Twelve CEOs recently offered their forecasts for 2026 in a Fast Company report, with many expecting significant technological and economic shifts. Several leaders predicted that artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape cybersecurity, automation, and infrastructure.

Rick Caccia, CEO of WitnessAI, anticipates the first major AI-driven cyberattack in 2026, which he believes will accelerate corporate investment in security systems, making AI protection much more essential.

Others, such as Ted Bailey of Dataminr and Balaji Yelamanchili of ThreatConnect, expect security strategies to become increasingly personalized. In their view, threat intelligence will need to align with specific business contexts in order to remain useful in resource-constrained environments.

Filip Kaliszan of Verkada sees a comparable shift in executive protection, prompted by recent high-profile incidents.

On the infrastructure side, KR Sridhar of Bloom Energy forecasts greater adoption of onsite energy models for AI data centers, while Sami Issa of Global AI suggests sovereign AI will emerge as a new strategic priority for governments.

Alpine Investors’ Graham Weaver had a more cautionary prediction and warned of a potential market correction, and Kasheesh’s Sam Miller argued that AI alone will not shield everyday consumers from economic fallout.

Others, like Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor, urged caution around forecasts themselves, emphasizing optimism and long-term adaptation over certainty.