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According to JumpCloud’s Q1 2026 IT Trends Report, 99.6% of organizations are now using or planning to use AI.
That number effectively ends the debate on whether AI is a passing trend. It is no longer a futuristic concept—it is the operating reality for modern IT.
Despite this near-universal adoption, a dangerous “dual disconnect” has emerged. Organizations often confuse “AI maturity” (how willing they are to use AI) with “AI readiness” (how prepared their infrastructure actually is). While budgets are increasing and adoption is rapid, 60% of IT professionals admit that AI is outpacing their ability to protect against threats.
To move from reactive defense to proactive security, IT leaders must stop treating AI as a standalone tool. The only way to secure this new dynamic layer of technology is to treat unified identity as the foundation of your security architecture.
The Growing AI Landscape: Productivity Meets Complexity
There is no denying that AI is delivering on its promises. The data shows that 90% of IT leaders report improved productivity for both themselves and their teams. This isn’t just a feeling; it is measured in time saved on manual IT tasks, cost savings, and improved threat detection.
Because the ROI is real, the money is following. 9 in 10 organizations expect to increase their IT budgets for AI, specifically targeting high-level security work like threat detection and triage.
However, this productivity boom creates a complex, fractured environment if not managed correctly. Adding powerful AI agents to a fragmented infrastructure is like putting a Formula 1 engine inside a go-kart. The frame simply cannot handle the speed.
The Silent Killer: Shadow AI and Fragmented Access
The most immediate symptom of a fractured infrastructure is shadow AI—the unsanctioned use of AI tools by employees. It is widespread, with 61% of organizations reporting that they frequently encounter it.
The risk here is visibility. Without a unified view of identity, IT cannot see who (or what) is accessing data. In a traditional setup, you only had to worry about human users. Now, with the rise of agentic AI—autonomous agents making decisions and executing tasks—the risk of unauthorized privilege escalation has skyrocketed.
If you cannot distinguish between a human user and a bot, or if you cannot instantly revoke access for an AI agent that has gone rogue, your organization is exposed.
Why IT Unification Is the Only Path to Readiness
To secure this environment, we must embrace IT unification, specifically within the context of identity and access management (IAM).
85% of IT leaders agree that secure IAM practices are critical for successful AI adoption. Unification solves the visibility gap by applying two key mechanisms:
- Centralized control: Unification allows you to apply the principle of least privilege across all endpoints—devices, SaaS applications, and AI agents—from a single pane of glass.
- Non-human identities (NHI): As AI agents become more prevalent, governing bot identities with the same rigor as human users becomes non-negotiable.
Unification allows organizations to move from the “Advancing” tier to the “Leading” tier of AI readiness by removing the blind spots caused by siloed tools. It ensures that security policies are consistent, regardless of who—or what—is logging in.
AI’s Impact on the IT Workforce
This shift toward unification and AI integration is not just about security; it is about people. When properly governed, AI acts as a stress reducer for 56% of IT professionals by handling repetitive Tier 1 support tasks.
Contrary to the fear of job displacement, 50% of IT leaders expect AI to create new specialized roles within the next 1–2 years. The difference lies in maturity. “AI mature” organizations are more likely to upskill their teams to handle these new strategic roles, whereas those lagging behind are still struggling with basic integration and manual firefighting.
Secure Your Foundation to Scale Your Future
You cannot secure a dynamic AI layer on top of a fragmented, rigid legacy foundation. True AI readiness requires a unified approach to identity.
Unification isn’t just about security; it’s about scalability and operational efficiency. By consolidating your tools and centralizing identity management, you build a platform that allows your organization to adopt new technologies safely and quickly.
Ready to see how your peers are handling these challenges? Download the Q1 2026 IT Trends Report for the full data on AI maturity, readiness, and security.
