Cognizant leaders on the next chapter of enterprise AI in 2026

December 12, 2025

Cognizant leaders on the next chapter of enterprise AI in 2026

From context engineering to democratized expertise, AI will impact all aspects of the enterprise.

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Despite speculation about an upcoming “AI bubble,” the reality is that artificial intelligence is only gaining momentum across the enterprise landscape. The coming year signals a surge of adoption powered by contextual intelligence that can drive real business impact as organizations move beyond experimentation and begin to embed AI more deeply into their core operations. The lessons of early AI investments—productivity gains, smarter workflows and new business models—are fueling a new wave of reinvestment and strategic focus, with leaders across industries eager to harness the next phase of AI-driven transformation. In this special outlook, Cognizant’s senior leaders share their predictions for what’s ahead in 2026. Drawing on deep domain expertise and firsthand experience guiding clients through digital change, these executives weigh in on the trends, challenges and opportunities that will define the next chapter of enterprise AI. <h4>1. Successful enterprises will double down on AI returns and sector-savvy builds</h4> The biggest concern for enterprise AI adoption in 2026 will be macroeconomic variability and its impact on investment decisions. In this environment, risk reduction will be critical. Enterprises that pull ahead will take the productivity gains from the first wave of AI and reinvest them into the successive and increasingly strategic phases of their AI strategy, minimizing upfront risk and accelerating adoption. But reinvestment alone isn’t enough. <blockquote>“Business success with AI also depends on embracing solutions that are tailored to industry context and business priorities, not generic tools. That’s where the right partnerships matter—those with deep domain expertise, proven frameworks and the ability to map AI initiatives to tangible business outcomes.” Surya Gummadi, President, Americas</blockquote>

<h4>2. Context will power smarter outcomes</h4> As enterprises advance their agentification roadmaps, context engineering will become a critical tool for unlocking the value of AI. To build AI agents that can genuinely augment and coexist with human labor, it’s not enough for them to simply execute tasks; they must understand the “why,” ”what” and ”how” behind every process. <blockquote>“For organizations intent on maximizing AI-driven productivity, context engineering is the missing piece that captures the ”dark side of the moon”—the undocumented, intuitive aspects of human labor. This data is essential for delivering the highest value of output from AI, as it provides a 360-degree view of the entirety of what humans get done.” Neal Ramasamy, Chief Information Officer</blockquote>

<h4>3. “More productive” means “busier than ever”</h4> In the year ahead, we’ll see a cultural shift in allowing AI into every employee’s daily usage, both for personal productivity and to execute corporate and operational processes. This will be a main catalyst for enterprise adoption. The real winners will be companies that embed AI into every employee’s daily workflow. Empowerment at every level is the new competitive edge. But as AI has promised to turbocharge our productivity, there’s a twist: As AI tools get smarter, expectations will also soar. <blockquote>“I think the use of AI will make us all much more productive and, therefore, busier than ever. This is because the expectation of productivity seems to have outpaced the reality, and so the same employee or business will be expected to do more and deliver more in less time.” Babak Hodjat, Chief AI Officer</blockquote>

<h4>4. AI will begin to dissolve traditional departmental lines</h4> We will start to see AI turning traditional organizational structures on their head. We’re no longer confined to org charts—AI enables us to instantly find and assemble the right people, wherever they are, around a shared goal. With AI handling areas like logistics and institutional knowledge, people can focus on results, not red tape. <blockquote>“Expertise is no longer a gate-kept resource—it’s distributed and democratized through AI. This model will begin to empower top talent to shine and help newcomers ramp up quickly so everyone wins. Faster, flatter and more networked is the future.” Kathy Diaz, Chief People Officer</blockquote>

<h4>5. People and technology will transform together</h4> As we step into 2026, the real story is less about smarter machines and more about how people and technology will reshape each other. We’re entering a moment where AI, robotics and advanced sensors will start working together in ways that feel genuinely autonomous. Wearables will evolve from gadgets into intelligent companions. I also expect data to emerge even more strongly as the ultimate battleground for competitive advantage. Those who master it will set the pace for innovation and trust. <blockquote>“As speed becomes non-negotiable, hierarchies will bend under the weight of creativity, giving rise to more agile, networked structures. The future will reward the most adaptable, the most curious and the most courageous.” Ganesh Ayyar, President, Intuitive Operations and Automation and Industry Solutions Group</blockquote>

