As economic uncertainty continues into 2026, business leaders are looking for opportunities to increase stability and company value. This will increasingly require organizations to become more adaptable and resilient. Despite the majority of business leaders reporting extreme impacts from changing market conditions, many are already driving new initiatives to maintain balance and drive growth next year.
At Personaliv, the data we collect reveals six key value creation and adaptability trends. 2025 Executive Outlook Pulse Survey The survey found that 62% of organizations had a “very significant” impact on their strategy and execution due to economic fluctuations in the first half of 2025. In response, the majority of organizations surveyed have already started investing in areas that enhance their flexibility and agility.
Deploying and expanding AI
The most common focus areas for investment are: Expanding AI use cases Improving operational strategies to maintain balance and move forward in a volatile economic climate.
According to survey responses, 76% of public companies are already using AI in some part of their operations, and 70% are using AI for financial operations such as payroll, expense reporting, and compliance. 45% of private companies are leveraging AI in similar ways. While much of that AI may be automated, agentic AI is emerging as a powerful resource for companies looking to make their operations more resilient.
The World Economic Forum recently highlighted that: Business usefulness of AI agents. These agents learn to act as “custodians of a particular domain” such as compliance or supply chain management, and can not only orchestrate complex processes, but also “interpret and reason about that domain.” This opens up new possibilities for forward-looking strategies.
Forecasting and strategic planning
The rapidly increasing ability to gather and analyze data insights using AI supports another trend that is expected to continue through 2026: a focus on data-driven forecasting and planning. Nearly one-third of survey respondents rated forecasting and scenario planning as a priority. This is likely because forecasting was the area most affected by economic changes in 2025.
However, less than one-third of survey participants reported using AI in more than half of their finance and accounting functions. This low utilization rate suggests that forecasting and strategic planning are areas where AI adoption could bring significant accuracy and efficiency gains in the coming year, especially if economic conditions continue to fluctuate.
Supply chain optimization
It’s not just internal operations that have been affected by the economic environment. Economic policy changes have affected more than half of companies’ supply chains this year. Supply chains are already vulnerable to factors such as geopolitical instability and weather events, so increased uncertainty increases the need for risk management. Survey respondents ranked supply chain disruption among the top three emerging financial risks they are preparing for.
Many organizations are already implementing AI to reduce risk, control costs, and manage complexity in their supply chains. AI-powered automation can also accelerate standardized supply chain processes. This is because AI agents may monitor real-time situations, predict potential disruptions, and quickly suggest alternative scenarios to minimize the impact of disruptions.
Investing in CapEx and OpEx
Another way companies can continue to strengthen their resilience in the coming year is through strategic capital and operating expenditures. More than half of survey respondents reported an increase in capital and operational spending in 2025, and a quarter plan to increase spending in these areas. This trend is reflected across the U.S. economy, with increased capital investment. Compete ahead of sales growth this year. AI-related investments are driving overall capital spending growth, which is likely to continue through 2026.
Many organizations are building the capital, operational, and technology foundations for even better years ahead. However, turning these investments into greater resilience requires talent, and this is another area where many companies are investing.
Talent sourcing and optimization
Although it has become increasingly difficult to find skilled and experienced finance and accounting talent in recent years, it is still important to perform these roles well. In today’s market, finance and accounting teams spend most of their time helping businesses adapt to changing circumstances. This means that staffing shortages can impact a company’s ability to pivot as needed.
Many of these teams are already conserving talent using the following methods: AI automation Handle repetitive, high-volume processes such as payroll, accounts receivable, and payables. However, many organizations are also recruiting, so they need to consider the potential applications of AI in the hiring process. Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents said they plan to increase their headcount in the next six months, on top of the 34% who already have employees by 2025. By leveraging AI into standardized processes, employees can focus on helping the company adapt to changing circumstances.
Cybersecurity prioritization
Threats to an organization’s cybersecurity were the top risk-related concern among survey respondents, with 32% reporting it was the most important new risk they were preparing for. Business owners and leaders are particularly concerned about phishing, social engineering, ransomware, and data breaches. While such attacks are becoming more common, they are becoming more difficult to identify as criminals leverage AI to make their attacks more effective.
Fortunately, AI can also be used to strengthen defenses, and we expect more companies to use AI-powered cybersecurity tools to protect their finances and data. That trend has already begun. This year, all over the world, Average cost of a data breach This is in part because more companies are using AI-powered security tools to detect and stop attacks faster.
AI is the thread that runs through all of these trends, from forecasting and supply chain optimization to capital investment, talent optimization, and cybersecurity and risk management. AI provides business leaders with the insights they need to better forecast and plan, while freeing up finance and accounting teams to adapt to changes in the economy. If deployed carefully, the value that AI can provide will be a key element in building resilient businesses this year.
