Inteligência artificial e experiência conversacional dominam a agenda de tecnologia para 2026, revela relatório da BRQ

Automation is moving out of the picture to give way to autonomy. This is the main conclusion of the new report Lens LeadershipSeven Minutes BRQ Digital Solutions, one-stop-shop partner in the business evolution journey and leader of generative AI. The study listened to executives from various sectors and reveals the key technological priorities of CIOs and CTOs for the year, such as investments for areas that combine operational efficiency, autonomy and governance, focusing on tangible business results.

The report points out that in 2026 there is an urgent need to integrate intelligence throughout the operation, from digital products to infrastructure and communication. For Rodrigo Frizzi, CEO of BRQ, the consolidation of AI in all layers of the business is no longer an option, it is a strategic requirement. “Whoever can combine efficiency and purpose in the application of this resource will lead the next digital era”, he anticipates.  

Conversational UX and Zero UI: the end of visible interfaces 

Another trend that is consolidated is the Conversational UX, the new phase of the User Experience, marked by digital experiences centered on human and artificial intelligence. Intelligent interfaces, copilots and generative assistants become standard.“The best interface is one that is invisible and solves the” customer problem, says Pablo Moura, Head of Experience at BRQ. 

This transformation redefines the role of design and ushers in the concept of Zero UI, in which the graphical interface gives way to natural experiences, based on voice, gestures and context.“The future of good design is invisible but deeply human”, adds Pablo Moura. 

CIOs and CTOs should see Conversational UX as the union between efficiency and purpose, capable of reducing friction and increasing accessibility.“O Zero UI is not about removing design, it is about making it so intuitive that the user does not even realize that it exists”. 

Agentic AI: autonomous digital engineering 

The next frontier of technological transformation that executives must look at goes beyond the use of AI as a co-pilot.In 2026, the concept of Agentic AI for Development, where software is created by ecosystems of intelligent agents that plan, execute and validate tasks collaboratively.“The future of development will not be human versus AI, but will be human orchestrating hundreds”, says Leonel Togniolli, CTO of BRQ. 

The adoption of smart agents is driven by talent shortages, the complexity of systems, and the need to modernize operations at scale AI-Native and Autonomous Analytics they allow development and data to become self-managing, reducing rework and increasing reliability.“GenAI, applied to platform metadata (logs, events, schema and quality) is what allows transforming observability into real autonomy”, explains Marcelo Sarmento, CTO of BRQ. 

In this new dynamic, the role of the human changes: it ceases to be an executor and becomes a system architect, responsible for defining objectives, supervising flows and interpreting results. AI acts as a distributed operational force, while people guarantee strategic direction, governance and purpose. 

“Autonomy begins when pipelines cease to break in silence and begin to be observed, corrected and evolved by the” platform itself, concludes Sarmento. 

Governance, ethics and reliability: the foundation of mature AI 

As AI becomes a part of critical decisions, the challenge of ensuring transparency and accountability grows. In 2026, governance will no longer be a recommendation to become a strategic requirement. “True innovation is not just what AI can do, but what it should do”, says Leonel Togniolli. 

The 2026 maturity will be built on three complementary layers: model governance, which ensures control over data, versions and parameters used; decision governance, which ensures traceability and explainability of actions taken by agents; and impact governance, which monitors risks and social, environmental and reputational effects of AI applications. 

To prepare for this new moment in the market, companies must map models and agents, train teams in ethics and AI, incorporate governance in OKRs and adopt transparency frameworks such as AI Cards and Audit Trails. “In the future, every AI decision will need to be explainable, auditable and human in” purpose, concludes Leonel. 

“With the consolidation of artificial intelligence at every layer of the business, from design to development, from experience to governance, 2026 marks the definitive transition from automation to”, Frizzi concludes.