 23% of organizations have a corporate-wide AI strategy in place (an increase of 15 percentage points compared to the previous year), while 26% have an AI strategy in place for some business areas (an increase of seven percentage points). Additionally, 34% reported their AI strategy is being developed or will soon be developed (a decrease of six percentage points). Info-Tech's data shows that developing formal AI strategy is a growing trend, though still relatively new for most organizations.

How should AI strategy be aligned with organizational strategy?

Info-Tech Research Group recommends that a business-driven AI strategy be aligned with the organizational strategy through four key components: (1) AI Vision—a forward-looking, aspirational statement reflecting commitment to leveraging AI for positive and responsible outcomes, (2) Value Drivers—ways value is recognized by the organization to ensure candidate AI initiatives align to organizational goals, (3) Strategic AI Principles—guiding principles that align business strategy with AI strategy, and (4) Foundational AI Principles—governance standards for developing, deploying, and maintaining AI applications. This framework ensures AI initiatives trace back to organizational objectives.

What is agentic AI and why does it matter for CIOs?

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can act autonomously to accomplish tasks and make decisions with minimal human intervention. Info-Tech Research Group predicts that adoption of agentic AI will grow faster than generative AI in 2026, powering exponential growth and change across organizations while bringing new opportunities and risks. Info-Tech recommends that IT leaders select business-driven use cases for agentic AI and include human oversight when developing agentic AI applications to balance innovation with responsible governance.

What are the main opportunities and risks of AI strategy in 2026?

Info-Tech Research Group identifies five key opportunities from AI strategy: accelerated AI deployments, improved customer experience, talent attraction and retention, innovation and growth, and increased employee productivity and effectiveness. The corresponding risks include possible job displacement, overreliance on AI systems, creation of deepfakes for identity theft or fraud, misalignment with foundational AI principles, and possible privacy breaches with the use and sharing of data. Info-Tech's framework helps organizations maximize opportunities while implementing safeguards to mitigate these risks.

Why is AI risk management becoming mandatory?

According to Info-Tech Research Group's AI Trends 2026 report, the potential risks of new AI applications will drive organizations to adopt AI risk management programs even in jurisdictions with no regulatory requirement. Risk management is becoming the price of admission for AI because organizations recognize that AI applications can introduce new risks related to bias, privacy breaches, security vulnerabilities, and misalignment with organizational values. Info-Tech recommends implementing a risk management program focused on delivering value while mitigating potential AI risks, regardless of the legislative environment.

What is AI sovereignty and how will it affect organizations?

AI sovereignty refers to the control that nations and regions seek to exercise over AI systems, data, and infrastructure within their jurisdictions. Info-Tech Research Group predicts that AI sovereignty will become top of mind for regulators in 2026, but legislative policies will develop in a disjointed fashion around the world. This creates a challenge where AI will hang in the balance between freedom and control. Info-Tech recommends that organizations develop an adaptive AI governance framework to provide safeguards and self-regulate regardless of the legislative environment.

What are the key actions IT leaders must take according to AI Trends 2026?

Info-Tech Research Group's AI Trends 2026 report identifies five key actions for IT leaders: (1) establish foundational AI principles to address AI risks and reflect strategic principles, (2) adopt a solution-centric approach and focus on driving business value with AI tools that align to foundational AI principles, (3) select business-driven use cases for agentic AI and include human oversight when developing agentic AI applications, (4) implement a risk management program focused on delivering value and mitigating potential AI risks, and (5) develop an adaptive AI governance framework to provide safeguards and self-regulate regardless of the legislative environment.

What survey data supports Info-Tech's AI Trends 2026 report?

Info-Tech Research Group's AI Trends 2026 report is based on the Future of IT 2026 survey conducted in May and June 2025, with over 700 survey responses from IT leaders. Most respondents were in North America, though countries around the globe were represented. Over half of respondents held director-level or more senior positions. Industries represented include Government/Public Sector, Financial Services & Insurance, Education, Manufacturing, Professional & Technology Services, Utilities, Healthcare, Professional Associations & Nonprofits, Transportation & Logistics, and Retail, among others.

How are organizations evolving their AI governance requirements?

Info-Tech Research Group emphasizes that foundational AI principles continue to evolve as organizations' enterprise governance requirements evolve. Organizations should consider candidate foundational AI principles such as sustainability (designing AI systems to be more energy efficient), human agency and autonomy (using AI systems that augment human performance), environmental impact (designing AI for positive environmental outcomes), contestability (enabling individuals to challenge AI decisions), intellectual property protection, and additional principles that address compliance or are customized for the organization or industry. Info-Tech's approach ensures foundational AI principles are core to the organization's AI governance program and used to identify risk categories for AI risk management.

What is the relationship between AI tools and enterprise AI platforms?

According to Info-Tech Research Group's AI Trends 2026 report, new categories of enterprise AI tools will emerge in 2026, from copilots to vibe coding solutions, propelling many organizations toward a crucial decision: AI platform or best-of-breed AI tools. The ecosystem of AI solutions for IT will grow with the introduction of new categories. Info-Tech recommends that IT leaders adopt a solution-centric approach that focuses on driving business value with AI tools and applications that align to foundational AI principles, rather than choosing technology first.

