CEOs from Zoom, RingCentral, Five9, Lumen Technologies and Celona highlighted AI as the defining force that is shaping customer experiences, operational efficiency, and technology strategy for the coming year.
The major throughline that nearly every tech CEO agrees will shape their company’s 2026 is AI, and the unified communications, collaboration and telecom space is absolutely no exception.
For CRN’s 2026 CEO Outlook project, leaders from the likes of some of the biggest UC, contact center, and collaboration space sent a unified message about the central role of AI in 2026. CEOs and founders from Zoom, RingCentral, Five9, Lumen Technologies and Celona highlighted AI as the defining force that is shaping customer experiences, operational efficiency, and technology strategy for the coming year. These leaders agree that partners will play an essential role in turning AI from a concept into real business outcomes and use cases, guiding customers through adoption, integration, and ongoing optimization. Another point the CEOs agreed on was the shift from experimental AI to AI in production, whether through agentic automation or AI-powered networks. Collectively, the CEOs emphasized that AI is no longer an optional enhancement but the foundation for voice, contact center, and next‑generation automation.
Check out what the UC, collaboration and telecom leaders had to say about AI, and read what more of the world’s biggest tech CEOs had to say about the upcoming year here in written responses as part of CRN’s 2026 CEO Outlook project.
Rajeev Shah, Celona’s CEO and founder, on the impact AI will have on his business in 2026
The rise of AI is driving demand for private 5G as networks become a critical enabler for robotics, physical AI, and the use of generative AI across industrial intelligence. These technologies are no longer confined to experiments or isolated use cases; they are becoming foundational to how industrial systems are designed and deployed. In 2026, I believe AI will fundamentally change the expectations customers have for how industrial systems behave once they are deployed. As physical AI becomes more common through computer vision, autonomous robots, and intelligent machines, these systems are no longer performing in isolation. They are working together, often in real time, across operating facilities. That shift exposes new challenges around coordination, reliability, and sustained performance over time that did not exist when AI was treated as a standalone tool. We are also seeing interfaces change, from workers searching through manuals or dashboards to interacting with systems through natural language and real-time feedback. This further raises expectations for responsiveness and reliability. For Celona and our partners, this changes the nature of the work we do together. The focus increasingly centers on ensuring that AI-driven systems can work continuously under real conditions. Partners play a critical role in integrating AI applications with machines, edge computing, and operational processes, and in supporting those systems as they evolve over time. At the same time, AI is reshaping how networks themselves are delivered and supported. We are investing in AI-powered tools across the network lifecycle, from initial design and estimation to self-driving network capabilities, so our partners can deliver high-quality service more efficiently and at significantly lower cost. We are also using AI to accelerate partner training and enablement, helping teams ramp faster and support more complex environments with confidence.
Amit Mathradas, Five9’s incoming CEO, on the key technology investments his company plans to make in 2026
As Five9 continues to redefine AI-powered customer experiences we plan to continue our investment in agentic AI. The launch of Agentic CX in June 2025 represents the next phase in how organizations will deliver customer service. Unlike traditional AI-powered tools, agentic capabilities will enable fully autonomous, context-aware, adaptable interactions capable of end-to-end issue resolution, all while remaining frictionless and maintaining seamless escalation when necessary. This investment in the next generation of AI will reflect a strategic shift from reactive automation to proactive, intelligent automation. By embedding an Agentic Experience Engine at the core of Five9’s Genius AI Architecture, with features like intent detection, an AI summary node, and code crafter, we will continue to empower customers to scale personalized service without sacrificing control or compliance.
Kate Johnson, Lumen Technologies’ president and CEO, on the toughest challenges facing customers in 2026
The toughest challenge for customers is that AI is forcing a new standard for networking and most legacy environments weren’t built for it. AI workloads are distributed across multiple clouds, data centers, and the edge, and they must communicate in real time. At the same time, multi-cloud is the default now, and customer expectations require simpler, flexible “as-a-service” networks. That creates a four-front battle. Complexity is exploding — more clouds, more apps, more data, more edge sites — and governance gets harder, not easier. Enterprise CTOs are under pressure to move at “the speed of thought,” but they can’t trade speed for security. Their costs are rising as data and consumption grow, while budgets stay tight, so waste becomes intolerable. And even when the strategy is clear, they are challenged by deployment friction — long lead times and fragmented buying and provisioning — which slows outcomes. That’s the gap Lumen is built to fill. Our digital network reduces complexity, accelerates time-to-value, and delivers the performance and security AI demands with the simplicity of a service.
Vlad Shmunis, RingCentral’s founder, chairman and CEO, on the biggest market opportunity his company and its channel partners will tackle together in 2026
In 2026, the biggest market opportunity is helping customers turn AI potential into tangible customer benefit. This is the year partners help their customers move beyond “what’s possible” to guide businesses through true AI transformation. With their deep customer insight, partners are uniquely positioned to help organizations identify practical AI use cases that deliver measurable results today. Those who can show customers how AI streamlines operations, enhances experiences, and drives growth will become the go-to experts for all things AI. At RingCentral, this transformation is anchored in how customers engage across the entire conversation lifecycle — unified communications and contact center together. Our core solutions, RingEX and RingCX, provide the foundation for seamless engagement across every channel, powered by integrated AI capabilities that deliver intelligence before, during, and after every interaction. From AI Receptionist (AIR) handling inbound calls to AI Virtual Assistant (AVA) supporting agents in real time, and AI Conversation Expert (ACE) delivering post-interaction insights, we’re enabling customers to connect experiences across their unified communications and contact center environments. And we’re investing in our partners to make sure they lead this transformation. In 2026, we’re focused on equipping partners with the tools, training, and resources to become AI consultants to their customers — helping them guide customers through the rapidly changing communications landscape. Whether it’s deep enablement on RingEX and RingCX, co-selling opportunities, or go-to-market support, we’re committed to empowering our partners to capture more value, win more deals, and grow stronger AI-driven businesses together.
Eric Yuan, Zoom’s CEO and co-founder, on the key to success for channel partners in 2026
Success for our channel partners in 2026 will come from embracing innovation and expanding how they deliver value to customers. Partners who lead with AI monetization — helping customers unlock productivity and business outcomes through AI Companion — will see strong growth. Equally important is adopting a customer success mindset, driving adoption of existing solutions and identifying upsell opportunities across the full Zoom portfolio. Partners should also leverage the Zoom Platform story, connecting UCaaS and CCaaS to deliver unified, end-to-end experiences. Finally, building or reselling Zoom Services Practices will open new revenue streams and help partners differentiate through high-value implementation, integration, and managed services. Together, these focus areas will empower partners to accelerate growth and deepen customer relationships.
