Forrester said its list of top emerging technologies for 2026 points to a shift in artificial intelligence from software-based uses to applications in physical environments, with robots, vehicles and ambient computing among the areas beginning to affect how consumers communicate, work and shop.
The research groups technologies by the time horizon in which companies are expected to see benefits, ranging from near-term returns to longer-term payoffs. Forrester said the framework is intended to help companies and executives weigh investment decisions based on value, risk and expected timing.
Among the technologies Forrester identified as short-term opportunities were agentic commerce and AI security and trust technologies. The firm said agentic commerce is expected to generate returns first in companies’ own digital channels, such as apps and websites, where businesses can use personalization and automation to reduce friction and support sales. It said wider adoption in third-party environments is likely to take longer as ecosystems and supporting technology develop.
Forrester also said security, governance and trust controls are becoming more important as generative and agentic AI systems are deployed more broadly across enterprises. It said industries that rely on predictive models and high-stakes decision-making, including financial services, healthcare and the public sector, are likely to see the earliest effects.
In the medium term, the report highlighted agentic software development and humanoid robots. Forrester said software development tools based on autonomous agents could accelerate parts of the software lifecycle by generating and refining software artifacts, although broader gains will depend on better coordination among agents and stronger safeguards. It said humanoid robots and other forms of physical AI could help reduce labor constraints across industries, but near-term value will remain limited until companies address integration, scaling, safety, data and workforce issues.
Forrester placed quantum computing in the long-term category, saying advances in hardware, algorithms and hybrid architectures could eventually support progress in optimization, simulation, cryptography and materials science. It said broad commercial benefits are still several years away, with financial services, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing likely to be among the earliest sectors to benefit.
Sharyn Leaver, Forrester’s chief research officer, said the range of AI technologies on the list varies significantly in capability and likely impact. She said companies should balance shorter-term technologies that may produce faster returns with longer-term investments that require greater foundational spending and a higher tolerance for risk.
