By 2026, the enterprise software industry is anticipated to experience significant disruption due to advancements in AI. This will likely lead to a surge in merger and acquisition activity among mid-market companies, with estimates suggesting a total of around $600 billion in transactions. While AI tools can enhance productivity in software development by 20 to 30%, many organizations are struggling to translate these gains into strategic business value.

Organizations need to rethink their governance frameworks and prioritize trust infrastructure in AI deployments. Many AI pilots fail due to inadequate integration and governance, so it's crucial for enterprises to adapt their strategic planning processes. This includes focusing on which features and capabilities provide competitive advantages, rather than solely on engineering capacity.

With the rise of conversational interfaces, ERP users can expect a shift from traditional dashboards to natural language queries for data interaction. This change will eliminate the need for specialized skills in data manipulation, as users will be able to access information more intuitively. However, it will also necessitate a redesign of data governance frameworks to ensure appropriate access permissions for each user.