Agentic AI will reshape software licensing and cloud economics

What are the top 3 game-changers expected in 2026 that will disrupt or be the next spotlight in terms of innovation, adoption and mainstream scale?

By 2026, the most meaningful disruption will come from how effectively enterprises modernise data to make AI actionable at scale.

A second game-changer will be the expanding role of the CIO as a business strategist. Our CIO Trends 2026 insights show technology leaders stepping into responsibility for growth, resilience, and trust, not just IT delivery. In India, where enterprises are scaling rapidly amid regulatory and operational complexity, the CIO’s ability to align data, AI, and business priorities will define competitive advantage.

The third shift will be the emergence of AI agents as enterprise collaborators. Our perspective on the future of AI agents points to 2026 as the year they become enterprise-ready, moving beyond assistance to active participation in workflows. This creates a powerful opportunity for Indian organisations to scale productivity and customer engagement without linear increases in workforce.

Our CIO Trends 2026 insights point to a growing expectation that technology investments are directly tied to measurable business impact.

How strong would AI-readiness get this year?

According to our study on India’s AI readiness, a vast majority of technology leaders see data modernisation as the critical foundation for AI success. This signals a clear shift from experimentation to

execution, where AI is expected to operate on trusted, unified data and directly influence business outcomes across functions.

With Agentic AI, what and how much will change in the realm of enterprise software and SaaS?

Agentic AI will redefine enterprise software from systems that support work to systems that actively drive it. Applications will increasingly be expected to reason, decide, and act using real-time, governed data. Our data and analytics trends for 2026 highlight a move from retrospective reporting to predictive and prescriptive intelligence, enabling software to play a more active role in business execution.

Anything specific about India that you notice or expect?

For Indian enterprises, trust will be central to this transformation. Insights from CIO Trends 2026 show that responsible AI, transparency, and governance are becoming foundational requirements as AI systems gain autonomy. The next phase of SaaS growth will favour platforms that embed these principles by design, ensuring autonomy does not come at the cost of accountability.

Would AgentForce re-christening happen in 2026? Even if not, how much will AI change the software licensing models and the cloud industry?

Whether Agentforce itself evolves as a brand is less important than what it represents for enterprise platforms. Our outlook on AI agents makes it clear that AI is becoming a foundational capability, not an add-on. This is where the Agentforce360 platform becomes critical, bringing trusted data, AI agents, analytics and workflow automation on a single, unified foundation. Indian enterprises are already preparing for this shift by modernising data and rethinking operating models around intelligence and automation. This recognises that AI delivers value only when it is deeply integrated into how the business runs.

This shift will also reshape software licensing and cloud economics. As AI agents take on greater responsibility for execution across sales, service, marketing and operations, enterprises will increasingly expect pricing models that reflect outcomes delivered rather than just access to software. Our CIO Trends 2026 insights point to a growing expectation that technology investments are directly tied to measurable business impact. In India’s value-conscious market, platforms like Agentforce 360 that align AI capability, data readiness, and outcomes will define the next phase of enterprise cloud leadership.

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in