Scaling AI in 2026
A new survey of Reply customers reveals how AI is redesigning operating models and how digital sovereignty has become the infrastructural prerequisite for innovation at scale
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New Insights from Industry Leaders
The results presented in this report are derived from a survey conducted in late 2025, involving an international panel of senior executives and technology leaders. The sample analysed covers major economies across Europe and the Americas and spans a wide spectrum of industrial sectors, from financial services to automotive, retail and energy. This diversity of perspectives allows for precise tracking of the evolution of corporate strategies and the real impact of advanced automation in large global organisations.
Witnessing a Fundamental Shift
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a series of isolated experiments but a pervasive, enterprise-scale operating capability. Organisations are transitioning from a phase of simple activation to one of orchestration, where the objective is to integrate systems and data to manage complex processes.
In this scenario, IT strategies are being revised not only for efficiency but to ensure that the infrastructure supporting AI is resilient and sovereign in the face of geopolitical pressures.
AI as a Horizontal Enabler
AI adoption is now ubiquitous, extending from technical functions such as IT to business functions like marketing, sales and human resources. Two distinct adoption clusters are observed: customer-centric sectors focus on engagement, whilst industrial sectors prioritise operational efficiency. AI is becoming a horizontal enabler that improves productivity and responsiveness across the entire value chain, overcoming the logic of siloed projects.
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The evolution towards Agentic AI
According to the collected data, Agentic AI represents the next architectural leap. This is not merely automation, but systems capable of autonomously executing multi-step tasks and connecting functional silos. This technology is emerging as a unifying layer for the end-to-end orchestration of business processes. Organisations are adjusting IT budgets, forecasting strategic investments to support these capabilities and increase operational agility.
Redesign of workflows and roles
The integration of AI is transforming the very structure of work. Roles are evolving from manual tasks towards supervision, validation and exception management. Although benefits in terms of speed and cost savings are tangible, many companies still struggle to quantify the impact on revenue. The main challenge is therefore shifting from technology adoption to the management of organisational change.
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Digital sovereignty as a foundation for AI
The expansion of AI at an enterprise scale amplifies critical reliance on data and computing infrastructure. As modern AI requires a continuous flow of sensitive information, the fragmented geopolitical context transforms IT strategy into a pillar of security: to ensure intelligent agents operate without risk of interruption or exfiltration, companies must adopt resilient and sovereign architectures. Digital sovereignty is thus not an ancillary issue, but the enabling architecture necessary to protect and support mission-critical AI operations.
Insights from the survey results
Lessons learned and shared insights
As organisations transition from experimental pilots to enterprise-wide orchestration, the demands on leadership are shifting fundamentally. The convergence of Agentic AI with the need for digital sovereignty requires a cohesive strategy that unites business goals with architectural resilience. The interviewed leaders shared their critical priorities over the next 12–24 months to ensure their organisations’ operating models remain competitive and secure.
CEOs & Executives
Treat AI as a system-level transformation of the operating model, establishing dual accountability between business and technology leaders.
CIOs & CTOs
Modernise architecture to support Agentic AI orchestration whilst strengthening digital sovereignty and resilience against geopolitical risks.
Data Leaders and CDOs
Build a unified, high-quality data foundation and governance framework to support distributed intelligence and agent coordination.
Business Unit Leaders
Redesign high-frequency, multi-step workflows to embed human-AI collaboration, focusing on 'product thinking' for AI capabilities.
Leading the next phase of transformation
The survey data reveals that organisations are currently navigating the intersection of three distinct transformations: the scaling of AI across functions, the emergence of Agentic AI for workflow orchestration and the shift towards sovereign, resilient IT strategies. The findings suggest that the next phase of maturity will not be defined by simple adoption, but by the ability to integrate these forces into a cohesive operating model. As the report details, the priority for the coming years is to build an enterprise capable of securely orchestrating intelligence across workflows, data systems and borders.