Report by SolarWinds
2026 IT Trends Report: The Human Side of Autonomous IT
Key Findings
IT professionals see their roles as 52% more automation-driven compared to two years prior.
81% of IT professionals agree AI is changing how teams work more than how much they work.
IT professionals see their roles as 52% more strategic compared to two years prior.
56% of IT professionals say AI has added the responsibility of designing intelligent AI-driven workflows.
65% of IT professionals report that AI reduces manual effort.
62% of IT professionals report difficulty trusting AI recommendations.
IT professionals see their roles as 41% more complex compared to two years prior.
61% of frontline managers say formal training is the most critical element for building AI skills.
59% of IT professionals say AI has added the responsibility of interpreting data and AI-driven insights.
47% of IT professionals say AI has added the responsibility of evaluating and validating AI outputs.
61% of IT professionals report that AI provides faster root cause analysis.
Fewer than 40% of C-suite leaders agree that formal training is the most critical element for building AI skills.
71% of IT professionals report needing to double-check AI outputs.
83% of IT professionals agree AI is only as effective as the data it can see.
67% of IT professionals report at least moderate fragmentation in their IT environments.
80% of IT professionals agree the IT role is shifting from operators to orchestrators.
IT professionals see their roles as 47% more cross-functional compared to two years prior.
71% of IT professionals say AI has made their role more demanding.