Gartner predicts that through 2027, GenAI and AI agent use will create the first true challenge to mainstream productivity tools in 35 years, prompting a $58 billion market shake-up.
The Interface Revolution:
We’re seeing the shift from menu-driven systems to free-form conversational agents. Users can articulate needs in natural language rather than navigating predefined paths.
The future of work won’t be typed — it will be prompted.
Current Leaders:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: 400K+ enterprise customers, $30/user/month
- Google Workspace + Gemini: 3B+ users, $20/user/month
The Challengers:
New vendors will emerge, new formats will take hold, and value will shift to agentive experiences. AI agents become the “digital front doors” for enterprises — just as websites became essential in the 1990s.
This fundamentally challenges incumbents like Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
This is part of a comprehensive analysis of 20+ AI business trends for 2026. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.









