Last year’s Powering Possible captured the energy sector moving AI from promise to practice. In 2026, that momentum has accelerated. Eighty-nine percent of energy leaders have increased their AI investment over the past year, while 26% now rank AI as their organization’s highest priority, up from 9% in 2025. Nearly two-thirds place it among their top two priorities. That commitment is translating into action. The use of integrated agentic AI has more than doubled, from 15% in 2025 to 33% in 2026, as organizations move beyond isolated applications and embed AI more deeply into their operations. At the same time, expectations of AI are growing. Value is moving beyond efficiency and cost savings towards stronger, more reliable and resilient operations. And as AI drives greater demand for energy, it can also help energy systems increase the reliability and capacity of the grid. But the next phase of growth is likely to be harder, and the value of AI will not be measured only by productivity, cost reduction or the number of use cases deployed. The global energy system is Executive Summary Powering Possible began in 2024 to explore what AI would mean for energy and, in turn, what energy would mean for AI. Two years on, those questions are becoming operational as AI scales across the sector and agentic workflows and physical systems move into the field. Organizations are beginning to see returns on investment, while also understanding how AI can strengthen adaptability and resilience in a more disruption-prone world. AI and the New Value Equation becoming more exposed to disruption, from extreme weather and geopolitical volatility to growing complexity across supply chains, infrastructure and electricity networks. A resilient and adaptable global energy supply has never been more important, and AI has a leading role to play. Resilience enters the equation Eighty-six percent of energy leaders say global energy supply has become more complex and harder to predict over the past five years, and 60% expect that to be permanent. Across the energy leaders and global markets surveyed, the direction is broadly consistent, but there are noticeable differences in pace, priorities and pressures between markets. What’s clear from the data is that organizations are investing not only in the intelligence needed to anticipate change, optimize operations and respond faster when disruption occurs. AI is increasingly seen as a critical enabler of a more adaptive, integrated and resilient energy system. When asked to name the greatest strategic risk to energy security this decade, over half point to how well the system is integrated, its ability to connect infrastructure, markets and geographies and absorb shocks. For years, the industry has measured value in terms of cost, productivity and output. AI can improve all three, but this year’s findings suggest leaders are widening the lens. Nearly two-thirds say greater use of AI makes energy supply more resilient, and 82% expect AI to support and improve energy resilience by 2050. That matters because of the operating conditions the sector now faces. AI for energy, energy for AI That operational shift is changing how leaders define value. Energy supply stability and reliability is now the leading measure of AI’s contribution, named by 39% of leaders, up from 26% in 2025. Over the same period, the share prioritizing prediction accuracy and data use has fallen from 24% to 19%, while cost savings has declined from 19% to 13%. Leaders are increasingly judging AI not only by the performance of an individual model or use case, but by the performance of the energy system around it. Powering Possible 2026 9