After the era of generative AI, we are entering that of agentic AI : AI no longer just responds, she anticipates, learns and acts independently. From memory AI to intelligent automation, Genesys experts, AI-powered experience orchestration platform, have identified the trends that will shape 2026.
After a year of rapid integration of generative AI, many companies have struggled to link this technology to financial results, with around 95% of pilot projects failing to accelerate revenue. But these first efforts were not in vain. They allowed these companies to lay the first stones necessary for the integration of agentic AI. Organizations that quickly apply these lessons will be best positioned to achieve true ROI. « In 2026, I expect CIOs to focus on four strategic areas : context engineering, reliable data foundations, agent orchestration and AI governance. Designing systems that deliver the right information at the right time will be key to unlocking the potential of agentic AI. These changes will move AI from experimentation to execution and unlock measurable business value at scale.”, analysis Trevor Schulze, Genesys CIO.
AI will drive the orchestration
Businesses are moving from process management to data orchestration. Soon, thousands of AI agents will synchronize work by detecting, predicting and acting seamlessly across every workflow, function and channel. Experience orchestration platforms are emerging, as the company's new operating system, powered by major language models (LLM), major action models (LAM), the model context protocol (MCP) and agent-to-agent collaboration (A2A) on a large scale. Ensemble, they will transform customer and employee experiences in an adaptive and self-orchestrated way. Each interaction will be part of a dynamic journey, shaped in real time by a catalog of specialized AI agents working in sales departments, service, marketing, operations and finance alongside humans. AI will drive the orchestration ; governance and ethics will define it. The most advanced organizations will establish and rely on guardrails and transparent oversight to ensure the integrity and trust of agentic ecosystems. Those that master this balance – autonomous and responsible orchestration – will operate with precision and adaptability.
Transparency, new source of confidence
As agentic AI systems gain autonomy, how organizations demonstrate accountability will define their credibility. Just like ESG (environmental standards, social and governance) redefined corporate responsibility, agentic transparency will transform the way organizations will be judged by customers, employees and regulators. Genesys Research Reveals Growing Trust Gap : 80% of consumers surveyed expect clear governance of AI, but only 31% of customer experience leaders surveyed have full oversight. As thousands of AI agents act and collaborate across enterprise ecosystems, transparency must move from individual models to interconnected networks. Growing regulatory scrutiny will require proof that autonomous systems operate ethically and comply with emerging AI legislation, while aligning with human and organizational values. “Companies will have to disclose what their AI agents do, what they are allowed to do and how they decide. Industry leaders will treat transparency not as a compliance checkbox, but as a strategic advantage by integrating trust and integrity into every decision. By transforming responsible AI into a fundamental operational principle, they will transform compliance into trust and sustainable competitive strength.”, explains Olivier Jouve, Product Director at Genesys.
