Welcome to 2026. If the past few years felt like an endless montage of inflated promises, get ready for the season finale where the plot finally tightens up.
This month, our experts Marlene, Slavena, and Jon are cutting through the noise with surgical precision. They explain the shift from tools that merely assist to AI agents that actually get the job done. We are also examining why the phase of experimental pilots is coming to an end. Today, implementing robust governance is the only way to ensure your technology remains professional, reliable, and focused on clear business outcomes rather than uncoordinated attempts at innovation.
It is time to stop chasing trends and start building systems that turn complexity into clarity. Ready to level up your strategy? Read on for the full insights.
From Records to Action: Why 2026 Is the Year Enterprise Software Changes
This year marks a real shift in enterprise software: systems stop documenting work and start executing it. AI agents can now understand intent, read documents, and trigger actions in real time—but only when the data they rely on is accurate, trusted, and explainable. That’s why Document AI is becoming foundational. By turning unstructured documents into decision-ready data, it removes bottlenecks in underwriting, compliance, onboarding, and operations. As banks, insurers, and industrial companies modernize, the competitive edge moves from digitizing paperwork to automating decisions and outcomes.
After another year of inflated promises and underwhelming pilots, it’s a relief to see MIT confirm what many of us have been saying: the GenAI hype needs a reality check. The tech is powerful, but only when used with purpose, not as a one-size-fits-all solution. At ABBYY, we’ve seen the difference when AI is used to solve real problems like reducing fraud in KYC, cutting delays in cross-border logistics, or unlocking trapped data in compliance workflows.
2026 is the time to leave corporate charades behind. No more tech for tech’s sake. No more experiments from enthusiasts trying to reinvent the wheel. That’s how resources get wasted and outcomes get delayed.
Tired of being “corporate”? Then stop funding science projects. Focus on solving problems that matter. GenAI can deliver real impact, but only if we stop chasing trends and start using it like the strategic tool it is.
Agentic AI has the potential to transform enterprise workflows and supply chains, but embedding robust governance and security processes first is key to successful deployment in 2026. Establishing centralized governance processes and maintaining humans in the loop to monitor accuracy are identified as vital to successful AI deployments, agentic or otherwise.
60% AI decision makers in Collibra's recent survey believed providing governance and compliance training was a priority, even though less than half had established such processes. There’s clearly more work to be done on defining what an effective governance process looks like and how it should be deployed.
Utah just became the first US state to let an AI system legally approve prescription refills on its own. The system covers 191 drugs, including blood pressure meds, birth control, and SSRIs. Pain management, ADHD treatments, and injectables are off-limits.
When tested against 500 urgent care cases, the AI's decisions aligned with doctors' 99% of the time, with edge cases rerouted to human doctors. The AI walks the patient through the same clinical questions a physician would ask to determine whether a refill is appropriate. If the system clears the renewal, the prescription is sent directly to a pharmacy.
Just within three years, from 2023 to 2025, the number of organizations that use AI has surged from 55% to 88% after staying flat for several years before that. Yet this is still just the beginning of the across-the-board adoption of AI.
ABBYY announces 2025 MVP Hackathon winner > Health Claims Accelerator, a document AI solution that modernizes healthcare claims processing. Built on ABBYY Document AI, the solution automates the end-to-end claims lifecycle, reducing manual work and delivering significant cost and efficiency gains for healthcare payers. Read the article in PEX.
Outlook on ECM Trends 2026 (German) > The article highlights ECM trends for 2026, emphasizing AI and mandatory e-invoicing as key drivers. With transition periods ending, organizations must complete their digital transformation while leveraging AI, automation, and integrated systems to improve efficiency, compliance, and public-sector digitization. Read the article in ECM Guide.
IDC has named ABBYY a Leader in its 2025–2026 Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) MarketScape, recognizing the company’s advanced Document AI-driven capabilities and its role in supporting intelligent, agentic automation and data-driven decision-making. Download your copy here.Read the article in Automation Today.
ABBYY in Action: Innovation Spotlight
City Council Quickly Adapts to Regulatory Changes with Desktop Imaging and ABBYY Purpose-Built Automation
To quickly adapt to regulatory changes, New Zealand’s Wellington City Council selected a purpose-built automation tool from Desktop Imaging and ABBYY to process hundreds of application forms automatically, with immediate success.
Automated Data Extraction Explained: From OCR to IDP
In this blog post, we’ll cover what automated data extraction is, what it’s not, and how you can choose the right data extraction solution for your business documents and processes.
How IDP and LLMs Create Even Smarter Automation Together
Integrating IDP and LLM technologies delivers a solution that moves beyond simple automation to become a system capable of reasoning with data. Learn how to truly harness the combined power of IDP and LLMs. New article in ABBYY’s The Intelligent Enterprise by Nick Carr.
AI in Practice: Real-World Applications & Case Studies
IDP or LLMs? A Dive into Document Processing Strategies
Explore the pros and cons of using general-purpose LLMs for processing business documents. This conversation emphasizes the benefits of a hybrid approach, combining purpose-built IDP models with LLMs for a more reliable and cost-effective solution.
By combining ABBYY’s purpose-built Document AI with Camunda’s enterprise agentic automation and orchestration platform, organizations can confidently move toward touchless processing, dynamic decision-making, and continuous autonomous execution. Learn why document reliability matters in agentic processes.
Business Transformation World Summit (BTWS) – Miami, FL – January 26-28
If you’re in the Miami area, join ABBYY at BTWS 2026. Don’t miss our workshop, “Hybrid Intelligence: Scaling GenAI with Trust and Structure,” where we demonstrate how to make GenAI enterprise-ready. Afterward, visit our exhibit for a one-on-one demo of our purpose-built AI solutions in action. Use promo code ABBYY20 to receive a 20% discount when registering here.
ABBYY and METCO invite you to an exclusive AI Summit on January 26 at the Four Seasons Kuwait. Join industry leaders to explore AI innovation, intelligent automation, and real-world use cases shaping enterprise transformation.
Meet ABBYY at The GCC Leadership Conclave on Jan 21st and 22nd at Hyatt, Pune where Blessy Varghese, Global Business Development and Country Manager, India will speak about ABBYY purpose-built AI helps Global Capability Center (GCC) to not only focus on efficiency gains but also help their AI innovation hubs which are based in India.
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