New research reveals AI has graduated to “must-maintain” infrastructure

Zapier, the leading AI orchestration platform, today released “The Future of AI Transformation in 2026,” a comprehensive report exploring how enterprise leaders are moving beyond experimental AI adoption toward integrated orchestration. The findings, based on a survey of 200 CIOs, CTOs, and IT directors across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, reveal that AI is no longer a discretionary expense but a governed operating system for organizations.

The report highlights a decisive shift: 25% of enterprise leaders expect to reach “full-scale orchestration” this year, where AI works as the connective tissue between tools, teams, and processes. A further 43% anticipate reaching the “agentic AI” stage, where autonomous systems work across functions with minimal human input.

“The productivity gains from AI are real. 92% of workers feel them. But so is the cleanup work,” said Charles Crawford, senior product marketer at Zapier. “The companies seeing the best results aren’t the ones avoiding AI. They’re the ones who have invested in training, context, and orchestration tools that turn AI from a series of ad-hoc experiments into a managed process.”

Key Findings from the 2026 Report:

• AI as Essential Infrastructure: AI has entered the “must-maintain” category, with 74% of leaders stating AI budgets would be among the last to be cut during an economic downturn.
• Workforce Expansion, Not Contraction: 71% say AI will reshape teams through redeployment or new hiring, while only 21% anticipate headcount reductions.
• The Governance Advantage: 70% now view AI governance as a strategic differentiator rather than a compliance burden.
• High Standards for Precision: Trust in automation remains conditional; 83% demand that AI error rates stay at 5% or below for high-stakes operations.
• Investment Surge: 69% of enterprises plan to invest $1 million or more in AI over the next year, with the majority planning to spend over $5 million.

The Redefined Enterprise Workforce

The transition to orchestration is driving a surge in specialized roles. By 2026, 65% of leaders plan to hire AI Automation Specialists, followed by AI Platform Engineers (64%) to maintain the infrastructure required for AI at the enterprise level. AI fluency has become a critical benchmark, with 46% of leaders planning to link promotions and pay directly to an employee’s ability to operate responsibly within AI-driven systems.

Governance and Human Oversight

Despite the push for autonomy, human intervention remains a priority. 71% of leaders identified “human-in-the-loop” approvals as their top governance priority for 2026. While leaders are confident in AI managing internal, rules-driven workflows like security and identity management (40%), they remain hesitant to automate sensitive HR actions or strategic budget decisions.

“I’m seeing companies wrestle with ownership and accountability,” said Charlie Hills, Co-Founder of Linked Agency. “Teams need clear standards for data handling, approval flows, and how AI contributes to IP. The organizations that nail this move faster and build trust faster.”

Internal Proof Points Drive ROI

The era of proof-of-concept spending is closing. 84% of respondents are confident they will have solid proof of AI ROI by 2026. To unlock further investment, executives are prioritizing measurable productivity improvements (54%) and verified financial savings (22%).

Full Report and Methodology

The research was conducted with 200 verified B2B respondents in senior technical leadership roles (Director level and above) through NewtonX. Over 60% of participating companies represent organizations with 5,000+ employees.

The post Zapier: 71% of Enterprise Leaders Say AI Will Reshape Teams first appeared on AI-Tech Park.

Origianl Creator: GlobeNewswire
Original Link: https://ai-techpark.com/zapier-71-of-enterprise-leaders-say-ai-will-reshape-teams/
Originally Posted: Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:30:00 +0000