In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, staying ahead means understanding not just where the industry is heading, but understanding the talent pipeline that feeds it. To help leaders navigate 2026's emerging challenges and opportunities, we sat down with Sumi Dahal, Senior Account Manager at Leaders IT, who shared her predictions and strategic advice on the future of HR in tech and the industry as a whole.

AI and automation skills become baseline

Sumi argues that AI and automation are no longer fringe R&D departments, but instead areas pivotal to business success. "Companies want candidates who can work with AI tools to make previously tedious and laboursome tasks faster and smarter." However, she insists there will be more focus on data privacy, cybersecurity, and making sure AI is used in safe and ethical ways. Organisations must establish governance guardrails to ensure automation accelerates value without increasing risk exposure. Expect investment in model governance, monitoring, secure ML CI/CD and multidisciplinary teams that operate AI reliably.

Roles and capabilities in demand

"In 2026, I think roles like AI and ML engineers, data scientists, and even prompt engineers will continue to grow as more companies try to bring AI into their products and everyday work," Sumi predicts. "Also, cybersecurity roles because digital risks are getting bigger and harder to manage." Demand will rise for practitioners who can take models from prototype to production whilst understanding both the technical and governance sides of AI implementation.

Learning and mindset to outrank experience

"If I had to give just one tip to managers for 2026, it would be to hire for attitude and learning, not just experience." Sumi encourages organisations not to overlook early-career talent or career transitioners that are "curious, open-minded, and excited to learn new skills." With the right mindset, they have the potential to grow quickly and really surprise you in 2026. If technology continues to progress at its current speed, the ability to learn and adapt will become much more valuable than years of experience with soon-to-be-outdated tools.

What this means for tech leaders

To capitalise on these shifts, leaders should take concrete action:

·      Rework role descriptions to highlight AI-adjacent skills, adaptability, and learning potential rather than lengthy experience requirements

·      Invest in onboarding, MLOps training and ongoing learning programs so teams can productionise AI pipelines effectively

·      Build blended capability funnels that mix senior specialists with early-career and career-transition talent

·      Strengthen data governance, privacy and security controls so innovation advances within clear risk boundaries

How Leaders IT can help

CUSP (Capacity Uplift Solution Program) directly addresses Sumi's vision of hiring by creating a structured pathway for underrepresented talent to thrive. This 12-month program enhances the skills of recent graduates, those returning to work, and career transitioners; the curious, open-minded learners Sumi champions. Each participant is placed with a client organisation for on-the-job training, with clients able to extend employment beyond the program. Participants receive individually tailored training plans developed in collaboration with their placement organisation, supported by comprehensive resources and guidance from industry-leading mentors.

It's a practical way to build the adaptable, future-ready teams equipped with the AI fluency, security awareness and growth mindset that 2026 demands. Book a CUSP discovery session today.