It was the inimitable Bob Dylan who sang ‘The Times, They Are A-Changing’, a stirring 1960s anthem with a rich and enduring message from the Crown Prince of Folk: Change happens whether you’re ready for it or not. And those of us lucky enough to see him in the Waterfront Hall back in December can testify that he is certainly coping OK with change!

Those lyrics are forever relevant, of course. Even 60 years later as we stand on the precipice of a new calendar year and assess the many opportunities and risks that lie ahead. For communities and in the world of business. Some are, by their nature, slow-burning blips on an organisation’s risk radar, their patterns predictable and closely monitored around the clock. Others are more emergent – erratic, even – and possess an innate ability to catch a business flat-footed with potentially devastating effects.

Such is the velocity of change in this digital-first era, organisations can now find themselves in the throes of crisis within a matter of minutes. Threats like ransomware, which the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) labelled as the “most immediate and disruptive threat” to businesses and national infrastructure more broadly in 2026.

This after the number of ransomware attacks doubled last year alone, equating to around 612,000 businesses. That’s almost half of all firms in the UK, with high-profile cyber victims ranging from M&S to Jaguar Land Rover and the Co-op. And it’s not just the scale, but the sophistication that’s increasing at a rapid clip, with the NCSC noting a surge in AI-native attacks capable of leaving defenses exposed.  

These cautionary tales not only underline how robust cyber resilience has become a structural necessity for business in 2026, but also the double-edged nature of artificial intelligence as a technology. A quick online search – itself now supercharged by dedicated AI modes and agents – puts AI high on the list of corporate watchouts for the 12 months ahead.

On the one hand, legislation is finally beginning to keep pace with the actual tech, with the EU AI Act putting in place company requirements around staff literacy and transparency. To ensure consistent application of said Act in Ireland, a National AI Office will open its doors later this year and serve as something of a focal point for AI regulation and continued innovation.

Then, of course, there’s the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it evolution cycle to consider. When AI first entered the public realm in its modern guise, it did so as an experimental chat tool. Now, it’s on the cusp of becoming a company cornerstone with the ability to manage and execute processes and tasks from start to finish. All without minimal – if any – human input. Agentic AI is unique in its ability to stand alone and, if managed carefully to be compliant with the legislation, presents rich opportunities for businesses to automate the admin. And a whole lot more.

With the rationale being that, in freeing up precious windows in the workday, it enables team members to put time into those softer skills that help define an organisation’s culture. Through this lens, emotional intelligence and complex judgment become more valuable for teams and their leaders who are now tasked with augmenting human capital with machine intelligence. Enhancing, rather than erasing, the people-centric roles at the heart of business success. 

Yet for all its digital promise, these innovations bear an uncomfortable truth: AI’s appetite for electricity. Forecasts from the International Energy Agency now estimate that, due to AI’s runaway adoption rate, data centres will account for 35% of all Ireland’s energy use by the end of 2026.

Which comes at a time when the link between climate change and organisational disruption has never been clearer. Or more strongly felt. In 2024, climate-related events led to losses in excess of $320 billion worldwide, as businesses bore the brunt of supply chain and shared infrastructure being disrupted or damaged.

Sustainability used to be a standing item on the company agenda; it’s now a business imperative. Resilience must be the bedrock of an organisation’s outlook in the year to come, whether that’s on the frontier of cybersecurity or mandating long-term progress on everything ESG.    

Being the constant that it is, change has many catalysts. Yet organisations that take seriously resilience today will be better placed to manage tomorrow, and whatever that new day may bring.

To borrow some timeless Dylan wisdom, the present now will later be past. History won’t hang around to distinguish the leaders from the laggards. In change lies challenge, yes, but also opportunity to create a future-fit business outlook for 2026 and beyond.