Fill in the Blank 2026: Preliminary Findings

A Market at a Turning Point

The 2026 Fill in the Blank™ Enterprise Technology Survey captures the pulse of senior enterprise executives navigating one of the most consequential shifts in modern business: the move from optimization to transformation.

This year’s preliminary findings are drawn from 52 senior leaders across 34 of the world’s largest corporations—spanning finance, healthcare, automotive, industrials, consumer goods, and technology. Collectively, they represent billions in annual IT and digital investment.

The early results reveal a market divided yet accelerating—where the mandate to run the business and reinvent the business coexist in tension.

Executive Summary: The Two Halves of the Enterprise Brain

A new duality defines the enterprise in 2026.

• Operators focus on efficiency, resilience, and measurable ROI.
• Innovators push for disruption, speed, and new revenue streams.

Each sees AI through a different lens—automation versus reinvention—creating distinct investment priorities and success metrics. This Operator-Innovator split is shaping every conversation in the enterprise boardroom.

Four Trends Shaping the AI Era

1. The Boardroom Mandate is Bifurcated

CIOs are asked to reduce cost and manage risk. CTOs and CDOs are asked to out-innovate the competition. The split is not philosophical—it’s structural, and it’s driving two parallel roadmaps for 2026.

2. The Data Foundation Remains the Bottleneck

Operators cite integration across silos as their biggest challenge. Innovators cite real-time availability and data quality. The AI revolution still runs on data plumbing.

3. A Two-Front War for Talent

Operators need experts in change management, compliance, and AI governance. Innovators need model engineers and data scientists. Both face acute shortages that threaten progress.

4. Startups Face a Dual Proving Ground

Winning enterprise trust now requires a split strategy:

• For Operators — clear ROI, seamless integration, and low risk.
• For Innovators — originality, velocity, and the courage to redefine markets.

Inside the Boardroom: Voices from the Field

“The vehicle has become a software platform on the edge… It’s no longer about horsepower; it’s about processing power.”
— CTO, Automotive Company

“AI adoption is a trust equation. We must innovate within a fortress of resilience.”
— CIO, Global Financial Institution

“From sick-care to proactive healthcare—AI is the engine driving personalized outcomes at scale.”
— Chief Digital & Data Officer, Healthcare Company

“Seconds saved, errors eliminated, carbon reduced—that’s our AI ROI.”
— CIO & COO, Transportation Supply Chain

“Beauty Tech is redefining customer intimacy—one-to-one engagement with a billion consumers.”
— CMO, Global Beauty Brand

The Enterprise Perspective

From automotive to energy, from finance to retail, executives describe AI not as a single technology shift but as a new economic operating system.

As one CEO put it: “This isn’t just another technology cycle—it’s a rewiring of how knowledge, creativity, and economic value are generated.”

Why This Matters for Founders

Enterprises are re-architecting their future around AI—but the playbooks differ dramatically by leader, function, and industry.

Understanding where your buyer sits on the Operator–Innovator spectrum will determine how you sell, partner, and scale in 2026.

Download the Preliminary 2026 Summary →
Get the early signal on what enterprise leaders will buy, build, and believe next.