Manufacturing Predicts 2026: Digital Twins, AI Agents, and the Race to Autonomous Operations

By 2030, manufacturing will be transformed by semi-autonomous AI agents, software-defined products and closed-loop digital twins. These technologies promise agility, efficiency and resilience — but they also introduce rising IT costs and governance challenges. This session shares Gartner’s key predictions for 2026 and provides actionable insights to help CIOs and manufacturing leaders accelerate autonomy, manage complexity and prepare for the next wave of digital innovation.

How AI agents and digital twins will reshape operations and decision-making.
Why software-defined products cut time-to-market and enable rapid innovation.
Strategies to manage escalating IT costs driven by embedded AI and machine-user pricing.