University of Kwazulu-Natal

The Top Tech Trends We Expect To See In 2026 Slashgear

Bonisiwe Shabane
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the top tech trends we expect to see in 2026 slashgear

The world of tech is always one of the fastest-paced. New ideas and solutions are proposed to revolutionize the way consumers interact with the world around them every day across every sector. For instance, artificial intelligence has ushered in one of the most volatile eras of technological evolution since the dot-com bubble at the turn of the century, and the wheel of innovation doesn't appear to... The evidence of this evolutionary strength is in the S&P 500 index; more specifically, the lopsided composition of its stocks' earnings. Although the index comprises the largest companies in the world by market cap, a new trend has appeared in the market. As of Q2 2025, the Mag 7 (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla) saw their earnings grow by 26% year-on-year, compared to just 1% for the rest of the index.

Advancements in AI have kept the industry booming. Given the breakneck speeds at which AI has progressed, it stands to reason that AI will shape the landscape of the broader technological economy by the end of 2026. Machine learning is already reshaping everything around us today, and we can expect that to continue. Now, we don't have a crystal ball, but here are our predictions of the emerging tech trends we expect to see by next year. When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in December 2022, it radically changed the way the average internet user interacted with content online. From students engineering essays to software engineering upstarts trying to pass a HackerRank interview, users flocked to the generative AI to solve problems that would ordinarily take hours in mere minutes.

The technology has only evolved for the better — GPT-5 can excel in the Math Olympiad — and has branched out into other usable applications. Enter agentic AI, artificial intelligence systems that don't just follow preset rules or churn out data based on a specific task. They actively carry out tasks for you, acting autonomously and always adapting according to information they interact with. SlashGear presents a view of how agentic AI can change the world. As Mashable's new tech editor, I get paid to stay on top of the latest tech trends, and I love my job. A lot happened in the tech world this year, but one technology dominated headlines more than any other — artificial intelligence.

Companies like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic made big advances in AI this year (though not as big as they might have hoped), both for better and worse. Not only that, but AI is now being integrated into virtually every tech product we own, even if you wish it wouldn't. So, what are the 2026 tech trends I'm eyeing as we approach the new year? Yes, generative AI and large-language models will continue to take up a lot of oxygen in the tech world, even if — and maybe especially if — the AI bubble finally pops, like the... Besides AI, you can look forward to exciting new foldable phones with more flexible displays. I also expect a lot of robots to enter the consumer market next year, as well as all the usual suspects from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Microsoft.

Let's get out our crystal balls and smart AR/XR glasses and preview the tech trends to come in 2026. It's getting hard to remember what Mark Zuckerberg looked like before he started wearing Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses at all of his public appearances. Like a lot of Silicon Valley leaders, Zuck is all-in on smart glasses, and virtually every big tech company is working on its own version of Meta's Ray-Ban Display augmented-reality glasses. Samsung, Apple, and Google are all rumored or confirmed to be making smart glasses, and we also saw the launch of the Xreal One Pro AR glasses earlier this year. I expect more smart AR glasses to launch next year, but even though Silicon Valley is convinced these gadgets are the future of personal computing, I'm not so sure. Zuck couldn't have been more wrong about the metaverse.

Even people who need to wear glasses for vision correction often do so reluctantly, and there's a reason face-worn computers have so far failed to launch. On top of that, a lot of people just don't want every single interaction potentially recorded by a person wearing smart glasses with built-in cameras and microphones. The Google Glasshole was reviled for a reason. In a world where technological advancements are accelerating at a rapid pace, businesses remain sensible about real-world gains. Enterprises are enthusiastic about deploying new technologies, but it’s up to vendors to show how their solutions meet their most urgent priorities. ABI Research has identified 13 key technology trends for 2026 to help the sector navigate the next wave of innovation.

In 2026, the pace of digital transformation will continue to accelerate, although not at an explosive rate. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions increasingly being integrated into enterprise systems, computing requirements are shifting. In the connectivity space, 6G deployments are ramping up and novel use cases are emerging. For the cybersecurity industry, compliance and changing customer attitudes are dictating product strategy. Our analysts see 2026 as mostly being a year of gradual modernization. The hope of visionary technologies has been replaced by the need for solutions that offer quick wins and solve immediate challenges.

In this article, ABI Research’s global analyst team identifies the top 13 technology trends we expect to shape 2026 across Artificial Intelligence, Cloud and Connectivity, and Security and Digital Trust. These latest developments are an amalgamation of analyst conversations, internal forecasts, and vendor activity. In 2026, open standards for AI infrastructure will become foundational to modern data center design. Interoperable frameworks like the Open Compute Project and Ultra Accelerator Link are making it easier to assemble modular AI clusters using best-in-class components from multiple vendors. ABI Research Senior Analyst Paul Schell tells us, “Such standards are important for building the next generation of AI data centers because they dismantle proprietary ecosystems and foster a more competitive environment.” As 2026 begins, technology continues to evolve at an incredible pace.

