Santa's big helpers? What new reports say about agentic Artificial Intelligence's future

Agentic AI adoption will continue at "lightning speed" in 2026. That's according to 96% of 400 technology leaders spoken to by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a global professional organization not normally given to superlatives.

It is one of many predictions made in 'The Impact of Technology in 2026 and Beyond: an IEEE Global Study', an annual survey of senior technology professionals in some of the world's leading industrialized nations: the US, UK, China, Japan, India, and Brazil.

Dig deeper, however, and the headline becomes less reliable: respondents are asked if they agree with the following statement:

Agentic AI innovation, exploration and adoption will continue at lightning speed in 2026, as both established enterprises and start-ups deepen investments and commitments to the technology.

A leading question, then. Just 51% of leaders strongly agree with that proposition and 45% "somewhat agree". Thus, hype is revealed to ...