2026 State of Industrial AI Report for Manufacturing

Cisco surveyed more than 350 manufacturing professionals operating across 19 countries. Discover what they had to say in this report.
Oct. 1, 2026

Explore how manufacturers are preparing industrial networks for AI and what it takes to scale deployments successfully.

This report examines the business and technical priorities shaping industrial networking, including:

  • Modernizing infrastructure to meet rising data, mobility, and connectivity needs
  • Addressing cybersecurity risks as operations become more connected
  • Using AI to strengthen security
  • Overcoming challenges when deploying AI workloads
  • Improving visibility, network performance, and operational resilience through closer collaboration between IT and OT teams

Use these findings to understand the forces shaping AI-ready industrial networks and inform your organization’s next steps.