Top tech trends of 2026: Pascal Brier | WATCH VIDEO

As enterprises head into 2026, artificial intelligence is moving decisively out of the experimental phase and into operational maturity. According to the Top Tech Trends of 2026 report, AI is set to become the backbone of enterprise architecture—reshaping software development, redefining cloud consumption, and transforming how organizations operate at scale.

The report highlights a broader shift underway in enterprise technology: from innovation-led experimentation to the rebuilding of durable, resilient foundations that will support growth for the next decade. Intelligent operations, adaptive systems, and tech sovereignty are emerging as strategic imperatives, signaling a new era of structural transformation rather than incremental change.

Five key trends dominate the 2026 technology landscape:

The year of truth for AI: AI evolves into a trusted, adaptive value system embedded directly into enterprise decision-making, demanding strong governance and cultural readiness.

AI is eating software: Software development shifts from manual coding to intent-based orchestration, with AI autonomously assembling, maintaining, and healing systems.

Cloud 3.0: Cloud infrastructure matures into an active enabler of AI, driving adoption of hybrid, multi, private, and sovereign cloud models to address data sensitivity, latency, and regulatory needs.

The rise of intelligent operations: Enterprises move from monolithic systems to modular, learning ecosystems that combine human oversight with autonomous AI agents.

The borderless paradox of tech sovereignty: Organizations pursue resilient interdependence—balancing global collaboration with strategic control—by embedding sovereignty into system design rather than isolating technology stacks.

The report aims to help CEOs and C-suite leaders identify technology inflection points and understand how emerging trends will influence business strategy, operations, and long-term competitiveness across industries.

Unpacking these themes further, the report features insights from Pascal Brier, Group Chief Innovation Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee, and Bernard Marr, offering a leadership perspective on how organizations can navigate complexity while building foundations for sustained innovation.

Technology leadership in 2026, the report concludes, will no longer be defined by experimentation—but by the ability to construct systems resilient enough to support continuous reinvention.