Cloudera, the only company bringing AI to data anywhere, today announced that the ‘Era of Convergence’ will be the next phase of AI in 2026.
We are in the final stretch of 2025, a year in which changes and innovations in the technology sector have not stopped, marked by the development of increasingly autonomous AI agents. The coming year is not expected to slow this frenetic pace of change and innovation. For this reason, Cloudera experts have defined the four trends that will mark the technology sector in 2026.
The advance in AI adoption and new jobs
“In 2026, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence will continue to grow at a constant rate, despite market deceleration predictions,” said Manasi Vartak, Chief AI Officer at Cloudera., “When companies overcome the experimentation phase and find the most suitable measurable return on investment for their projects, they will continue to demand both generative AI and agentic AI.”
At this point, the most important challenge will be connecting AI agents with corporate data and context, an indispensable requirement for these systems to be truly useful. Many organizations have already demonstrated their agentic capabilities, but now they must prove these systems are ready for production and they can overcome barriers related to data access, governance, security, and permissions.
At the same time, the definition of ‘Responsible AI’ will continue to evolve. As AI systems become increasingly complex, Responsible AI must address not only model bias and equality but also end-to-end accountability, encompassing data handling and system behavior.
Companies adopting agentic AI will need to implement stricter governance frameworks with new features such as agent logs, observability, and version control for complete agentic workflows.
Although public models will continue to dominate in 2026, we will see an increase in specific adaptation for each company.
The “era of convergence” arrives
2026 is expected to be the first year of real convergence: the start of a new stage where the boundaries between the cloud and data centers blur. After several decades in which control of on-premise was prioritized first and then the flexibility of the cloud, we now enter a reality where both coexist seamlessly, thanks to unified management platforms. Workloads will run where it makes the most sense, considering security, compliance, and efficiency, rather than prioritizing location.
As Sergio Gago, global CTO of Cloudera, explained, “the true competitive advantage will not come from who has a bigger model, but from who makes the smartest and most efficient use of resources. In the Era of Convergence, AI must be managed as another part of the workforce. It is not necessary to choose sides (cloud versus on-premise or human versus machine), but to unify them under the same shared, efficient, and trusted architecture.”
The concept of performance will also be redefined: as AI and computing capacity demands soar, companies will position energy efficiency as a primary KPI and not as a secondary consideration.
The future of stores involves AI
“AI will become a differentiating factor for the retail sector in 2026. Experts estimate it could generate between 240 and 390 billion dollars in value for the entire industry. 91% claim to be investing in AI and early adopters are obtaining returns on investment six times faster,” confirmed Neelabh Pant, global director of AI for retail at Cloudera.
He continued, “Retailers who are getting the highest ROI from their AI are those who take control of their data and connect it across their entire business. This involves linking everything in real time, from window displays and customer interactions to order histories and warehouse inventory, regardless of where that information is stored.
“When data systems work together, retailers can see a complete picture of their operations and customers. This connected approach leads directly to better customer experiences, such as greater personalization, smoother purchases, and personalization tailored to buyers’ needs.
“As data becomes easier to use, Gartner predicts that 75% of new data connections will soon be created by non-technical employees, meaning those outside of IT and engineering departments. Retailers who empower their teams with simple, self-service platforms will make faster decisions and collaborate more effectively. Those who keep data locked away in the IT department run the risk of losing the speed and agility necessary to remain competitive.”