Quick answer
Gartner published its 2027 technology trends on October 20, 2026. The changes ordinary people will feel most are AI assistants that act for you, AI answering customer-service calls, more AI running on your own phone, passkeys replacing passwords, and more convincing scams. You can prepare with four habits: automatic updates, passkeys, tighter app permissions, and checking any unexpected request.
What is driving the 2027 trends?
Every autumn, analyst firms publish their forecasts for the year ahead. Gartner’s 2027 list is aimed at company IT leaders, but several of its ideas will reach your phone, your accounts and your customer-service calls. Gartner groups its ten trends into three stages: AI that goes beyond text, governing autonomous AI agents, and building technology that can adapt and be replaced.
Below are the seven that matter most for everyday life, with a simple action for each. These are forecasts, not guarantees.
1. AI agents will start doing tasks for you
An AI agent is an assistant that does things, such as booking, buying or replying, instead of only answering questions. One of Gartner’s trends, AI agent identity, is about tying an agent’s models, prompts and access credentials to what it actually does, so someone stays accountable. Gartner predicts that by 2028, a quarter of enterprise security breaches will trace back to misuse of AI agents.
What to do:
- Give any assistant only the access it needs.
- Keep payments behind a confirmation step.
- Review which apps and assistants are connected to your accounts once a month.
- Use a card with a spending limit for anything an assistant can buy.
2. You will talk to AI when you call customer support
Gartner’s “speech reasoning models” are voice AI that works directly on audio, tracking what you mean across a whole conversation. It forecasts that by 2030, over 70% of enterprise voice interactions will be handled by speech models, up from under 10% in 2026.
What to do:
- State your problem in one clear sentence.
- Ask for a human if the AI is stuck.
- Write down the reference number and ask for written confirmation by email.
- Never read out full card numbers or one-time codes on a call you didn’t start.
3. More AI will run on your own device
Phones and laptops now include chips built for AI. IDC expected that in 2026 more than two thirds of smartphones and more than half of PCs shipping would have these chips, so AI can run on the device. One 2027 outlook says privacy controls and on-device processing will become a bigger factor when people choose a device.
What to do:
- Check your phone’s AI settings to see which features run on the device and which send data to the cloud.
- Review microphone, camera and photo permissions for AI apps.
- Choose “on-device” options for sensitive tasks when you have the choice.
4. Passkeys will start to replace passwords
A passkey lets you sign in with your fingerprint, face or phone PIN instead of a password. A global FIDO Alliance study describes passkeys as gaining mainstream momentum.
How to set one up:
- Open the security settings of your Google, Apple, Microsoft or bank account.
- Look for “Create a passkey” or “Passkeys”.
- Approve it with your fingerprint, face or PIN.
- Test signing in with it, and make sure your recovery options are up to date.
- Only then consider removing the old password.
5. Scams will look more convincing
In the FIDO Alliance’s survey, 54% of people had seen more suspicious messages and scams, and 52% believed scams had become more sophisticated. Messages that once had obvious spelling mistakes can now read perfectly.
What to do:
- Slow down when a message creates urgency.
- Check it through the official app or a number you already trust, not the link or number in the message.
- Agree on a family code word to confirm unexpected calls for money.
- Never share verification codes.
6. Software will fix itself faster
Gartner says organisations today leave vulnerabilities unpatched for an average of about 50 days, and expects automated patching to shrink that to around 48 hours by 2031. You don’t run a company, but the lesson applies to you: unpatched software is how many attacks start.
What to do:
- Turn on automatic updates on your phone, computer and apps.
- Update your Wi-Fi router’s firmware too, since it is easy to forget.
7. Fewer apps, more assistants, and apps you can throw away
Gartner expects that by 2030, leading organisations will make 80% of new applications disposable and easy to replace. A Gartner forecast cited by IMA India suggests mobile app usage could be roughly 25% lower by 2027 as AI assistants handle more of what people do.
What to do:
- Delete apps you haven’t opened in three months.
- Review your subscriptions and cancel what you don’t use.
- Keep your photos, notes and contacts exportable so you are never locked in.
Further out: robots, world models and biological computing
Gartner’s list also includes world models, which help machines understand space and consequences and are aimed at robots and self-driving vehicles. It also includes sovereign tech and “wetware as a service”, which offers computing using biological systems. You won’t use these at home in 2027, but you’ll see them in headlines.
Your 2027 checklist
- Turn on automatic updates everywhere.
- Create passkeys for your email, banking and shopping accounts.
- Review app and assistant permissions.
- Set a spending limit on any card an assistant can use.
- Agree on a family code word.
- Delete apps and subscriptions you don’t use.
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest tech trends for 2027?
For everyday users: AI agents, voice AI in customer service, on-device AI, passkeys, smarter scams, faster software patching, and a shift from apps toward assistants.
Will AI assistants replace apps?
Not entirely. One Gartner forecast suggests app usage could drop by about a quarter by 2027, but forecasts are not guarantees.
How can I protect myself from AI-powered scams?
Verify unexpected requests through official channels, never share codes, use passkeys, and keep your software updated.
Related guides: How to Protect Your Data Privacy Online and How to Stop Spam Calls on iPhone.
