Executive leadership faces a fundamental shift as technology moves from digital experimentation to physical application. In 2026, the most significant impact comes from systems that leave the screen to interact directly with the world. This transition requires a move away from isolated pilots toward integrated systems that automate complex workflows and physical tasks.
A report commissioned by Forrester has identified top 10 technology trends that will move code to commerce.
Redefining customer and employee experience
Three technologies are changing how people live and work by embedding intelligence into their surroundings:
- Layer zero experiences: This technology creates an interface that coordinates digital interactions without forcing users to navigate specific apps or websites. It interprets intent across various devices to fulfill needs, such as a family assistant pulling travel dates from a group chat to build a shared itinerary.
- Physical AI and robotics: Systems now perceive and act within dynamic environments like factories, hospitals, and public spaces. These machines address labor bottlenecks by performing machine-level precision work around the clock.
- Autonomous transportation: Beyond typical self-driving cars, this includes drones, tractors, and ships. While public highway use is still developing, these systems provide immediate value in controlled environments like ports and warehouses.
The new architecture of business operations
Operations will increasingly rely on agent-led systems that manage the heavy lifting of development and commerce:
- Agentic software development: AI agents now handle analysis, coding, and testing across the software lifecycle. This allows human developers to move from creating artifacts to orchestrating entire networks of specialized agents.
- Multiagent systems: These coordinated networks of agents plan and reason across complex business processes. They prove effective in domains like customer support, where a system can decompose a request into specialized roles for triage and resolution.
- Agentic commerce: AI agents act autonomously for consumers and businesses to compare options and execute transactions. Retailers like Walmart are already feeding product data into these engines to enable zero-click conversions.
Securing and powering the enterprise
To support these advancements, organizations are investing in high-scale infrastructure and safety protocols:
- Frontier AI models: Next-generation models advance specialized capabilities in science, mathematics, and complex reasoning. Leading firms use these to automate software creation and accelerate scientific research.
- AI supercomputing: Large-scale clusters purpose-built for training provide the speed needed for frequent model optimization. This infrastructure is a strategic requirement for industries handling vast data volumes, such as financial services and life sciences.
- AI security and trust: As exposure points like prompt injection and data leakage increase, these tools provide the governance needed for confident deployment. They ensure systems remain transparent and compliant with regulatory requirements.
- Quantum computing: While long-term, quantum hardware begins to offer advantages in molecular simulation and portfolio risk modeling. Early adopters in manufacturing and defense are preparing for the shift toward quantum-safe security protocols.