The current business environment is seeing massive disruption, much of it focused on artificial intelligence (AI):
- Countries and regions are forming artificial intelligence policy silos.
- Companies are reorganizing middle managers and retraining employees.
- Data has never been more important or more valuable.
As we enter 2026, AI continues to reshape industries; leaders are wondering what to do as they embrace and prepare for what comes next. Businesses and individuals must find their niche in an ever-emerging mix of uncertainty, hype and productive reality.
As the new year begins, here are five AI trends that are shaping executives’ conversations. Each trend represents significant opportunities and challenges for companies, governments and individuals.
Data is both the lifeblood and the bottleneck
There is no AI without data, and it is clear that AI-ready data is both the lifeblood and bottleneck of business operations. Our latest EY Pulse survey shows that 83% of business leaders say their data infrastructure is slowing down their AI adoption.
Data is crucial to artificial intelligence, but how much is real data and how much is synthetic? Does the company have access to its critical data? What are they doing to maximize the use of data to get the most value? Access is just as important as quality, and if a company cannot provide access to its AI-ready data, it will quickly lose its competitive advantage.
Smart companies are trying to automate data management through artificial intelligence, and it can certainly be done, but you have to get the data right. Some industries, such as financial services, have invested heavily in data for decades. They now have the ability to leverage next-generation technologies related to artificial intelligence.
The Rise of the Self-Driving Enterprise (Powered by Agents and Physical AI)
This is where agent AI finds its footing in business operations, and where employees must adapt to working with digital colleagues. It is important to emphasize that humans set the vision and AI agents (and robots) will perform their jobs under human supervision.
Success in this environment means onboarding, training, auditing and retiring agents, just like employees, with clear policies in place to ensure ethics and compliance. Physical AI acquires quantum minds and robotic bodies, and their presence brings a new look and feel to industries ranging from advanced manufacturing to healthcare, automotive to energy, finance to telecommunications.
Artificial intelligence is no longer borderless
Sovereign AI is a “sleeping giant” affecting multinational corporations and government organizations. Countries or regions have established unique “AI islands” rules and policies that multinational companies must follow to conduct business with integrity.
Gartner Forecast By 2029, half of multinational organizations will have a digital sovereignty strategy in place, compared with only 10% currently doing so. Early adopters of sovereign AI gain a strategic lead in privacy-sensitive markets.
Data infrastructure and models are closely tied to geography, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution that works in a global environment. As AI grows and evolves, sovereign AI strategy and execution will be critical to business success.
Reimagining work: Adaptability becomes the new job security
Initial concerns about artificial intelligence focused on how it would affect employment. On top of that is the fear that AI will somehow displace entire industries and turn workers away to more efficient digital alternatives. While some jobs and industries are indeed in a state of constant change, AI is part of the reimagining of the workforce. Work is changing faster than ever, and the ability to adapt to new circumstances and roles in an AI-driven environment becomes the new job security.
Massive upskilling is needed, and companies and governments that don’t invest in reskilling will be left behind. There is hope—history shows that technology always creates positive job growth in the long run—but the types of jobs will be very different than they are today, and disruption will happen faster this time around.
As individuals use AI for common tasks in their personal lives, it is wise to increase their knowledge of AI as it relates to career advancement and opportunities. It is better to know the future than to worry about it.
Trust is the new currency
The explosion of AI-powered deepfakes that have flooded social media and news reports in recent years has created trust issues for many businesses and individuals. In a world of deep fakes, credibility becomes different and trust will become the new currency in 2026.
Business leaders are realizing that they must embed responsible AI into everything they do now—the data, the business models, the algorithms, and how employees are trained in AI. this EY Responsible AI Survey Starting in October, companies that embed responsible AI will see reduced compliance risks, increased revenue, and increased innovation as guardrails enable companies to safely experiment and innovate with AI.
This prediction is bold, and the pace of change will only accelerate from now on. If your organization is to thrive as we enter the next frontier, your AI strategy must match this bold spirit.
The views expressed in Fortune opinion pieces are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of: wealth.