The 12 most strategically important IT initiatives today

IT’s top initiatives underscore how CIOs are increasingly shaping and enabling business outcomes — and focusing less on maintaining service levels as their primary objective.

According to the 2026 State of the CIO survey, the role of the Chief Information Officer is shifting from an operational “order-taker” focused on maintaining IT service levels to a transformation leader driving business outcomes. Today’s IT leaders are prioritizing generative AI, agentic AI, data analytics, security, and process automation over traditional IT tasks like modernization and cloud migration. By focusing on these emerging technologies, CIOs are working alongside business executives to streamline workflows, enhance customer experience, and fuel market growth.

Consequently, CIOs are reallocating their time to adapt to this shift. They are spending significantly more energy collaborating with business leaders on AI strategies, researching emerging tech, and building frameworks for scalable AI adoption. Meanwhile, routine tasks like vendor negotiations, crisis management, and strict cost controls have taken a back seat, highlighting IT’s new identity as an engine for business innovation and speed of delivery.

• Generative AI — 42%
• Agentic AI — 38%
• Data/business analytics — 31%
• Security/risk management — 29%
• Business process automation/IT automation — 26%
• Machine learning — 21%
• Cloud management — 20%
• Application modernization — 20%
• Customer experience technologies — 19%
• IT/OT (operational technology) convergence — 18%
• Infrastructure modernization — 17%
• Employee experience technologies — 17%

Based on cio.com story by Mary K. Pratt, Jun 8, 2026