IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, has released findings from 'The Impact of Technology in 2026 and Beyond: an IEEE Global Study.'

The survey of 400 technology leaders across Brazil, China, India, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. examines AI adoption, market growth, skills, and future technology trends.

Consumer adoption is also expected to rise. Survey respondents foresee mass or near-mass use in areas including: personal assistant and family calendar management (52%), data privacy management (45%), health monitoring (41%), errand automation (41%), and news curation (36%).

Additionally, “91% agree the use of agentic AI to analyze greater amounts of data will grow in 2026, spurring a data analyst hiring boom to analyze the accuracy of results, transparency and vulnerabilities.”

The survey highlights skills expected to be in highest demand in 2026: AI ethical practices (44%), data analysis (38%), machine learning (34%), data modeling (32%), and software development (32%).

AI’s influence extends beyond software. “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.”

Other sectors expected to see AI influence include robotics (52%), extended reality (36%), and autonomous vehicles (35%). Software, banking and financial services, healthcare, and automotive industries are predicted to experience the greatest transformations.

On governance, leaders’ attitudes differ between company-built and third-party AI. For company-built AI, “Full speed ahead: AI will be integrated throughout the organization and our use policies will align with government regulations, if any exist or are enacted” was chosen by 49%, while 26% said, “Everyone follows the rules: We will be issuing clear policies on how and when AI can be used.” For third-party AI, the figures were 40% and 33%, respectively.

Generative AI adoption is also rising. Nearly 39% said they are “Using Regularly, But Selectively” in 2026, while 35% plan “Rapidly Integrating, Expecting Bottom Line Results.” Top expected applications include real-time cybersecurity (47%), software development acceleration (39%), supply chain automation (35%), customer service automation (32%), and educational tools (29%).

Economic impact is significant: 51% of technologists expect 26–50% of global jobs to be augmented by AI in 2026. Nearly half (49%) believe it will take 5–7 years to build the data center infrastructure needed to meet growing AI demand.

The study surveyed senior technology leaders from large organizations across multiple sectors.