7 Artificial Intelligence Trends to Watch in 2026

2026 is the year when Artificial Intelligence (AI) will truly establish itself as a partner, transforming how we work, create, and solve problems. 

As AI agents become increasingly capable digital collaborators—taking on specific tasks under human guidance—organizations will strengthen security measures to mitigate new risks. These advancements are made possible by systems that are smarter and more efficient than ever.

Discover the seven trends you should follow in 2026:
 

• AI will amplify what people can achieve together

2026 marks a new era of collaboration between technology and people. In recent years, AI has excelled at answering questions and solving problems; the next step is cooperation.

Microsoft believes that companies that teach their teams how to work with AI will unlock greater benefits, tackle more complex challenges, and reach results faster. Tip: don’t see AI as a competitor, but as a partner.
 

• AI agents will have new protections in the workplace

AI agents will play an increasingly relevant role in daily organizational operations. To ensure trust, it will be essential to define clear identities, limit access to information and systems, manage the data they generate, and protect them against attacks and threats.
 

• AI is ready to help reduce the global healthcare gap

The World Health Organization projects a global shortage of 11 million health professionals by 2030, leaving 4.5 billion people without essential services. AI may be a crucial solution to this crisis.

Today, Copilot and Bing already answer more than 50 million health-related questions every day. Microsoft sees AI as a way to give people more control over their health and well-being.
 

• AI will be central to the scientific research process

AI is already used in fields such as climate modelling, molecular dynamics, and material design. In 2026, Microsoft predicts that AI will not only summarize papers and write reports, but also actively participate in scientific discovery in physics, chemistry, and biology.

This evolution promises to accelerate research and transform the way discoveries are made.
 

• Smarter and more efficient AI infrastructures

2026 will be marked by the emergence of global, flexible AI systems, supported by a new generation of interconnected “superfactories” that reduce costs and increase efficiency. Computing power will be allocated dynamically, avoiding waste and ensuring a more sustainable and adaptable infrastructure capable of supporting innovation at a global scale.
 

• AI is learning the language of code—and the context behind it

Software development is reaching new heights, with GitHub activity hitting record levels in 2025. Today, AI doesn’t just analyze lines of code—it understands the relationships and history behind them. 

By recognizing patterns in repositories, AI can identify changes, their reasoning, and interdependencies, suggesting improvements, detecting bugs, and even automating routine fixes.
 

• The next leap in computing is closer than many think

We are entering the era of hybrid computing, where quantum technology, AI, and supercomputers work together. AI identifies patterns, supercomputers run large-scale simulations, and quantum computing adds precision to the modelling of molecules and materials. Microsoft’s Majorana 1 represents a significant step toward more robust quantum systems.

^{Source: Microsoft}