DNA’s technology trend report explores the most significant shifts and phenomena in the digital world – an insightful look into key technological forces shaping the future of business, society, and global interaction. Our report for 2026 highlights major developments in data, artificial intelligence, networks, cybersecurity, and human-centric work.
As technology and the digital operating environment continue to evolve, corporate strategies, digital security structures, and the very nature of everyday work are caught in the flux of endless transformation.
DNA Technology Trend report 2026 paints a picture of a world where AI governs an increasing amount of business and societal processes, data storage and transfer rates reach unprecedented scales, digital security faces new concerns, and the interaction between humans and digital tools reaches new heights. Quite a year ahead, indeed!
While the entire report is available in Finnish only, this comprehensive article gives you a summary of the report’s three overarching themes.
New directions for digital business
The way we approach and utilise user interfaces will soon be redefined as BMI and BCI interfaces – which interpret neural impulses in the human brain – become more readily available. Technological aptitude in the field of brain-to-machine interfaces is expanding at a rapid pace, which means it will soon be possible to control computers, robot appendages and other mechanical devices with – literally – the power of thought.
Meanwhile, assessing the global volume of data has reached the zettabyte age, where data is measured in the trillions – an apt figure, as one zettabyte equals one trillion gigabytes. Global data numbers are reaching unprecedented levels with the influx of new AI models, climate and traffic pattern modelling, expanding data centres, and cloud services. Increasing data numbers mean common issues in larger scales, as the familiar woes of data handling, storage, and infrastructure are expanded.
Network architecture is also reaching a new age. NextG is an umbrella term for future network technologies designed to meet the growing demands of data communication and processing. It encompasses ultra-low-latency connections, virtual networks, advanced radio communications, and other key innovations in network traffic. The more commonly known upcoming 6G technology is a part of the greater NextG framework, which encompasses a large number of future communications technologies.
The future of the technological landscape cannot be discussed without a strong emphasis on AI – a topic our report examines from various different angles. Artificial General Intelligence refers to systems capable of operating with human-level cognitive abilities at digital performance speeds. While the technology is still at an early stage of incubation, we predict its impact will be significant in all areas of everyday work when AGI models begin to roll in.
Another major shift in online commerce are AI-powered marketplaces. Future AI applications will operate as cross-store browsing systems: users simply describe what they need, and the AI scans relevant stores, compares options, and presents the best matches – potentially even completing purchases on the user’s behalf. E-commerce providers will need to update their strategies as their products may soon be evaluated by AI agents making impartial, criteria-driven choices.
On other interesting fronts, machine learning and quantum technology are used at an increasing rate as part of traditionally slow and labor-intensive materials research. Machine learning enables rapid data analysis and comparison, while quantum technology provides atom-level modelling accuracy and more comprehensive prediction of variables. These technologies forge new pathways to much-needed breakthroughs in the search for new, more sustainable material alternatives.
In biodiversity protection, conservation-focused AI systems are at the forefront of supporting ecological efforts. AI provides tools for real-time surveillance, ecological data analysis, identification and logging of species, and detection of poaching hotspots. In turn, new technologies are providing transformative processing power for biodiversity efforts as they introduce a layer of automation and round-the-clock immediacy to efforts traditionally reliant on intensive manual labour.
The new faces of digital threats
The cyber environment is growing more complex, and criminal actors have developed their methodology to resemble professional business operations. Ransomware attacks have become both more frequent and more sophisticated, with tools targeting critical infrastructure, healthcare, and the financial sector even being offered as services.
On another front, the threat of identity theft is rising as our everyday lives become more digitalised. Individuals and companies are targeted through phishing attempts, malware, deepfakes, and increasingly common synthetic identity scams – a combination of real and fabricated data. In turn, more advanced and robust security measures are needed for both individuals and organisations.
Shady actors are also after users’ biometric data. As biometric identifiers cannot be reset or replaced like passwords, biometric data is of high value to criminals precisely due to its unique nature. Managing the threat requires shared standards, stronger protection mechanisms for managing and securing biometric data stores and combined biometric–behavioural authentication models.
Concerns are also mounting over the cybersecurity of rapidly automated supply chains and geopolitically critical logistics. Disruptions to international supply flow can inflict significant societal harm within weeks. Geopolitical instability, cybercrime, and increasingly sophisticated malware pose growing threats to logistics and supply chains worldwide, pushing industry players to seek stronger solutions for cyber-resilience.
Companies are also searching for new validation methods concerning machine identities, which has been labelled as a critical battlefront of cybersecurity by Gartner. Many industrial operators have fifty machine identities for every human operator, which means fifty more times the risk of a security breach – a concern that expands to nearly unfathomable heights when considering that many machine identities operate under expired or inadequate certifications.
At the heart of modern cybercrime lies the almost mythical dark web. Its sites facilitate information exchange, commerce, and recruitment – largely for criminal purposes. The dark web’s role as an enabler for cybercrime’s professionalism and sophistication is so significant that its threat can no longer be disregarded. Experts urge organisations to invest in extensive monitoring and leverage AI to keep tabs on the dark web, while also strengthening awareness and accountability across their workforce – ignoring the dark web’s threat is no longer an option for any organisation.
New tools for the digital working life
Working life is gradually moving toward a new kind of symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence. Superagency, a concept coined by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, refers to an operational state in which a tailored and deeply integrated array of AI tools augments an employee’s capabilities and frees time for creative tasks. Superagency is not defined by the number of AI tools or the sophistication of algorithms, but through a comprehensive, introspective reinvention of the entire organisational ecosystem: redefining roles, tools, systems, and processes around AI.
Another major force reshaping work is the Model Context Protocol standard (MCP), which enables interaction between AI agents and secure data flows across systems – offering the potential to significantly streamline daily operations. MCP enables AI agents to collaborate, share context, and make autonomous decisions across complex information ecosystems. This will allow AI systems to operate more flexibly, efficiently, and cohesively across the organisation’s entire information ecosystem.
Solutions that support workload management and well-being form another key trend for the future. Development is already well underway on AI-assisted tools designed to reduce the workload of medical staff, detect signs of stress by analysing behaviour data, and perceptive meeting-room technology that interprets conversational dynamics to support healthier communication practices. While these tools are surely welcome, they also pose important questions on ethics, privacy, and practicality.
As the number and capabilities of AI tools grow, the importance of social health also increases. This is particularly relevant in the era of remote and hybrid work: belonging, open communication, and an inclusive organisational culture are directly linked to innovation and engagement. Social health will become even more crucial in the future, and companies that prioritise it strategically will ultimately see stronger employee well-being translate into an enhanced competitive edge.
Finally, a central trend of the future is highlighting the importance of flexible expertise. As professionals struggle to thrive in the ever-expanding environment of the information age, expertise must be viewed not as a fixed structure but as a flexible organism built on agility, creativity, and an ongoing drive to learn – qualities that enable individuals to grow and succeed amid rapidly evolving technologies. This requires stronger investment in training, onboarding, and continuous learning.
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