University of Kwazulu-Natal

Agentic Ai In 2026 More Mixed Than Mainstream Cio

Bonisiwe Shabane
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agentic ai in 2026 more mixed than mainstream cio

Agentic AI is having its everything, everywhere, all at once moment. Or is it? IT practitioners tracking what’s happening on social media, in vendor pronouncements, and throughout the thought leadership sphere where hyperbole runs hot are forgiven for thinking that the world’s businesses are soon to be running... They see proclamations that the age of the agentic workforce is at hand (90% of IT support work executed by agents!) and anecdotes about enterprising programmers generating revenue from agent-based products. Meanwhile, others claim that the industry is being sold a bill of goods and that the reality on the ground does not match the hype. As is often the case in tech, that reality is more nuanced.

Even so, data clarifies. While 39% of organizations surveyed by McKinsey say they are experimenting with agents, only 23% have begun scaling AI agents within one business function. First, let’s take a step back: What exactly are AI agents and why are IT leaders excited about them? Agentic AI is having its everything, everywhere, all at once moment. Or is it? IT practitioners tracking what’s happening on social media, in vendor pronouncements, and throughout the thought leadership sphere where hyperbole runs hot are forgiven for thinking that the world’s businesses are soon to be running...

They see proclamations that the age of the agentic workforce is at hand (90% of IT support work executed by agents!) and anecdotes about enterprising programmers generating revenue from agent-based products. Meanwhile, others claim that the industry is being sold a bill of goods and that the reality on the ground does not match the hype. As is often the case in tech, that reality is more nuanced. Even so, data clarifies. While 39% of organizations surveyed by McKinsey say they are experimenting with agents, only 23% have begun scaling AI agents within one business function. First, let’s take a step back: What exactly are AI agents and why are IT leaders excited about them?

Drive has 700+ articles for digital transformation leaders written by StarCIO Digital Trailblazer, Isaac Sacolick. Learn more. Last year, many of us were introduced to agentic AI. In recent articles, I shared 50+ AI agents from top-tier SaaS and security companies, as well as another 30 from growing startups. AI is reshaping business, but it isn’t transformational yet. In the 50+ expert predictions I captured for this article, you’ll see how AI impacts CX, DevOps, and C-level leadership, which will help drive the transformation.

Other predictions on AI, data governance, security, and IT Ops outline what businesses must prioritize to enable compliant, safe, and ethical AI. Thanks to all the experts that shared predictions from Algolia, AnswerRocket, Aquant, ASAPP, Automation Anywhere, Boomi, BQP, CallRail, Camunda, Cato, Certinia, Cloudera, CloudBolt, Commvault, Cozmo AI, Cribl, Deskpro, Empromptu, EY, Flowable, iBwave Solutions, Imply,... The predictions include AI Agents and Orchestration (9), CX, Customer Support, Content Generation, and Creativity (7), LLMs and AI Models (3), AI and Data Governance (9), AI and Information Security (5), AI Code Generation... IT leaders will look to make use of agentic systems, focus on projects with productivity gains and rethink workforce strategies next year. In 2025, enterprise technology executives faced immense pressure to help their businesses reap the rewards of sustained focus on AI. Most made inroads, honing their approach to project prioritization and dodging AI washing from vendors.

CIOs are still experiencing AI-related hiccups, however. The fragmented, shifting AI regulation landscape and macroeconomic headwinds will continue to push technology executives toward skepticism and scrutiny. The effects of growing AI adoption are still emerging, with some CIOs expecting next year to bring changes to workforce strategy. Agentic AI, which gained enterprise traction this year, is one of the leading drivers, although success was rare in 2025. The technology still has a ways to go before it can run loose in enterprise environments, but 2026 could bring agentic AI much closer to vendor aspirations. Industry leaders from Graphwise and Propel Software outline how hybrid AI architectures, knowledge graphs, agentic systems and SaaS will redefine enterprise software, automation and trust in 2026.

Andreas Blumauer, Senior VP Growth at Graphwise In 2026, enterprises will stop debating ‘LLMs vs. knowledge systems’ and start combining them. The most successful AI strategies will blend the neural intuition of foundation models with the structured reasoning of symbolic and semantic systems. These hybrid architectures unite the creativity and adaptability of large language models with the governance, precision and explainability of domain-specific logic. Rather than relying on a single provider or methodology, forward-thinking organizations will orchestrate hybrid stacks across clouds, open-source ecosystems and proprietary systems.

This ‘AI orchestration layer’ becomes the backbone of enterprise adaptability—capable of switching between models, enforcing compliance and contextualizing every decision with business logic. The payoff is substantial: faster regulatory alignment, better cost control and dramatically improved auditability. By transforming data silos into connected, governed AI platforms, enterprises will move from fragmented intelligence to orchestrated insight—the real blueprint for enterprise-scale value creation in 2026. IDC FutureScape 2026 Predictions Reveal the Rise of Agentic AI and a Turning Point in Enterprise Transformation New IDC research outlines how agentic AI will reshape strategy, workforce, and innovation across global enterprises by 2030 Agentic AI is redefining enterprise strategy, transforming how technology, people, and performance work together to drive growth.

IDC’s FutureScape 2026 reveals how AI is scaling from pilots to enterprise transformation, helping organizations turn disruption into opportunity through strategy, trust, and innovation. NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International Data Corporation (IDC), the trusted technology intelligence leader, announced the release of its FutureScape 2026 research, a comprehensive outlook on the next five years in enterprise technology. AI is scaling fast, and the next shift will redefine the tech industry. IDC FutureScape 2026 research outlines how agentic AI is reshaping how work gets done, how people contribute, and how industries will grow in the years ahead. Getting started Community Training Tutorials Documentation Getting started Community Training Tutorials Documentation

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