In this recent article by Corey Noles, he talks about 7 trends that will impact AI in 2026 and I would say he is pretty spot on
My view is, Enterprise AI adoption is now mainstream, with close to 90% of companies using AI in at least one function and the vast majority planning to increase investment
But Corey Noles makes the key point that adoption does not equal value
Many organisations remain stuck in “pilot purgatory,” struggle to scale AI into real workflows, lack the right skills, and face growing concerns around risk, governance, data readiness, and legacy integration
As AI usage deepens (notably the massive growth in enterprise API and GenAI consumption), companies priorities for 2026 are shifting decisively from experimentation to execution: scaling AI into production, modernising data foundations, closing talent and skills gaps, and embedding AI into day-to-day operations with clear ROI
Looking ahead, the winners will be those that operationalise AI responsibly and pragmatically
That means investing in AI talent and workforce upskilling, putting strong governance and human oversight in place, treating data and integration as strategic enablers, mainstreaming generative AI across functions, and increasingly buying proven AI solutions rather than building everything in-house
We saw Accenture acquire, Faculty, this is clearly a talent based acquisition
The gap between “frontier firms” and the rest is widening fast, not because of access to AI, but because of how effectively it’s deployed
As Noles concludes, success in 2026 won’t come from simply saying you “use AI,” but from embedding it deeply, safely, and productively into the fabric of the business
The original article is here
And the 7 trends are as follows:-
From Pilots to Production, Scaling AI for Impact
AI Talent Acquisition Takes Center Stage
Upskilling the Workforce for an AI-Ready Culture
Responsible AI Governance and Risk Management Become Imperative
Data and Integration, Bridging Legacy Systems and Silos
Generative AI Goes Mainstream in Business
Buy Over Build – Preferring Off-the-Shelf AI Solutions
AI is everywhere in the enterprise, but value isn’t guaranteed. Here are the seven trends CIOs are betting on in 2026 to scale deployments, close skill gaps, modernize data, and manage rising risk.
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