Furthermore, over half of employees surveyed indicated they would resign in favour of a competitor offering superior AI training and development opportunities.
Transparency and Sovereignty
As AI becomes the “brain” of the modern enterprise, trust has emerged as a critical commodity.
The report warns that 80% of consumers will abandon a brand instantly if they discover that AI usage has been concealed. Transparency is no longer a moral choice but a commercial necessity.
Simultaneously, geopolitical friction is driving a move toward “AI Sovereignty.”
Nine out of ten executives now view data residency—the local storage and processing of data—as a vital “safety net” to protect supply chains from international disruption.
The Quantum Leap
Finally, 2026 is projected to be the tipping point for Quantum Computing.
IBM predicts that “Quantum Advantage”—where quantum processors outperform classical digital computers in specific tasks—will become a reality, particularly in financial risk modelling.
Given the astronomical costs involved, the report suggests that “Quantum-ready” firms are three times more likely to seek out collaborative “ecosystems” and partnerships to stay ahead of the curve.
“The leaders of 2026 will be those who stop trying to predict the future and instead build organisations fast enough to respond to it in real-time,” the report concludes.
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