FIVE AI TRENDS FOR 2026

This report highlights five key AI trends in emerging and leading-edge technologies and practices, offering actionable insights that can help guide your organization toward its strategic goals.

Foundational AI principles will rewrite organizational DNA
AI strategies will be informed by an emerging set of principles.
From copilots to vibe coding: AI will continue to reinvent IT
The ecosystem of AI solutions for IT will grow with the introduction of new categories.
Agentic AI will come of age and power the exponential enterprise
Agentic AI will increase in adoption and enable outcomes across the organization, powering exponential growth and change.
Risk management will be the price of admission for AI
Adoption of AI risk management programs will be driven by the potential new risks that AI applications can introduce.
AI will hang in the balance between freedom and control
AI sovereignty will become top of mind for regulators.

Over 700 survey responses from IT leaders

The Future of IT 2025 survey

The AI Trends 2026 report is based on the Future of IT 2026 survey conducted in May and June 2025.

Most respondents were in North America, but countries around the globe were represented.

Over half of respondents held director-level or more senior positions.

Sample of the '2026 Future of IT Survey'.

Industries represented include (Industries representing less than 1% of survey respondents not listed here.):

Government/Public Sector
Financial Services & Insurance
Education
Manufacturing
Professional & Technology Services
Utilities
Healthcare
Professional Associations & Nonprofits
Transportation & Logistics
Oil & Gas Operations
Retail
Casinos, Gambling & Lottery

AI strategy is driven by organizational strategy and value drivers

A business-driven AI strategy is aligned with the organizational strategy of the firm. Key components of the AI strategy include:

AI Vision: The AI vision statement is usually forward-looking and aspirational and reflects the organization’s commitment to leveraging AI to deliver positive and responsible outcomes.
Value Drivers: These drivers represent the ways value is recognized by the organization and are used to ensure candidate AI initiatives are aligned to the goals and objectives of the organization.
Strategic AI Principles: Strategic guiding principles align the business strategy with the AI strategy and reflect the organization’s overall approach to the use of AI.
Foundational AI Principles: Foundational principles govern the development, deployment, and maintenance of AI applications to mitigate the possible risks from deploying AI-based applications.

List titled 'AI Strategy' with the adjacent list items.

Foundational AI principles address the risks associated with AI and are aligned with the organization’s guiding principles

List titled 'Foundational AI Principles' with items surrounding it, 'Sustainability', 'Safet and Security', 'Data Privacy', 'Explainability an Transparency', 'Contestability', 'Fairness and Bias Detection', 'Accountability', and 'Validity and Reliability'.

Foundational AI principles are selected and customized to reflect the organization’s guiding principles.

Foundational AI principles should be core to the organization’s AI governance program.
Foundational AI principles are used to identify risk categories for the organization’s AI risk management program.

Foundational AI principles continue to evolve as organizations’ enterprise governance requirements evolve

Candidate foundational AI principles to consider

Sustainability
Design AI systems to be more energy efficient.
Human Agency and Autonomy
Use AI systems that augment human performance and enable independent actions.
Environmental
Design AI systems to have positive environmental outcomes.
Contestability
Enable individuals to challenge and seek redress for AI decisions that have impacted them.
Intellectual Property
Ensure AI systems recognize intellectual property rights.
Other
Additional principles that address compliance or are customized for the organization/industry.

While developing a formal AI strategy is the growing trend, the majority have not established a formal organization-wide AI strategy

What best describes your organization’s approach to AI strategy?

Pie chart with different approaches to AI. The largest percentage is 34% for 'AI strategy is being developed or will be developed soon'.
(Source: Info-Tech Future of IT Survey, 2025; n=260)

INSIGHT

Although most organizations have or are developing an AI strategy, this is still relatively new for most.

23% of respondents said they have a corporate-wide AI strategy in place today (an increase of 15 percentage points compared to last year’s survey result).
26% said there is an AI strategy in place for some business areas (an increase of seven percentage points).
34% replied that their AI strategy is being developed or will soon be developed (a decrease of six percentage points).

Organizations understand the need for foundational AI principles to address AI risks

What best describes your organization’s adoption of foundational AI principles (safety and security, data privacy, explainability and transparency, validity and reliability, fairness and bias detection, accountability)?

Pie chart with different stages of adoption of foundational AI principles. The largest percentage is 35% for 'We are currently assessing the principles and in the early stages of implementation'.
(Source: Info-Tech Future of IT Survey, 2025; n=258)

INSIGHT

Over half of respondents have implemented or are in the process of implementing foundational AI principles in their organization to address the possible risks associated with the introduction of AI applications.

No respondents viewed AI safeguards as an impairment to innovating with AI.

23% of respondents said they have a corporate-wide AI strategy in place today (an increase of 15 percentage points compared to last year’s survey result).
26% said there is an AI strategy in place for some business areas (an increase of seven percentage points).
34% replied that their AI strategy is being developed or will soon be developed (a decrease of six percentage points).

A majority of organizations feel that they are prepared to put their AI principles into practice

How prepared is your organization to put your foundational AI guiding principles into practice?

Horizontal bar chart with an x-axis of percentages from 0-30%, and five bars representing how prepared organizations are, from 1 to 5. The longest bar is bar 4.