Unisys Forecasts How AI Application Breakthroughs Will Reshape Enterprise Technology in 2026

The company's annual Top IT Insights Report reveals key trends industry leaders are watching

BLUE BELL, Pa., Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys (NYSE: UIS) has released its "Top IT Insights for 2026: Navigating the Future of Technology and Business" report, identifying 10 trends that will define the next era of enterprise technology. Based on extensive conversations with industry experts and company leaders, the report offers insights into how AI applications can achieve breakthroughs in repeatable, high-ROI deployments, the impact of technology on the workforce, and the implications for cybersecurity.

"In 2025 we saw a lot of AI hype, with conflicting reports about what the technology can deliver, leaving business leaders asking, 'what's next?' and 'when will we start seeing results?'," said Mike Thomson, chief executive officer and president, Unisys. "In 2026, we are going to see more functional deployments of AI, a focus on quality rather than cost-cutting, and the emergence of AI applications that will deliver repeatable, ROI-driven results."

Ten IT Insights for 2026

1. Focused AI Deployments will Outpace Transformation Projects
   The majority of AI deployments will not be large-scale initiatives. Instead, they will be smaller, task-based integrations that fold into existing processes. These developments will use smaller data sets that are easier to clean, require lower investment thresholds, enable smoother change management, and deliver quicker results.
   
   
2. Three AI Applications will Break Through as Repeatable, High-ROI Deployments 
   After years of experimentation, enterprises are converging on a handful of repeatable, high-ROI applications. Chatbots for employees and clients, AI coding agents, and AI-driven service assistants will become packaged, measurable, and quick to deploy. This will change how organizations evaluate and choose to invest in AI.
   
   
3. AI Investments will Shift from Cost Reduction to Quality Improvement
   Early AI programs focused primarily on cost reductions because they were easy to model and sell. In 2026, AI will deliver greater quality – from measuring how AI improves decision confidence, reduces variance, and elevates outcomes. With quality output, industry leaders say organizations will see increased revenue and improved margins.
   
   
4. Organizations will Train AI Models on Small, Task-Specific Data Sets Rather than Pursuing Scale
   The focus will not be on generalists and large language models trained on massive data sets. Instead, specialists and small language models will be trained on cleaner, more simplified data sets. In practice, enterprises will benefit from more finely tuned industry-specific models, which will lead to more accurate and higher-quality outputs that are more cost efficient to operate and implement.
   
   
5. Mass Layoffs from AI Automation Won't Occur, though Entry-Level Coding Positions Will Shrink
   Despite the rise of automation, widespread AI-driven layoffs are not expected to materialize in 2026. Organizations know that blunt headcount cuts undermine transformation. Rather, leaders will redirect productivity gains to backlog reduction, customer experience, and modernization. AI agents, however, will automate routine coding, further reducing "junior coder" roles.
   
   
6. Organizations will Need to Establish Post-Quantum Cryptography Strategies
   Large-scale quantum computers are on the horizon, and malicious actors are stockpiling encrypted data in "harvest-now, decrypt-later" schemes, putting sensitive data at risk. Organizations must prioritize post-quantum cryptography strategies, which include taking inventory of cryptography, establishing mitigation paths, and initiating phased rollouts to align with emerging standards.
   
   
7. AI will Accelerate both Cyberattacks and Defenses 
   Organizations will see both attackers and defenders deploy AI to their advantage. For attackers, this will include accelerated phishing personalization, deepfakes, and voice spoofing. For defenders, AI will augment pattern recognition and anomaly detection, as well as threat hunting with natural-language interfaces and automated responses. The goal for the next year is not perfect prevention, but rather fast containment, credible forensics, and resilient recovery.
   
   
8. Organizations will be Measured by Recovery Speed, not Breach Prevention
   The likelihood of breaches continues to rise, and enterprises will need to invest equally in rapid recovery and business continuity initiatives. The fastest path to resilience is preparation, including offline back-ups, clean-room rebuild capabilities, and pre-negotiated crisis vendors and processes. Organizations that can demonstrate recovery capabilities will gain competitive advantages in terms of customer trust, insurance rates, and regulatory relationships.
   
   
9. Data Sovereignty Requirements will Trigger the Creation of Regional and National Clouds
   Sovereignty requirements will move from niche to standard expectations. Governments and regulated industries will require data, keys, and sometimes compute resources to remain within their borders — driving the development of regional and national cloud zones and partner ecosystems. Organizations that map their sovereignty requirements early and choose platforms with genuine local control will navigate this complexity more successfully than those treating it as a compliance checkbox.
   
   
10. Organizations will Optimize Workload Placement Rather than Pursue Wholesale Cloud Migration
    The "lift-and-shift everything" era is over. Large enterprises have completed their major cloud migration efforts and now run on hybrid models. Moving forward, the focus will be on fit-for-purpose placement, private cloud for predictable workloads, sovereign zones for regulated data, and selective rebalancing where needed.

For more information and to download the Unisys "Top IT Insights for 2026: Navigating the Future of Technology and Business" report, visit: Unisys 2026 IT Insights Report.

About Unisys 

Unisys is a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations. Our solutions – cloud, AI, digital workplace, applications and enterprise computing – help our clients challenge the status quo and unlock their full potential. To learn how we have been helping clients push what's possible for more than 150 years, visit unisys.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Unisys Corporation