AI Is Redefining the Role of IT Leaders, According to New Research Ahead of QBITS 2026
Coming Together To Explore AI Adoption at QBITS - Quadbridge's Premier IT Leadership Development Conference.
Perspectives From Technology Leaders, Academic Experts, and Business Coaches Shaping Leadership, Innovation, and the Future of the Technology.
MONTREAL, QC, CANADA, March 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The rapid adoption of AI in Canada is exposing a critical gap for technology leaders. More than half now help shape corporate strategy, yet nearly two-thirds lack confidence in their company’s AI readiness, and many feel unprepared for the leadership demands being placed on them.
That disconnect is the focus of QBITS 2026, taking place April 7–9 in Montreal. QBITS – Quadbridge’s flagship technology leadership conference – brings together hundreds of IT leaders from across North America to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore how organizations can move from AI experimentation to real operational outcomes.
The AI Shift Redefining the Role of IT Leadership
Research from Quadbridge suggests technology executives are increasingly being asked to do far more than run infrastructure and manage risk. They are expected to guide strategy, enable innovation, and help their organizations navigate the opportunities and uncertainty created by AI.
Findings from Quadbridge’s recent AI Ideation Sessions and report, AI Has Broken the Mid-Market Technology Playbook, reveal that organizations are moving quickly to explore AI – but many are doing so without the traditional roadmaps that guided previous waves of technology adoption. Key findings include:
• 77% of organizations are actively developing an AI strategy.
• 61% of IT leaders say they are less than confident about their AI readiness.
• 52% of IT leaders say they are somewhat involved in shaping corporate strategy.
• 39% of IT leaders say they are fully involved in shaping corporate strategy.
The report also highlights a growing challenge: organizations are being forced to make decisions about governance, risk, and operational readiness before established playbooks have caught up with the pace of innovation.
QBITS’ Growing Influence: Where Leadership and Technology Meet
Now in its 10th year, QBITS has grown into one of North America’s most distinctive forums for IT leadership development, bringing together perspectives from across technology, academia, and leadership research at a time when greater collaboration across the technology sector is increasingly important.
“AI is accelerating faster than most organizations are prepared for,” said Steve Leslie, CEO of Quadbridge. “What we’re seeing is that the biggest challenge isn’t the technology – it’s leadership. IT leaders are now expected to guide strategy, manage risk, and help their organizations move from experimentation to real outcomes. That’s the conversation QBITS was built to support.”
The QBITS 2026 program features voices connected to McGill University, Info-Tech Research Group, and insights inspired by the work of the Barrett Values Centre, alongside leaders from across the technology and investment communities.
The event is further supported by leading global technology partners including Lenovo, Microsoft, HP, Sophos, Arctic Wolf and dozens more, bringing real-world insight from across the technology ecosystem to the conversations shaping AI adoption.
Headline keynote speakers include:
• Dr. Gary Bradt, psychologist and leadership expert who advises global organizations on navigating change and transformation
• Stephen Shapiro, internationally recognized innovation expert and bestselling author known for helping organizations unlock creativity and collaboration
• Bill Wong, AI Research Fellow for Info-Tech Research Group and Chief AI Officer and board member at CiphexAI where he advises CEOs, boards, and technology leaders on AI strategy, governance, and scaling AI.
QBITS Leading Conversation on Canadian AI Adoption
“The theme of QBITS this year is Transform because transformation is a choice,” said Melanie Magier, Senior Manager of Marketing at Quadbridge. “IT leaders are facing a moment where they can wait to react to change or step forward and shape what comes next. Every moment of QBITS is designed to advance that mindset so leaders leave not just with ideas, but with the insights, strategies, leadership habits to lead differently when they return to their organizations.”
Media are invited to attend QBITS April 7–9, 2026 at Marriott Chateau Champlain in Montreal. Journalists can register here. The full white paper detailing Quadbridge’s research on AI adoption in the North American mid-market can be viewed here.
About Quadbridge
Founded in 2007, Quadbridge is a North American technology solutions provider helping mid-market organizations move from AI experimentation to AI at scale. By combining modern infrastructure, modern work, security, AI & data, and the hardware and software foundations that support them, Quadbridge helps organizations embed secure, governed, organization-wide AI into daily workflows.
Melanie Magier
Quadbridge
+1 226-243-7941
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