2026: Operationalising AI and transforming business practices

|---Module:text|Size:Small---| In an interview with Executive Digest, Álvaro Ferreira, CEO at Celfocus, sets out his vision for 2026, anticipating a year that requires responsibility, decisiveness, execution, delicate balances, optimism and hope, with a faint scent of gunpowder, and collective ambition.

Here’s the full interview transcription:

What are the main challenges and changes your sector and company may face in 2026?

The large-scale dissemination of Artificial Intelligence. The experimental phase is behind us. In 2026, the focus will be on operationalising AI: its integration into core business processes; its relevance in decision-making; and its role in value creation for customers. This entails profound changes in the way we work, and in how we design and deliver our solutions.

In parallel, we will witness a transformation in the structure of professional profiles within organisations. The traditional pyramid model will gradually evolve into a diamond model, driven by a reduced weighting of junior hires, particularly in coding and application support, and by the growing relevance of mid-level specialist profiles, enhanced by AI tools. The ability to combine technical expertise, critical thinking and business acumen will be decisive.

What impact will the current geopolitical context have on your sector?

The current geopolitical situation, showing no signs of improvement, will sustain a climate of uncertainty and caution, leading to the continued postponement of many investments. The IT sector will not be immune, broadly in line with what was observed in 2025.

Paradoxically, organisations capable of implementing new solutions that enhance agility and enable more informed decision-making will be better positioned to navigate this period of instability.

Is there any opportunity your company or sector cannot afford to miss in 2026?

The opportunity is clear and cannot be postponed. To invest decisively in the implementation of AI, both internally and within the solutions delivered to clients. Internally, AI must function as a multiplier of productive capacity rather than merely as a tool for greater automation, improving quality and decision-making capability, and simplifying cognitive acquisition processes. Externally, it must be embedded in solutions to create measurable differentiation and tangible business impact for clients. Organisations that successfully integrate AI into their production processes will secure a genuine competitive advantage.

One word to define 2026.

ROI. Return on Investment will be the defining concept for IT in 2026. The significant investments made in 2025 by major technology players were underpinned by high expectations of short-term returns. The proposed investment model relied on the exponential adoption of AI functionalities, driving unprecedented market expansion.

In 2026, those expectations will be tested. Organisations will assess their ability to deliver. Return or bubble. We shall see.

Access the Interview, in Portuguese, here.

To understand the principal challenges and objectives Portugal will face in the coming months, Executive Digest gathered insights from several leaders of national companies and institutions.