Applications Priorities 2026
Confidently take on 2026 with a strong foundation.
The Situation
AI is moving fast. But its unprecedented pace of maturity has exposed a harsh truth: IT’s applications foundations are shaky, legacy, or even non-existent. Without a solid base to launch from, your applications team’s successful AI pilots could become short-lived experiments rather than sustainable innovation or enduring products and services.
Based on real-world case studies, plus data from Info-Tech’s extensive research surveys and diagnostic benchmarks, this report examines four top priorities for the applications agenda in 2026.
1. Boost Solution Delivery with AI
Embed key delivery activities with mature and proven AI capabilities.
Choose the AI tools that have proven track records of results. Harness their power to accelerate delivery of solutions that are optimized for personalized user experiences, and in compliance with corporate policies and regulatory standards.
2. Make AI a Team Member
Reimagine your team with AI as a colleague and peer.
AI has advanced beyond routine automation. Treat it as a collaborator to peer review, generate creative ideas, and ensure output aligns with project goals. Reinforce a culture where AI and humans seamlessly play off each other’s strengths, but be mindful of AI’s limitations and risks.
3. Generate Contextual and Tailored Digital Experiences
Deliver the right content, features, and workflows at the right time.
User experience expectations keep rising in a digital landscape that just keeps getting more competitive. Leverage AI to redefine how your organization connects with users. Turn routine interactions into high-value, contextual, and tailored experiences that drive loyalty and growth.
4. Enable End-to-End Business Process Automation
Harness the power of AI orchestration and automation.
Maybe you’ve already automated individual processes; now deploy AI orchestration to ensure they all work together to drive employee productivity, higher quality output, and practical insights. Embed business rules, analytics, and AI models directly into workflows to enable consistent, automated, and traceable decisions.
Blueprint Contents
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About Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
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