As AI becomes increasingly integrated into corporate operations, the dependency relationships between employees and suppliers are changing, and geopolitical pressures are also reshaping procurement methods. Global research and API have driven consulting firm Infotech to release its annual report "2027: Bring Clarity Amid Chaos." The report outlines 14 trends under four main themes and indicates that these trends will influence IT strategic and technological investments in the coming year.

Arlington, Virginia, United States, October 27th / CNW / -- Technological leaders preparing for 2027 need to consider changes that may affect their investment costs, security, and feasibility. Infotech has released its annual flagship report "2027: Bring Clarity Amid Chaos", which identifies 14 trends under four main themes, looking ahead to developments in the coming months.

A report that has drawn much attention indicates that as the capabilities of the AI model converge, the supporting infrastructure, tools, and governance will become increasingly important for the AI outcomes of enterprises. How these are deployed will increasingly determine whether an organization can control costs, switch suppliers, and maintain oversight during automated expansion.

The report, based on expert interviews as well as primary and secondary research, examines how these trends apply to various industries such as financial services, healthcare, legal services, manufacturing, and government, and tracks the policy and procurement progress in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union.

Each trend is assessed based on the maturity of the market and the adoption by enterprises, reflecting to what extent the market can support its implementation, as well as how organizations are responding to it. These assessments are intended to help technology leaders determine which developments require action and which are worth further testing or monitoring.

The lead author of the report, Infotech, Chief Research Director Brian Jackson, stated: "By 2027, technology leaders will face pressure from multiple parties: suppliers are obsessed with driving AI demands, management requires the use of AI without defining expected outcomes, while employees just want to use it as soon as possible. Those leaders had better remember that their task is not to unleash uncontrolled AI forces within the organization, but to steer the direction and channel its potential in the direction that the organization hopes to move forward."

Four Major Themes and 14 Trends Worth Paying Attention To in 2027

In the coming year, emerging technologies will require different approaches to dealing with them. Some of these, such as the AI agents embedded in enterprise software, already require operational-level supervision; whereas humanoid robots are still more suitable for pilot projects in restricted environments. The Infotech report "Tech Trends 2027" places these developments within a broader context of changes in the supplier market, labor demand, and methods of acquiring technology.

Focusing on four main themes, the following 14 trends summarize the developments that technology leaders need to consider when planning for 2027:

Topic 1: A Fundamental Shift in the IT Technology Stack

AI is transforming the way enterprise systems perform tasks, consume resources, and expose organizations to various risks. Under this theme, the report examines four trends that are reshaping automation architectures and operational controls:

Trend 1 – AI adopts a strategy to expand the scope of corporate attacks Personal AI accounts, unauthorized connections, and proxies embedded in approved software can all create new entry points. As usage increases, stronger identity control, as well as assigning a responsible human owner to each proxy, will become crucial.

Trend 2 – RPA is dead; IPA lives on! In the Intelligent Process Automation ( IPA ) platform, the AI agents are capable of interpreting information and planning actions, while mature robotic process automation is responsible for repeatable executions. Combining these two capabilities will enable organizations to advance more complex workflows while extending the lifespan of their existing automation investments.

Trend 3 – AI makes all vulnerabilities act like zero-day vulnerabilities AI is accelerating the pace of discovering and exploiting software vulnerabilities, putting pressure on the ability to fix them. To keep up with this pace, continuous security testing and greater responsibility on the part of suppliers are required.

Trend 4 – Token Economics: Unpredictable AI costs trigger budget liquidations Pricing based on consumption and multi-step proxy workflows complicate expenditure forecasting. To link AI expenditures with business value depends on clearer cost attribution, appropriate model selection, and control over usage patterns.

Topic 2: AI Reshaping the Talent Market and Supplier Portfolio

As AI changes the capabilities of organizations in automation and purchasing, technical leaders face new dependencies in terms of suppliers and employee teams. This topic covers three trends:

Trend 5 – Platform strategy drives the integration of the AI industry The competition for control over enterprise orchestration and support tools is heading towards integration by 2027. Transactions that poach core teams from suppliers may disrupt product development and support, but they will not trigger the contractual protections stipulated in merger and acquisition agreements. Contracts should take into account these continuity risks, and negotiations should be conducted regarding terms such as ongoing services, data portability, and transition periods while the buyer still has bargaining power.

Trend 6 – Dedicated AI outperforms general-purpose AI This advantage is most evident in regulated industries such as healthcare, law, and financial services. There may be almost no credible alternatives to these specialized models and tools, which makes it more difficult to switch suppliers and grants suppliers greater pricing power. When choosing such solutions, it is necessary to weigh performance and industry suitability, as well as supplier dependence and the availability of feasible alternative options.

