As we approach 2026, the global technology landscape is poised for a fundamental transformation. The era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a novel, text-based assistant is giving way to a new age where AI actively performs tasks, manages workflows, and operates autonomously. Industry experts predict that 2026 will be the pivotal year when technology transitions from being a human-operated tool to becoming an operational partner working alongside people.
From Assistive to Agentic: The Core Shift
The most significant change anticipated in 2026 is the move from "AI that talks" to "AI that does." According to tech giants, the focus will shift away from impressive demonstrations toward dependable, autonomous systems that deliver measurable outcomes at scale. The most valuable AI will be the one working silently in the background, ensuring seamless operations.
Anand Mahurkar, CEO of Findability Sciences, emphasizes that enterprises will move into agentic systems capable of reasoning over company knowledge, orchestrating workflows, and executing decisions within human-defined boundaries. Success will belong to organizations that treat data findability as a strategic asset, creating a unified knowledge layer for AI to act upon reliably.
Microsoft's Vision: India as the Epicenter of AI Transformation
Rajiv Kumar, President and Managing Director of Microsoft IDC, positions India at the heart of this AI revolution. He states that India is entering a pivotal moment where intelligence is being deeply embedded into everyday work and public life.
Microsoft has committed a massive US$17.5 billion over the next four years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in the country. Furthermore, the company is doubling its skilling commitment, aiming to equip 20 million people in India with AI skills by 2030.
Kumar envisions a shift from digital public infrastructure to AI public infrastructure. Platforms like e-Shram and solutions like MahaCrimeOS AI are cited as examples where AI can connect millions to opportunities and enhance public safety. With its talent and ambition, India is poised to define how AI delivers inclusive, real-world impact.
Cisco's Forecast: Connected Intelligence and the Autonomous Network
Leaders at Cisco outline a future defined by Connected Intelligence. Aruna Ravichandran, SVP & CMO, AI, Networking & Collaboration at Cisco, describes a 2026 workplace where people, data, and digital workers (AI agents) collaborate without friction. Digital workers will anticipate needs, coordinate tasks, and resolve issues proactively, allowing human employees to focus on higher-value creative work.
Snorre Kjesbu, SVP/GM Collaboration at Cisco, predicts a structural tipping point for enterprise networks by 2026. The network will evolve from an object managed by IT to a self-operating system. AI agents will replace traditional AIOps through "AgenticOps," autonomously managing the full network lifecycle—from detecting anomalies to enforcing policies and optimizing performance. Humans will shift to supervising policy and business intent.
This shift demands open, interoperable ecosystems. Closed systems will become obstacles as AI agents need to operate across vendors and domains. Value will consequently migrate from individual devices to the platforms that orchestrate outcomes, unifying management, security, and AI agents into a single control plane.
The Imperative of Trust, Sovereignty, and Security
As AI becomes the enterprise's operating layer, trust becomes paramount. Security experts stress the need for evolution from static perimeters to dynamic, "continuous trust" models.
Vijender Yadav, CEO & Co-founder of Accops, highlights that their 2025 innovation focused on data sovereignty and infrastructure independence for regulated enterprises. Their approach decouples digital workspaces from underlying infrastructure, allowing workload repatriation without compromising security. Their security architecture now embeds adaptive risk assessment directly into access gateways.
Dhiraj Gupta, CTO & Co-founder of mFilterIt, points out that digital advertising in 2025 faced fraud that mimicked genuine user behavior. The response was building full-funnel visibility using AI-ML to optimize decisions with transparency. For 2026, the focus will deepen from detection to prediction, tackling emerging risks like AI-generated fraud and deepfake-driven brand misuse.
In summary, 2026 is projected as the year AI matures from a conversational partner to an actionable, integrated, and trusted colleague. With significant investments and a strategic focus, India is set to play a leading role in shaping this agentic, connected, and intelligent future.
