University of Kwazulu-Natal

10 Ai Predictions For 2026 Top Experts Share New Trends

Bonisiwe Shabane
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10 ai predictions for 2026 top experts share new trends

At QA, we have the privilege of seeing technology and skills trends as they emerge. Coupled with our internal expertise, it’s a bit like having a crystal ball. So, as we enter 2026, I’m peering into the future and sharing a few pivotal shifts to expect surrounding AI before this year is out – but first, some context to how we got... Over the course of 2025, businesses and individuals alike made the step from preparing for AI change to actively living alongside it. 79% of organisations were using generative AI as of November, up from 65% the year prior. But we have a long way left to go, since only 38% have moved beyond pilots into real adoption.Last year, we moved from awareness to action.

We shifted from talking about AI’s potential to rolling out all-staff training in prompting proficiency, tailored to roles and industries, because organisations are ready to start really applying new, powerful tools to their use... And it remains so. One much-debated question in the public mind that I tackled last year was whether AI could replace therapists. My take on this was a resounding ‘no’. While there may be some useful applications in triaging, for instance, human expertise matters. Especially in high-risk situations.

Sadly, that message hasn’t always landed, and there have been sobering stories of people turning to AI for help instead of professionals. Regulation in this field is urgently needed to catch up with the tech and how it’s already being used.There’s another side to that coin. On one face, premature application without safeguards; on the other, AI reluctance and hesitation. There’s a tension between the fear of moving too fast and the risk of falling behind. Fueling and complicating all of this is the growing skills divide.It’s a new year, but all these questions follow us into 2026, and must be tackled. Attitudes are shifting again.

AI is becoming the interface for everything, citizen developers are on the rise and democratised tech skills are a reality. Generative AI tools won’t just be for business staff. Technical teams - yes, even those building AI applications - will need prompting proficiency of their own. AI literacy will become as fundamental as Excel skills once were. Expect deeper integration of AI features within existing software. Microsoft Copilot will lead the charge, with Copilot 365 gaining smarter connections and richer context.

We’ll end up with AI that feels less like an add-on and more like part and parcel of your familiar operating systems. We already know from OpenAI’s Dev Day that ChatGPT will start hosting apps from early this year, and I expect Copilot won’t be far behind. Microsoft’s new AI companion, Mico, is a perfect example of this shift, prioritising a human-centered approach. In short, AI is soon going to be our go-to tool for everything, with all the other tools embedded inside it. Picture entering a reality, not a science fiction concept, but a space where your digital assistant comprehends your instructions and can predict what you intend to do next. Factories hum with autonomous robots, compelling creative content, from music to 3D renderings, is created in less than a second, and personalized services operate on AI systems that improve with every interaction.

AI is defining reality as we near 2026. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly evolving beyond a tool and emerging as a strategic partner in businesses, a driver of innovation, and a critical skill set for individuals. Gartner predicts that 40% of enterprise applications will leverage task-specific AI agents by 2026, compared to less than 5% in 2025. These statistics suggest a deep transformation: AI is progressing from supportive automation to autonomous decision-making, affecting industries across the world. To keep pace with all of this change, it is important to grasp the Artificial Intelligence trends on the horizon for 2026. Let’s explore 10 significant trends that will alter our daily life, our work, and how we innovate.

Agentic AI is defined as intelligent systems that can independently set their goals, make decisions, and issue multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention. Agentic AI represents a move beyond automation to managing adaptive, dynamic workflows; in other words, agentic AI acts as a true digital collaborator. Customer support representatives who independently prioritize and handle support requests. <img decoding="async" src="https://solutionsreview.com/identity-management/files/2023/07/9.gif" alt="Ad Image" /> <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium_large wp-image-54796" src="https://solutionsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-Predictions-artificial-intelligence-768x384.jpg" alt="AI and Enterprise Technology Predictions from Industry Experts for 2026" width="768" height="384" srcset="https://solutionsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-Predictions-artificial-intelligence-768x384.jpg 768w, https://solutionsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-Predictions-artificial-intelligence-300x150.jpg 300w, https://solutionsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-Predictions-artificial-intelligence-400x200.jpg 400w, https://solutionsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-Predictions-artificial-intelligence.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> As part of the 7th Annual Insight Jam LIVE event, the Solutions Review editors have compiled a list of predictions for 2026 from some of the most experienced professionals across the Artificial Intelligence (AI)...

As part of Solutions Review’s annual Insight Jam LIVE event, we called for the industry’s best and brightest to share their enterprise technology predictions for 2026 and beyond. The experts featured represent some of the top solution providers, consultants, and thought-leaders with experience in these marketplaces. Each projection has been vetted for relevance and its ability to add business value. Solving the AI-Readiness Gap Will Become the Primary Investment Priority for Data Leaders. Prominent AI CEOs share their predictions for the future of AI in 2026, covering advancements in areas like coding, AGI, and multimodal models. Insights from Dario Amodei, Elon Musk, Demis Hassabis, and others provide a glimpse into the rapid progress expected in the next few years.

In the coming years, the world of AI is poised for remarkable advancements. From AI-powered coding to the potential emergence of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), industry leaders offer insights into the transformative changes we can expect by 2026. This blog post explores the predictions and timelines shared by top AI experts, providing a glimpse into the future of this rapidly evolving technology. Optimized AI Coding by 2026: Matching the Best Human Coders Rapid Advances Towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) by 2026-2027 Multimodal Omni-Models: Integrating Gemini AI and ViLO for True Physical World Understanding

As we look toward 2026, artificial intelligence stands at an inflection point. The foundation-shaking developments of recent years - from large language models to generative AI to multimodal systems - are maturing from research breakthroughs into transformative real-world applications. Leading AI researchers, industry experts, and thought leaders offer compelling predictions about where AI is headed in the coming year. This comprehensive analysis examines the most credible expert forecasts for 2026, their implications, and what they mean for businesses, individuals, and society. Perhaps the most consistent prediction among experts is that 2026 will be the year AI transitions from chatbot to autonomous agent - systems that don't just respond to requests but proactively complete complex, multi-step... Task Planning and Execution: Instead of asking "What's the weather?" and getting a response, you'll say "Plan my trip to Boston next month" and an AI agent will research flights, compare hotels, book reservations,...

Workplace Automation: AI agents will schedule meetings by coordinating multiple calendars, prepare briefing documents by synthesizing relevant information, and follow up on action items by sending reminders and tracking progress. Research and Analysis: Complex research tasks that once took days - like "Analyze our top competitors' pricing strategies and recommend changes" - will be completed in hours by agents that gather data, perform analysis,...

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