As AI agents and other technologies evolve, leaders need to accelerate their learning through collaboration. The advice comes from KPMG’s Global tech report 2026, which this year broadens its scope to explore what lies ahead amid the breakneck pace of technological innovation.
Eighty-eight percent of the 2,500 executives surveyed across 27 countries are already investing in embedding agentic AI into their systems. Meanwhile, 92% believe managing it will become a critical skill over the next five years. However, companies must also prepare for a host of emerging technologies and tools, including artificial general intelligence (AGI), artificial superintelligence (ASI), and quantum computing. Doing so will require strategic foresight and a skilled, adaptable workforce.
According to KPMG, current AI systems are powerful and excel at certain tasks, but their capabilities remain limited. AGI and ASI, by contrast, could usher in an era in which digital intelligence surpasses human cognitive performance.
AGI is expected to master any intellectual task. Beyond responding to prompts, “it would understand context, plan, reason, and learn with autonomy,” without requiring specific training for each task. ASI could go a step further, surpassing human cognition in areas such as scientific reasoning, moral judgment, and emotional insight. Meanwhile, quantum computing is emerging as the technological engine needed to support these advances, harnessing quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond the reach of even the most powerful classical computers.
KPMG’s experts maintain that although the timeline for these technologies remains uncertain, their trajectory is clear. With systems becoming more autonomous, transferable, and capable of self-improvement, leaders are compelled to act responsibly. “These trends call for strategic foresight, ethical frameworks, and a rethinking of how intelligence itself integrates with society, economics, and human purpose.”