AI Leaders’ Series: 2026 Predictions

Executive Summary

In 2026, AI remains firmly at the centre of the corporate agenda as organizations seek to convert sustained LLM  performance gains and unprecedented investment into tangible business value. Our predictions for 2026 guide is designed to help AI leaders navigate this turbulent landscape, offering a glimpse of what to expect in the year ahead.

  

About the Authors

Chris Sayers

Chris Sayers

Senior Manager

Chris is a Senior Manager at Verdantix. His current research agenda targets enterprise AI integration and adoption, AI market trends and agentic AI. Chris joined Verdantix in ...

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Bill Pennington

Bill Pennington

VP Research

Bill is VP Research at Verdantix, where he leads analysis on the evolving and interconnected landscapes of EHS, quality, AI and enterprise risk management. His research helps ...

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