Trend 7 – AI Automating the Redefinition of Job Descriptions AI Agents are now taking over the tasks that used to help junior employees gain experience. As these tasks become automated, organizations need to redesign entry-level positions while maintaining development paths that can foster future professional skills and institutional knowledge.

Topic 3: AI Entering the Real World

Wearable devices, programmable networks, robots, and satellite services are extending digital capabilities into the physical environment. Centering around these four trends, the report from Infotech identifies matters that require immediate governance, as well as opportunities that are better suited for evaluation through targeted pilots:

Trend 8 – AI Wearable Devices Threaten Office Confidentiality and Security Devices with recording capabilities are useful in fieldwork and accessibility support, but they also pose risks to privacy and confidentiality. Acceptable usage policies should specify when such devices can be worn and used for recording, while also accommodating employees who rely on them as assistive tools.

Trend 9 – Telecommunications architecture shifting towards AI native As 5G is gradually rolled out by 2027 and 6G follows in 2030, mobile networks are becoming the core of the service layer. These networks will offer services such as fraud detection and low-latency processing. However, organizations that adopt these services will need clear security policies, stricter controls to verify that users are not robots, as well as measures to prevent a surge in costs based on usage.

Trend 10 – Humanoid robots are starting to enter the mainstream market The decrease in unit cost and the increase in investment are creating more opportunities for pilot humanoid robots, although their autonomy is still limited. Restricted testing should be conducted first before considering broader deployment; supplier evaluations should also take into account the dependence on human remote operators and integration requirements.

Trend 11 – Satellite-driven monitoring services take off Improvements in image quality and new satellite services are expanding the opportunities for monitoring assets, infrastructure, and environmental conditions. Organizations that evaluate these services should weigh their availability against the operational value that comes from more frequent and detailed observations.

Theme Four: Technopolitics Shaping Procurement

Geopolitical uncertainties and newly emerging security risks are affecting technology choices, supplier relationships, and information governance. This trend brings three key developments for 2027:

Trend 12 – Cryptography Faces New Threats, Requiring Agility in Encryption Quantum computing and AI assisted attacks may weaken widely used encryption methods, while governments around the world are issuing guidelines and timelines for post-quantum migration. Preparation efforts should begin with identifying where encryption technologies are embedded, planning algorithm replacements that minimize disruption, and incorporating post-quantum preparedness into supplier evaluations.

Trend 13 – Sovereignty AI Defines Procurement Strategy As organizations assess where technology will be operated and who will have control over it, data sovereignty and AI sovereignty will become factors that influence infrastructure choices. Supplier selection will increasingly involve considerations of jurisdiction, operational control, and the ability to maintain continuous access. For critical applications, retaining at least two competitive, cutting-edge AI suppliers and designing workloads that can be switched between them can reduce reliance on a single service.

Trend 14: Enhancing market forecasting capabilities, but also intensifying insider threats Platforms with rapid growth, such as Kalshi and Polymarket, are expanding the forecasting market, while contracts surrounding executive departures, layoffs, and financial reports also provide insiders with new motives to exploit confidential information. IT Departments responsible for law, corporate communications, and investor relations need to monitor and update policies in coordination, including clearly incorporating forecasting markets into insider trading policies.

The Infotech report " Tech Trends 2027" also emphasizes the cross-effects between these developments. For example, choosing a dedicated AI may affect supplier flexibility and labor demand, while physical AI will pose new requirements for connectivity, security, and workplace policies. Infotech recommends that technology leaders take these interdependencies into consideration when planning investments for 2027 and beyond.

Jackson indicates: "The correct response to emerging technologies may involve limited pilots, modifying procurement requirements, or deciding to continue observing. The key is to know which decisions are urgent and which organizations need more evidence before making commitments."

On November 11th, at the Infotech LIVE 2026 held in Toronto, Infotech's Chief Research Honorary Officer, Gord Harrison, will interpret the findings of this report during his keynote speech for Tech Trends 2027. This session will explore how technological acceleration and global dynamic changes are reshaping corporate capabilities, risks, and business models.

For more information about the coming year, you can download and read the report Tech Trends 2027: Bring Clarity Amid Chaos by Infotech.

For media inquiries or to arrange interviews with experts from Infotech (including Brian Jackson), please contact [ email protected ].

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About Infotech

Infotech (formerly Info - Tech Research Group) adopts a consulting model driven by API, serving over 30,000 IT leaders worldwide to help them systematically improve their organizations. With 30 years of credible experience and proven influence, Infotech provides industry-leading expert guidance, mature methods, practical tools, training, coaching, and consulting to technical leaders to accelerate decision-making and deliver measurable results.

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