Ohio tech leaders on the technology trends that will define 2026
Ohio tech leaders on the technology trends that will define 2026
https://www.ohiotechnews.com/ohio-tech-leaders-on-the-technology-trend-that-will-define-2026/
Publish Date: 2026-02-16 08:21:00
Source Domain: www.ohiotechnews.com
Everyone’s talking about AI. But when you ask Ohio tech leaders what technology will actually impact their work over the next year, the answers get more specific — and more interesting.
We asked tech leaders across Ohio to identify the single technology trend that will have the biggest impact on the state’s ecosystem over the next 12 to 18 months. Their responses reveal a state focused on implementation, not hype. These leaders aren’t chasing the newest models, they’re figuring out how to deploy AI in industries where mistakes have consequences, infrastructure can’t be ignored, and ROI actually matters.
1. Applied AI in Regulated Workflows
“Applied AI, especially AI embedded into regulated workflows like healthcare, manufacturing, MedTech, logistics, etc. will have the biggest impact on Ohio over the next 12-18 months. The shift is moving from experimentation to real-world deployment, where security, compliance, and ROI actually matter. Ohio’s mix of enterprise companies and strong engineering talent makes it well-positioned to lead this phase of AI adoption.” – Shani Bhavsar, CEO/CTO, Dash Technologies Inc.
2. Agentic AI and Energy Infrastructure
“I think there is one tech trend but it has two angles to it. First, AI — of course — but I think you are going to see AI evolve from generative AI (i.e. ChatGPT, et al) to more of an agentic AI bringing autonomous processes to human workflows. But equally important is second, energy: where does increased energy production come from to facilitate AI and power data centers? We need to increase capabilities around nuclear (including SMR) and solar to complement our traditional sources of energy.” – Tony Pietrocola, President, AgileBlue
3. AI-Powered Insights from Unstructured Data
“I believe the single technology trend that will have the biggest impact on the Ohio ecosystem over the next 12 to 18 months is AI-driven search and automation in the enterprise. Ohio’s strongest industries, such as…
