Gartner Names Sovereign AI and AI Agent Governance as Key Trends for Next Two Years

Gartner said companies are accelerating their shift toward an “AI-first” operating model, with AI agents beginning to handle strategic, tactical and day-to-day decisions. Countries are also advancing sovereign AI initiatives to secure control over computing power, data and models. Without governance, automated decisions could create legal, operational and reputational risks, making centralized oversight and auditable mechanisms increasingly important.

Gartner unveiled six major trends for the next two years at its Data & Analytics Summit in Sydney on June 16, 2026. The top three were sovereign AI, decision governance to reduce risks from AI agents, and AI governance platforms. Gartner forecast that by 2029, explicitly modeled business decisions would be trusted five times more and made 80% faster than ungoverned decisions. By 2030, more than 10% of companies will be AI-first organizations.