The year 2026 marks an inflection point in corporate technology: the definitive transition from simple automation to real systems autonomy. The conclusion is from the report Leadership Lens, a study recently released by BRQ Digital Solutions, who listened to executives from different sectors to map out where technology leaders (CIOs and CTOs) will put their money and effort in the coming months.
According to the survey, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a competitive differentiator to become a central and mandatory infrastructure. The priority now is to integrate intelligence across the entire operation — from product development to customer communication.
"The consolidation of AI in all layers of the business is no longer an option, it is a strategic requirement. Whoever manages to combine efficiency and purpose in the application of this resource will lead the next digital era", he states Rodrigo Frizzi, CEO of BRQ.
The end of screens: the “Zero UI” era
One of the most disruptive trends highlighted by the report is the Conversational UX, which inaugurates the concept of Zero UI (Interface Zero). The prediction is that traditional graphical interfaces will lose space to natural experiences based on voice, gestures and context, where technology becomes “invisible”.
To Pablo Moura, Head of Experience at BRQ, the design of the future will be deeply human, focused on reducing friction. "The best interface is one that is invisible and solves the customer's problem. Zero UI is not about removing the design, it's about making it so intuitive that the user doesn't even notice it exists", he explains.
Agentic AI: Software creating software
In the field of software engineering, the concept of “copilot” — where AI merely helps the programmer — is evolving into Agentic AI (Agentic AI). By 2026, ecosystems of intelligent agents will be able to plan, execute and validate development tasks collaboratively and autonomously.
This change alters the role of the human professional: he stops being just a code executor to become a systems architect and orchestrator.
“The future of development will not be human versus AI, but it will be humans orchestrating hundreds of agents”, projects Leonel Togniolli, CTO of BRQ.
To Marcelo Sarmento, also CTO of the company, the application of Generative AI to metadata (logs and quality) is what will allow platforms to self-correct: “Autonomy begins when pipelines stop breaking in silence and start to be observed, corrected and evolved by the platform itself”.
Governance and Ethics: the necessary brakes
With AI making critical decisions, the report warns that ethical governance is no longer a recommendation but a rule. The technological maturity of 2026 will require three layers of control:
- Model Governance: Control over data and versions.
- Decision Governance: Traceability of “why” the AI took such action.
- Impact Governance: Monitoring social and reputational risks.
Companies must adopt transparency frameworks, such as AI Cards and audit trails, to ensure that autonomous decisions are explainable. “True innovation is not just what AI he can do, but what does she he must do”, concludes Togniolli.