<h4>6. EMEA will set the pace on smart regulation and sustainable enterprise gains</h4> In the new year, EMEA will see pragmatic laws implemented that will help enterprises acclimatize. The resulting regulatory environment will balance innovation with responsibility. This will empower businesses to connect data across internal and external systems to drive sustainable outcomes that positively affect the bottom line. Across industries, generative AI will move beyond experimentation to become a core enabler of smarter operations. <blockquote>“Companies will use generative AI to prototype and simulate production scenarios, cutting cycle times and reducing waste. Predictive maintenance powered by AI will help avoid downtime and optimize resource use, while context-aware training will boost worker productivity and safety.” Manoj Mehta, President, Europe, Middle East, Africa</blockquote>

<h4>7. AI mastery will be the new baseline to increase business impact</h4> In 2026, AI mastery will be table stakes for all employees. Ensuring that both individuals and teams have the right tools, training, and guidance is key to driving meaningful adoption—where AI can truly improve business outcomes. This means tools that are custom-created with the right context that considers the individual, the organization and the new workflows required will be critical to success. <blockquote>“Our <a href="https://investors.cognizant.com/news-and-events/news/news-details/2024/Cognizant-Impact-Study-Predicts-Generative-AI-Could-Inject-1-Trillion-Into-U.S.-Economy-Over-10-Years/" title="https://investors.cognizant.com/news-and-events/news/news-details/2024/Cognizant-Impact-Study-Predicts-Generative-AI-Could-Inject-1-Trillion-Into-U.S.-Economy-Over-10-Years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New work, new world</a> and <a href="https://investors.cognizant.com/news-and-events/news/news-details/2025/Cognizant-Study-Shows-Consumers-Who-Embrace-AI-Could-Drive-4.4-Trillion-in-Spending-Over-Five-Years/default.aspx" title="https://investors.cognizant.com/news-and-events/news/news-details/2025/Cognizant-Study-Shows-Consumers-Who-Embrace-AI-Could-Drive-4.4-Trillion-in-Spending-Over-Five-Years/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">New minds, new markets</a> research points to marketing at the leading edge of generative AI investment and adoption; both because marketing is a ripe data practice and also because customer experience is easily shaped by the tools generative AI delivers well. Combining our data with gen AI tool mastery is how we deliver higher rates of return for the business.” Thea Hayden, Chief Marketing Officer</blockquote>

<h4>8. Smarter workflows will lighten the load for clinicians and care teams</h4> In life sciences, the near-term productivity lift will come less from diagnosis and more from documentation and workflow improvements. Ambient scribes, smart scheduling and denial-prevention tools are already reclaiming hours for clinicians and support staff. Generative systems now draft clinical protocols, summarize literature and flag pharmacovigilance signals. <blockquote>“Individually, each task may seem small; yet together, they return time, attention and morale. The best systems disappear into workflow. They make existing infrastructure breathe again. The real advance is when the workday feels lighter, and the care feels closer.” Dr. Scott R. Schell, PhD, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer</blockquote>

<h4>9. AI-driven change will create demand for specialized healthcare payer roles</h4> For healthcare payers, AI interpreters and agentic process designers will be pivotal. These are professionals who understand both clinical and business nuance and can translate payer policy, compliance and care coordination into logic that AI systems can safely execute. <blockquote>“Perhaps most importantly, we’ll need AI ethicists and validation roles embedded within every major function. This will ensure responsible deployment across claims, utilization management and member engagement.” Sanjay Subramanian, SVP and Head of the Healthcare Payer Business Unit</blockquote>

<h4>10. The next leap forward will be end-to-end autonomy powered by AI</h4> The next foundational leap will be fully autonomous, self-orchestrating ecosystems, coordinated end-to-end by AI agents. That might seem ambitious today, but it is rapidly becoming achievable. Context is critical when enabling agents to operate effectively within complex enterprise environments. Consulting firms and system integrators are uniquely positioned to provide this essential contextual understanding, ensuring that these agents are seamlessly integrated and aligned with the specific business objectives and operational realities of each client. This vision represents a new horizon for business, manufacturing and urban mobility—where intelligent agents are the backbone of resilient, adaptive enterprises. <blockquote>“Cognizant will play a vital role in enabling these leaps: integrating legacy systems, securing data pipelines and guiding talent readiness so clients can safely and confidently embrace true AI-driven transformation.” Vijay Narayan, Executive Vice President and Head of Manufacturing, Logistics, Energy & Utilities Business Unit</blockquote>