finding and keeping skilled tech professionals is now the biggest headache for businesses heading into 2026, with half of companies surveyed identifying it as their top challenge. This struggle underscores a growing gap: companies are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence,but lack the experienced staff needed to actually implement,manage,and expand these technologies.
AI Gains Momentum, But Talent Remains a Bottleneck
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A new report reveals a tension between AIS promise and the realities of implementation.Pressures are increasing scrutiny of tech investments. integrating AI safely and effectively is a growing concern, with security and compliance issues rising. Embedded analytics are gaining traction, shifting the focus from data visualization to actionable insights.
- Pressures are increasing scrutiny of tech investments.
- Integrating AI safely and effectively is a growing concern,with security and compliance issues rising.
- Embedded analytics are gaining traction, shifting the focus from data visualization to actionable insights.
The latest annual survey, released today, paints a picture of a technology landscape pulled in two directions: the exciting momentum of AI-powered productivity gains, and the frustrating constraints of talent shortages, budget pressures, and global instability. While most organizations reported positive results in 2025, many are approaching 2026 with a more cautious, results-oriented mindset.
“The survey shows that AI is clearly delivering productivity gains, but today’s economic reality is raising the bar for every technology investment,” says Casey Ciniello, a senior product manager. “The data signals a decisive shift from experimentation to disciplined execution, as talent shortages, tighter budgets, and global instability force tougher choices about where – and how fast – to scale. The organizations that will succeed are those that focus AI investment on clear, near-term business results.”
Productivity Boosts Driven by Tech Investments
Technology initiatives were the primary engine of productivity gains in 2025. A full 66 percent of respondents credited AI adoption, while 62 percent pointed to embedded analytics, 62 percent to automation of repetitive tasks, and 63 percent to investments in skills development. This data confirms a clear trend: productivity is increasingly achieved thru smarter systems, rather than simply longer work hours.
Economic Headwinds Threaten Investment
Despite the positive trends, a quarter of organizations are planning to cut spending in 2026 due to a weakening economy. Inflation (60 percent), rising costs (58 percent), economic instability (53 percent), tariffs (50 percent), and higher interest rates (40 percent) are all weighing on planning decisions. This creates a disconnect between the technologies that drive performance and the financial constraints that may limit further investment.
AI Integration Presents New Hurdles
The challenge isn’t whether to use AI, but how to integrate it safely and effectively. 57 percent of organizations cite AI integration into the development process as their top challenge, a significant increase from 44 percent in 2025. Security threats (49 percent) and data privacy and regulatory compliance (48 percent) are close behind, highlighting the growing risks and governance complexities associated with AI-driven systems.
Analytics Shift Towards Actionable Insights
Embedded analytics and business intelligence continue to gain momentum. Currently, 76 percent of organizations use embedded analytics internally, and 84 percent anticipate increasing their focus on BI in 2026. The emphasis is shifting from simply visualizing data to taking action: organizations prioritize better decision-making, faster trend identification, productivity gains, and automated analysis.
“The surge in embedded analytics adoption signals a turning point for enterprise intelligence,” Ciniello adds. “As economic uncertainty increases scrutiny of technology spending, CIOs and CTOs are redefining the value of analytics. Embedded BI is increasingly favored because it shortens the path from insight to action,reduces manual effort,and delivers ROI by driving faster decisions and unlocking productivity at scale,all within core applications.”
The full report is available online.
Image credit: ALLVISIONN/depositphotos.com
