AI agents are about to take over the world at “lightning speed” and will become mass market by 2026, according to a new survey by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, has released the results of “The Impact of Technology in 2026 and Beyond: an IEEE Global Study”, a survey of global technology leaders from Brazil, China, India, Japan, the UK and US.
The study covers which technologies AI will influence the most in 2026; expectations for AI market growth, benefits, uses, and skills; and future technology trends.
To learn more about the study and the impact of technology in 2026 and beyond, visit https://transmitter.ieee.org/iot-2026.
Increased use of Agentic AI by everyone to drive need for more data analysts
Agentic AI is like a smart assistant that, when given a task, can work independently, but still needs its work double-checked.
Its adoption is on the rise, and a strong majority of technologists globally (96%) agree that agentic AI innovation, exploration and adoption will continue at “lightning speed in 2026”, as both established enterprises and start-ups deepen investments and commitments to the technology.
However, the rise of agentic AI won’t be confined to business. Survey respondents see it reaching mass or near-mass adoption by consumers in 2026 for the following uses:
- (52%) Personal assistant | scheduler | family calendar manager
- (45%) Data privacy manager
- (41%) Health monitor
- (41%) Errand and chore automator (e.g. grocery orders)
- (36%) News and information curator
In addition, 91% agree the use of agentic AI to analyse greater amounts of data will grow in 2026, spurring a data analyst hiring boom to analyse the accuracy of results, transparency and vulnerabilities.
According to the survey, the top skills technologists will seek in candidates they plan to hire for AI-related roles in 2026 are:
- (44%) AI ethical practices skills (+9% from prior year)
- (38%) Data analysis skills (+4% from prior year)
- (34%) Machine learning skills (+6% from prior year)
- (32%) Data modelling skills, including processing (no change from prior year)
- (32%) Software development skills (-8% from prior year)
Humanoid robots as co-workers; the influence of AI on other tech
- A majority (77%) of technologists agree the novelty of humanoid robots can inject fun into the workplace but over time will become like commonplace co-workers with circuits.
- Robotics is also a top area of technology over half (52%) of technologists think will be influenced by AI in 2026.
- Other areas influenced by AI in 2026 will include extended reality (XR), including augmented, virtual and mixed reality (36%); and autonomous vehicles (35%).
- Meanwhile, the top industries expected to experience the greatest transformation from AI next year will be software (52%); banking and financial services (42%); healthcare (37%) and automotive and transportation (32%).
Policy and governance guided by ‘Who built the AI?’
Policy and governance regarding how and when AI should be used depends on where the AI was built. When asked which statement best describes their organisations’ stance on AI products – built by their company or built by a third party – for work at their company, a majority of technology leaders selected:
- Full speed ahead: AI will be integrated throughout the organisation and our use policies will align with government regulations, if any exist or are enacted. (49% if company-built AI vs. 40% third-party-built AI)
- Everyone follows the rules: We will be issuing clear policies on how and when AI can be used. (26% company-built AI vs. 33% third-party built AI)
The stage technologists expect their organisation to be in the adoption of generative AI in 2026 has advanced significantly:
- (39%) Using Regularly, But Selectively: Generative AI will continue to be a regular part of our work in selective areas, and adds value. (+20% from prior year)
- (35%) Rapidly Integrating, Expecting Bottom Line Results: AI will continue to be integrated throughout all our operations. We’ve already seen measurable bottom line results and expect these to grow.
- The top uses for AI applications technology leaders expect in 2026 includes:
- (47%) Real-time cybersecurity vulnerability identification and attack prevention (-1% from prior year)
- (39%) Aiding and/or accelerating software development (+4% from prior year)
- (35%) Increasing supply chain and warehouse automation efficiencies (+2% from prior year)
- (32%) Automating customer service (+4% from prior year)
- (29%) Powering educational activities such as customising learning, intelligent tutoring systems, university chatbots (-10% from prior year)
- (23%) Accelerating disease mapping and drug discovery (-3% from prior year)
- (22%) Automating and/or stabilising utility power sources (-3% from prior year)
More than half of those surveyed (51%) cited 26-50% of jobs across the global economy will be augmented by AI software in 2026, while less than one-third (30%) cited 51-75% of jobs, (16%) cited 1-25% of jobs, and only (4%) cited 76-100% of jobs.
Close to half of technologists (49%) think it will take 5-7 years to build out the global data centre infrastructure required to meet growing AI development and demand. One-third think it will happen sooner, in 3-4 years, while 10% think it will not happen for 8-10 years or more.
