Gartner Reveals Top Strategic AI Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
At the recent Gartner IT Symposium/XPO, Gartner revealed its top ten strategic predictions for 2026 and beyond, covering three categories: talent in the AI age, sovereignty and insidious AI.
Gartner predicts that by 2027, generative AI agents will pose the first real challenge to mainstream productivity tools in 30 years, leading to a $58 billion market disruption.
Legacy formats and compatibility will become less important as generative AI advances enable organizations to focus on innovations and speeding up work completion.
Other predictions include:
By 2027, 75% of hiring processes will include certifications and testing for workplace AI proficiency during recruiting.
AI proficiency will become part of the hiring process, and candidates will also focus more on acquiring AI skills as generative capabilities become increasingly linked to higher salaries.
Through 2026, atrophy of critical-thinking skills, due to Gen AI use, will push 50% of the global organizations to require “AI-free” skills assessments.
The hiring process will distinguish between candidates who work and think independently and those who depend heavily on AI output.
By 2027, 35% of countries will be locked into region-specific AI platforms using proprietary contextual data.
AI will become more localized as regulations, languages and cultures shape its adaptation, reducing the need for global, one-size-fits-all models.
By 2028, organizations that leverage multi-agent AI for 80% of customer-facing business processes will dominate.
Companies will implement a hybrid AI approach, with CRMs managing routine tasks and employees focusing on complex, emotionally sensitive interactions.
By 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI agent intermediated, pushing over $15 trillion of B2B spend through AI agent exchanges.
Verifiable data will bolster a trust-based economy where API-driven architectures and transactions reshape the competitive advantage.
By the end of 2026, “death by AI” legal claims will exceed 2,000 due to insufficient AI risk guardrails.
"Death by AI” incidents will tighten regulations, prompt legal actions and shift liability to regional parties, causing companies to focus more on safety, transparency and governance.
By 2030, 20% of monetary transactions will be programmable to include terms and conditions of use, to give AI agents economic agency.
Programmable money is transforming commerce through machine-driven transactions and innovative financial models, but fragmented standards, security risks and regulatory gaps could potentially hinder its full potential.
By 2027, the cost-to-value gap for process-centric service contracts will be reduced by at least 50% due to agentic AI reinvention.
AI agents will facilitate transforming interactions into a process, allowing value creation beyond labor through innovative workflows.
By 2027, fragmented AI regulation will grow to cover 50% of the world’s economies, driving $5 billion in compliance investment.
Governance programs will become essential for AI transformation, helping to mitigate constantly changing regulatory and business risks.