Anis Uzzaman (アニス・ウッザマン ) is the General Partner and CEO at Pegasus Tech Ventures | Chairman of Startup World Cup.
We are witnessing a dramatic transformation in the global technology landscape. This is the right time for businesses to rethink how they innovate and grow. Nearly every industry is being reshaped, not only by trends such as generative AI and physical AI but also by the need to modernize infrastructure in response to climate and sustainability regulations.
Here are the potential trends I believe will impact the global industry in 2026. Every company should figure out a way to cope with these upcoming changes. While in some cases remaining alert about these changes can help, in many cases adopting these trends can help existing businesses remain relevant. I will explain how each of these trends can be observed and adopted.
Autonomous Enterprise Workflows, AI Agents And Domain-Specific Language Models
We first saw large language models (LLMs) become widespread in 2022. I foresee 2026 as the era of agentic AI. Agentic AI means AI systems capable of completing multistep tasks, orchestrating workflows, operating software tools, triggering business processes and making decisions with limited human supervision.
According to the World Business Forum, agentic AI is predicted to automate up to 70% of office tasks by 2030. AI agents will run finance workflows, customer support, procurement, compliance, HR onboarding and product development support. Additionally, McKinsey reports that an estimated 23% of global organizations are already scaling with agentic systems, with an additional 39% experimenting with agent deployments.
Every company should consider generative AI and agentic AI adoption to a certain degree in the new year to remain relevant in their industry. Not only does it have the potential to make the business more efficient, but it can also keep the company up to date with the new industry trends and needs.
The New Era Of Robotics And Industrial Automation As Physical AI Dominates
Global considerations like increased operating expenses, supply chain pressure and labor shortages are driving fast adoption of automation, making robotics no longer experimental. The installed base of global industrial robotics is expected to be over 5.5 million in 2026, according to Deloitte. As AI impacts the industry, projections are that annual unit sales will exceed 1 million units and achieve $20 billion by 2030.
The strongest robotics growth is expected to be in manufacturing, logistics and warehousing, retail and hospitality, agriculture and healthcare. By 2027–2028, corporations that fail to adopt robotics may face structural cost disadvantages as automation becomes the backbone of daily operations worldwide.
I expect the next significant transition will be physical AI, meaning drones, robots and smart machines that are enabled by real-time intelligence instead of fixed programming. This will allow machines to understand the environment and context, make decisions and act independently.
Adoption of robotic solutions and automation in everyday business will be important as we face a shortage of manpower due to the aging of the current population, and robot-based automation can help us with any human capital shortage in the most efficient fashion.
AI-Driven Drug Discovery, Biotech Acceleration And Synthetic Biology
The biotech sector will continue to grow rapidly in 2026 due to AI. Several factors—including generative protein design, automated labs and predictive drug discovery—are going to make development cycles shorter, perhaps taking just months instead of years. Evidence of this trend is reported by Coherent Solutions; predictions state that AI will provide $350 billion to $410 billion yearly in the pharmaceutical sector by 2025. Behind this trend is innovation in areas such as clinical trials, drug development and precision medicine.
In 2026, I recommend that companies consider partnering with AI-first biotech startups, deploying self-driving labs for internal R&D, co-developing bio-based alternatives to plastics, textiles and chemicals, and leveraging computational biology for product innovation.
Climate Tech, Carbon Transformation And Industrial Decarbonization
This year will see the broad adoption of technologies that directly reduce industrial emissions or transform CO₂ into commercially valuable products. As an example, the research shows a trend of companies turning CO₂ into chemicals, renewable fuels and value-added products.
Key technologies in 2026 will include:
• Carbon upcycling: CO₂ utilized for chemicals, plastics, fuels
• Direct air capture paired with industrial electrification
• Heat pumps and clean thermal processes
• Energy storage and battery innovation
• Next-generation recycling
• Precision agriculture for reduced fertilizer/pesticide usage
Cybersecurity For The AI Age
AI has expanded the attack surface. In 2026, enterprises will face risks from model poisoning, deepfake fraud, autonomous malware, data exfiltration and compromised AI agents. A global survey by Boston Consulting Group demonstrates the importance of this trend, with 60% of companies reporting they have experienced AI-enabled attacks, but only 7% of them are using AI in defense.
Businesses should consider adopting AI-driven security platforms to detect and neutralize threats in real time across their multicloud and multi-agent systems. As digital and physical systems merge, cybersecurity will likely become the backbone of all innovation.
Spatial Computing, AR/VR And Industrial Visualization
With enterprise-grade devices now in widespread use, spatial computing will most likely move from consumer curiosity to practical corporate value. In fact, Precedence Research reports that the global spatial computing market—estimated at $182.05 billion in 2025—is anticipated to surge from $221.56 billion in 2026 to about $1,066.13 billion by 2034.
Key business applications are projected to be remote maintenance, AR-guided training, factory-floor visualization, medical imaging and surgical assistance, and real estate and architecture visualization.
Businesses and corporations will see advantages from spatial computing in several ways. Benefits include lower travel costs, minimal error rates and less training time. Spatial computing will be revolutionary when combined with AI capabilities.
Looking Ahead
These technology trends will be monumental, not just minor, improvements in 2026 and beyond. I believe they will change the working world and how businesses run. Management teams that adopt new technology and succeed in execution will be better positioned to become more successful. Meanwhile, companies slow to adopt may fall behind. The future will be built by companies already acting—not by those still debating AI’s value.
The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation.
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