What’s next for AI in business?
2026 will be a defining year for AI, with agent AI driving transformation.
By 2026, agent AI, which makes autonomous decisions through intensive investment, is expected to play an increasingly important role in business.
Importantly, it is important to have the right guardrails in place, including governance, for AI to ensure that it can transform in a controlled, safe and trusted manner.
A small number of companies are already turning AI into measurable economic benefits.
According to PwC Ireland’s recent AI Agent Survey, Irish organizations are accelerating their investment in AI agents, with 70% planning to increase their AI budget over the next 12 months due to interest in agent AI.
This shows that there is growing momentum among Irish organizations to expand their AI capabilities.
Senior leaders need to choose spots for focused AI investments that will yield significant results.
Connecting business objectives to AI capabilities can potentially deliver a high return on investment.
Beyond analysis, AI agents can make autonomous decisions and automate parts of complex, high-value workflows.
Areas that are particularly ripe for agents include functions such as demand sensing and forecasting, hyper-personalization, product design, finance, human resources, IT, tax, and internal audit.
These are focused big bets that can achieve real value.
This article was first published on www.businessplus.ie.
