6 Predictions for Service Management in 2026: Insights from the HDI Top 25 Thought Leaders
As we look ahead to 2026, we turned to HDI’s Top 25 Thought Leaders to gauge which trends they think will shape the future of Service Management and ITSM. Their predictions highlight the transformative power of technology, the importance of human-centered design, and the ethical challenges that lie ahead.
Are you ready for what’s ahead? These six unfiltered perspectives offer a glimpse into the future of our profession.
1. Evolution of Service Management and ITSM
Anthony Orr shared this take:
In 2026, Service Management and ITSM will be shaped by key trends:
AI-driven automation expanding predictive and generative capabilities, quantum-inspired computing enhancing optimization, and hyper-personalized employee and customer experiences.
Increased convergence of ITSM with enterprise service management (ESM) across HR, finance, facilities, and other internal services.
Zero Trust security is deeply embedded in ITSM workflows.
Enhanced shift-left/right practices with a greater emphasis on proactive resilience, while sustainability metrics become integral to service value delivery and reporting.
2.The Real AI Trend: Inclusion Over Exclusion
David Barrow’s hot take?
“In 2026, the real trend isn’t AI itself, it’s who gets left behind. Without strong governance and human-centered design, AI will deepen the socio-economic divide, locking out those already marginalized. Service management must lead the charge, demanding accountable and transparent AI that creates value for all, not just the privileged few.
The future of our profession depends on whether we choose inclusion over exclusion.”
3. People Before Tickets
Vicki Rogers is hoping to see the Humanizing IT movement take hold in 2026.
"Let’s design around people, not tickets—empathetic communications, neuro-inclusive workflows, and plain-language knowledge, with transparent AI that explains its decisions. Measure trust and effort reduced, not just volume. Invest in coaching and feedback loops to close the empathy gap. I hope this is the trend: faster resolutions that feel respectful, accessible, and equitable for every employee and customer.”
4. Stewarding Resonance in Service Management
Simone Jo Moore predicts that 2026 is not the first turning point but certainly where Service Management evolves performance management toward stewarding resonance. Here’s her take:
“The shift isn’t about discarding what we know—governance, optimization, risk control—but about expanding it to include the human and ethical dimensions that now define sustainable service.
The most impactful trend I see forming is the integration of emotional AI and ethical governance into the very fabric of service operations. No longer peripheral, these become the differentiators of resilient organizations. Leaders move to measure not just uptime, cost, or resolution rates, but how services ‘land and linger’—whether they strengthen well-being, enable learning, and earn trust. Governance without empathy is recognized as brittle, unable to hold under the pressure of modern complexity.
This evolution comes with risks. Emotional data, if misused, exposes organizations to ethical backlash and reputational harm. Over-automation without human-centered design deepens disconnection rather than bridging it. The challenge of 2026 is calibrating the tension between efficiency and empathy, automation and agency, optimization and dignity. Yet within that tension lies the opportunity. Service Management embracing cognitive nutrition: curating information, AI models, and processes that sustain human capability rather than drain it. Burnout reduction, creative resilience, and purposeful collaboration will be positioned not as HR side initiatives, but as core operational strategies.
Industry 5.0 provides the backdrop. It’s no longer an abstract ambition but a lived reality—where human-AI collaboration is expected, not optional. In this context, the question becomes: not “Can our services perform?” but “Can our services sustain?” Sustain growth, sustain trust, sustain the human spirit.
The organizations that succeed in 2026 will treat Machine Humanity not as a threat, but as a design principle. They recognize the future of service is not only technical, but ethical and emotional. By doing so, they step confidently into the future—not with blind optimism, but with calibrated foresight, balancing innovation with integrity.
The most impactful trend of 2026 is clear: Service Management will move from being a discipline of control to a practice of stewardship—where optimizing performance and honoring humanity become inseparable.”
5. Centering on Agentic AI and Inclusive Design
“Service Management will center on agentic AI, unified ESM platforms, and low-code tools,” says Patrycja Sobrera.
For her, that means:
Clean CMDBs and governance enable predictive analytics. XLAs evolve into experience-first metrics, prioritizing sentiment.
Hybrid models and embedded security support scalable, compliant delivery.
Human-centered (ALWAYS) tech enhances employee experience, with automated workflows tailored to user needs.
Personalization, accessibility, and inclusive design become standard, ensuring services adapt to diverse user contexts while fostering trust, empathy, and continuous improvement across ALL digital environments.
6. AI as a Catalyst for Better Service Management
2025 HDI Lifetime Achievement Award winner Doug Tedder made this bold prediction about AI:
“I am excited about the impact AI will have on service management. But I am concerned that many service management implementations simply are not ready for AI. Make no mistake: bad service management will result in bad AI. So, the trend that I am looking forward to is how efforts to adopt AI will result in better service management, shifting the focus from internal IT operations activities to business-outcome-based success!”
Prepare for the Future at Service Management World
The future of Service Management is both exciting and challenging. From AI-driven innovation to human-centered design and ethical governance, the trends of 2026 will demand a balance of technology, empathy, and foresight. Join us at Service Management World as we face the future head-on, exploring these trends and equipping ourselves to lead the way in this dynamic and evolving field. Use the code JOINUS for $400 off your conference registration.