Innovations in AI, security, computing, and automation are now shaping the way businesses operate and how people interact with the digital world. This year, several major tech trends are rising in importance. They not only influence the tools we use but also redefine how companies stay competitive and trustworthy. Here are the key technology trends we can expect to see throughout 2026. Artificial intelligence remains the driving force behind most major innovations. In 2026, AI is not just a helpful add-on — it is becoming the foundation of digital transformation.

One of the biggest shifts this year is the rise of AI supercomputing platforms. These next-generation systems combine CPUs, GPUs, AI accelerators, and even neuromorphic chips. Their purpose is simple: handle the massive computational power required for training advanced AI models and running large-scale simulations. As more companies adopt AI-heavy workloads, this type of hybrid computing becomes essential. Another major trend is the move from general AI models to domain-specific language models (DSLMs). These specialized models are designed for industries such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and law.

Because they understand industry-specific terminology and compliance rules, they deliver more accurate and trustworthy results. Many companies will choose DSLMs over general-purpose AI because they reduce risk and improve decision-making. In 2026, multiagent systems (MAS) will become more common. Instead of relying on one large model, companies are beginning to deploy multiple AI “agents,” each with a specific task. These agents work together to solve complex problems, automate workflows, and increase scalability. This modular approach makes AI more flexible and easier to maintain.

It’s that time of year again, when everyone makes predictions about what will (or won’t) happen in 2026. I don’t do predictions. I do, however, prognosticate. And if your superpower is also pedantry, you already know that means I derive implications from data and trendlines, not tea leaves. Prognostication isn’t prophecy; it’s pattern recognition with receipts. I don’t guess what’s coming; I extrapolate from what’s already moving and measure how fast it’s gaining momentum.

In other words: I’m not predicting the future. I’m just paying attention to the parts of the present everyone else is ignoring. So, with that in mind, I am happy to share what I believe are the top five tech trends to watch in 2026. You ready? We’re doing it anyway. Let’s go.

becomes the dominant cost center, overtaking training From breakthroughs in artificial intelligence to the rise of new consumer devices, 2026 is shaping up to be a defining moment in modern tech. Here are the key trends and predictions likely to shape the year. AI tools have already transformed productivity, but 2026 is expected to mark a shift from simple assistants to fully autonomous agents. These systems will be capable of carrying out multi-step tasks, making decisions based on context and interacting across apps without constant human prompting. For businesses, this means workflows that run themselves; for consumers, everyday interactions with devices will become far more fluid and conversational.

While the smartphone will remain central, 2026 is likely to see the rise of companion devices that reduce our reliance on screens. Smart rings, next-generation earbuds and lightweight wearable displays will offer new ways to handle notifications, navigation and health monitoring. Spatial computing will also gain traction as mixed-reality headsets become more compact and more affordable. As demand grows for instantaneous processing—especially for AI, gaming and real-time analytics—edge computing will become far more widespread. Instead of sending data back to large centralised cloud servers, more processing will happen locally on devices and nearby nodes. This shift will improve performance, reduce latency and make services more reliable.

With cyber-attacks becoming increasingly sophisticated, the emphasis in 2026 will move from perimeter-based security to identity-centric protection. Passwordless authentication, biometric verification and continuous access monitoring will become standard. Businesses will also invest heavily in zero-trust frameworks to protect ever-expanding networks of remote devices and cloud services. Hold on to your hats for this wild ride. I believe 2026 will be defined by a dizzying mix of “the future is here today” breakthroughs and the legacy systems, processes, products and companies that still shape the landscape even as they’re being... We have never lived through a moment when technology has evolved faster, or when the contrast between what is emerging and what is being left behind has been so stark.

I’ve been doing tech predictions for five years now and have at least an average accuracy rate of 85 percent historically. It’s important to stay honest, so I’m only claiming 90 percent accuracy on last year’s predictions, giving myself only half credit for my prediction that Europe and emerging markets would redefine venture capital opportunities:... still commands the largest pool of capital, but some of the most interesting structures, scaling stories and regulatory tailwinds are now coming out of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. My remaining predictions landed cleanly. Personal digital IDs moved from concept to implementation, with tokenized credentials gaining traction in real-world verification and anti-counterfeit use cases. AI kept transforming human support functions, with mainstream business press now explicitly describing generative AI as a “personal assistant” automating scheduling, email triage and routine admin work.

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