June 24, 2026 | 4 minute read
AI trends 2026: What 800 global technology leaders reveal
AI adoption is high, but enterprises still aren’t ready
70% of organizations are investing in AI, yet 80% aren’t seeing the ROI they were expecting.
The difficult reality is that technology is moving faster than the infrastructure supporting it.
Based on research conducted by IDC surveying 800 global technology leaders, Enterprise Horizons 2026: Where Innovation Meets Reality reveals, this infographic shows the latest AI trends shaping enterprise strategy, investment decisions, governance priorities, and infrastructure planning.
Why download our infographic?
Get a quick snapshot of:
- The latest AI trends 2026
- How AI is impacting productivity, quality, and customer experience
- Why network readiness is becoming a competitive advantage
- The infrastructure gaps limiting AI success
- What technology leaders are prioritizing next
Key AI Trends 2026
AI is now a core business growth strategy
Organizations are using AI to drive innovation, improve productivity, and create competitive advantage.
According to IDC research:
- 59% of organizations now identify innovation as their primary growth strategy
- AI is the #2 overall technology investment priority
- Companies using AI extensively expect significantly higher growth than their peers
The conversation has shifted from "Should we invest in AI?" to "How do we scale AI successfully?"
Network readiness is emerging as a critical AI trend
Yet many organizations acknowledge their networks are not ready.
IDC research reveals:
- Only 5% say their networks are fully ready for future needs
- 46% credit network performance for helping exceed AI expectations
- 26% with underperforming AI cite poor network performance as a major factor
As AI workloads become more distributed, bandwidth, resilience, flexibility, and cloud connectivity become business-critical capabilities.
AI adoption is widespread, but maturity remains low
One of the most important AI trends in 2026 is the gap between adoption and execution.
Research shows:
- 62% of organizations remain in limited-use stages
- Only 5% have reached transformative AI adoption
- Organizations with advanced AI adoption are significantly more likely to expect strong business growth
The main challenge is building the operational foundations required to scale it.
AI governance trends are evolving and becoming more important
AI governance is moving rapidly up the executive agenda.
Technology leaders are increasingly focused on:
- AI risk management
- Data quality controls
- Responsible AI practices
- Regulatory compliance
- ROI measurement and value realization
Scaling AI means investing in strong governance, data management, and clear accountability.
About Enterprise Horizons 2026
Enterprise Horizons 2026: Where Innovation Meets Reality is an IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Expereo, based on research with 800 enterprise technology leaders across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
The research examines how organizations are balancing AI-driven innovation, infrastructure modernization, governance, resilience, and growth in an increasingly complex technology landscape.
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