Beyond the Hype: Ohio tech leaders say 2026 is the year AI gets real
Four OhioX leaders name the tech trend that will shape Ohio most over the next 18 months. Their answers all point to one theme: AI's real impact won't come from the technology itself — but from how organizations deploy it.
Artificial intelligence has dominated tech headlines for years, but 2026 may be the year Ohio moves from talking about AI to truly deploying it at scale. The gap between AI's theoretical capabilities and its real-world impact is closing fast, and that convergence is forcing tough questions across the state's ecosystem.
We asked Ohio tech leaders to identify the single technology trend that will have the biggest impact on the state's ecosystem over the next 12-18 months. While the answers varied, a clear theme emerged: AI's influence won't be measured by its theoretical capabilities, but by how effectively Ohio organizations put it to work. Four leaders shared what they're watching as implementation challenges move to center stage.
1. Prepare for Organizational Disruption
"The implementation of artificial intelligence tools and the resulting disruption that organizations will begin to deal with. Workflows will be altered, tech investments will shift, and workforce skilling will need to be a focus to maximize the investments." – Miro Humer, Vice President and CIO, Case Western Reserve University
2. Deploy AI in Regulated Environments Where ROI Matters
"Applied AI, especially AI embedded into regulated workflows like healthcare, manufacturing, MedTech, logistics, etc. will have the biggest impact on Ohio. The shift is moving from experimentation to real-world deployment, where security, compliance, and ROI actually matter." – Shani Bhavsar, CEO/CTO, Dash Technologies
3. Address the Infrastructure Requirements for Agentic AI
"I think there is one tech trend but it has two angles to it. AI is evolving from generative AI to more of an agentic AI bringing autonomous processes to human workflows. But equally important is energy — where does increased energy production come from to facilitate AI and power data centers? We need to increase capabilities around nuclear (including SMR) and solar to complement our traditional sources of energy." – Tony Pietrocola, President, AgileBlue
4. Close the Gap Between Frontier Models and Everyday Impact
"There is a significant gap between what is possible with the frontier models and the impact on the daily life of the average person today. Ohio is in a great position to help close that gap by building innovative companies and products that are simultaneously techno-optimist and customer-centric." – Grant Schneider, CTO, Upstart
These leaders point to the same reality from different angles: AI's biggest impact in Ohio won't come from the technology itself, but from how organizations implement it. The state's advantage lies not in being first to adopt every new model, but in being thoughtful about deployment — building products that work in regulated environments, training teams effectively, addressing infrastructure requirements, and creating sustainable workflows. As Ohio's tech ecosystem matures, this implementation-first mindset may be exactly what sets the region apart.
