The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) predictions report highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the foundations of hardware, software, telecommunications and media. AI is driving infrastructure investment, reshaping business models and accelerating shifts in how people connect and consume content – creating a more competitive and complex digital economy in 2026 and beyond. 

The report predicts 2026 will see the gap between the promise and reality of AI narrow, as further movements towards getting it to scale are made. Progress will come less from headline-grabbing new models and more from fundamentals. The report explores 13 topics.

Key findings

• Agents assemble: the global agentic AI market could reach US$45 billion in 2030, but only if enterprises and providers perform proper orchestration.  
• AI disrupts search: daily usage of AI within search is expected to be three times greater than the usage of any standalone AI tool.
• Hardware heats up: inference – the running of AI models – will make up two-thirds of AI compute by 2026.
• Rise of the robots: the installed base of global industrial robots is estimated to reach 5.5 million by 2026, with modest annual growth.