As disruption accelerates and AI becomes indispensable, CIOs and technology leaders face a critical question: How do you harness innovation without losing control?
In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast, Gartner experts Gene Alvarez and Tori Paulman walk through the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2026, as debuted at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo. They explore why the pace of change is faster than ever, and how three new “innovation superheroes” — the Architect, the Synthesist, and the Vanguard — can help organizations build resilience, orchestrate intelligent systems and safeguard digital trust.
Tune in to discover:
The 3 Superhero Companions
AI-Native Development Platforms
AI Supercomputing Platforms
Multiagent Systems
Domain-Specific Language Models
Physical AI
Preemptive Cybersecurity
Gene Alvarez | Distinguished VP Analyst
Gene Alvarez offers expertise in technology innovation and strategy. He helps CIOs and other innovation leaders innovate with emerging technologies adoption and strategy. He also leads Gartner's Top Strategic Technology Trends research and contributes to Gartner's Top Strategic Predictions research. He is also an expert on GenAI, AI Agents, polyfunctional robots, CRM and customer experience vision, strategy, architecture and technologies. With over 40 years of business and IT experience, Mr. Alvarez excels in business impact assessments, vendor management, and applications. He has also presented at international events and contributed to various media outlets.
Tori Paulman | VP Analyst
Tori Paulman is a Vice President on Gartner’s CIO Tech & Digital Talent research team, where they help executives navigate the leadership, talent, and cultural shifts essential for success in the AI era. As co-leader of Gartner’s cross-functional Future of Work research community, Tori helps guide research that equips leaders to make future-ready decisions today. In 2023, Tori launched Gartner’s inaugural Hype Cycle for the Future of Work, spotlighting the most transformative trends reshaping the workplace each year. Since 2022, they have led Gartner’s biannual Digital Worker Survey, the firm’s flagship study offering deep insights into how employees engage with workplace technology. Tori describes their life’s work as ensuring that humans have an engaging, validating, and supportive experiences with technology, meeting them where they and empowering them to unlock their goals. Top Issues I Help Clients Address: - Developing an AI-ready workforce that achieves breakthrough productivity - Maximizing the return-on-employee through human-centric AI strategies - Strengthening experience through quantitative and qualitative listening - Attracting and retaining top talent with a digital employee value proposition - Activating workforce ambition to adopt AI and other emerging technologies - Driving workforce transformation through future-of-work strategies - Accelerating leadership impact with AI-driven insights and automation - Shaping digital workplace innovation to enhance collaboration and productivity - Advising executives on Gartner’s top strategic technology trends Years of Experience:- 2021 beginning at Gartner- 25 years in IT industry- 7 Years Financial Services- 7 Years Entertainment- 6 Years Retail- 5 Years Professional Services for Non-Profit and Higher - 1 Year Software Development, specifically BPM
Hosted by: Karen Lockhart
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