AI ETHICS & REGULATION
The shift towards accountability extends beyond reputation management to fundamental questions about competitive advantage. Reggie argues that organisations succeeding in 2026 will be those that recognise governance as integral to their AI strategy.“ The organisations that thrive won’ t simply be those that deploy AI first; they will be those that recognise the strategic reality that governance isn’ t a restraint on innovation, it’ s a necessary companion,” he says.
Sovereign AI architectures gain traction in regulated sectors The disconnect between stated readiness and operational capability extends beyond governance frameworks to fundamental data management. A September 2025 survey by Publicis Sapient found organisations claiming AI readiness while lacking the data governance foundations necessary for autonomous systems to function reliably.
“ AI projects rarely fail because of bad models,” the consultancy’ s 2026 Guide to Next industry trends report states.“ They fail because the data feeding them is inconsistent and fragmented.”
Data sovereignty has emerged as a major concern in the SAS predictions, particularly for organisations operating under strict compliance requirements. Marinela Profi, Global Agentic AI Strategy Lead at SAS, anticipates fundamental changes in how enterprises structure
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