What’s coming next for corporate digital communications

2025 will be remembered as the dawn of a new epoch in corporate communications

Artificial intelligence became embedded in the everyday, geopolitical maps were rewritten, and new information consumption habits went mainstream. For corporate digital communications teams, the task is no longer simply to respond to isolated developments, but to build channels that can adapt as these forces occur all at once.

What does that mean for the corporate website and other owned digital channels in 2026?

Here are seven predictions from the Bowen Craggs team.

1. Continue earning trust

Compared to governments, media organisations and other institutions, business continues to perform relatively well in trust measures such as the Edelman Trust Barometer. But this position is fragile.

With economic uncertainty continuing, growing unease about AI, and frequent headlines about mass layoffs, many people are becoming more wary of big companies’ promises. In this environment, how clearly and openly firms communicate will be critical to maintaining trust.

Businesses that explain decisions clearly, acknowledge trade-offs and make supporting evidence easy to find will be better placed than those that rely on vague reassurances. The corporate website is the primary place to provide this open clarity.

2. AI search will expand into AI action

AI search optimisation is already high on the agenda for corporate digital teams. Over the next year, that focus will widen as users begin to rely not just on AI answers, but on AI agents that can take action on their behalf.

Early examples of agentic AI are already visible, from assisted shopping to automated product comparisons. In a corporate context, job searches and applications are likely to be among the first areas affected, followed by news alerts and data downloads.

Some vendors will argue that this requires separate AI-facing microsites. In practice, we believe the companies that benefit most will be those with well-structured, integrated accessible and transparent corporate websites that AI agents can easily interpret and use.

3. Corporate websites will start to adapt to new interfaces

The way people access websites is changing. Traditional browsers are increasingly being embedded with AI-driven interfaces.

In response, we expect to see the first signs in 2026 of corporate websites being designed with these new access points in mind. It will involve greater attention to structure, clarity and machine readability alongside human usability.

This marks the beginning of a shift in how corporate websites are conceived: not just as destinations for visitors, but as sources that feed a wider ecosystem of AI interfaces

4. Websites will become places to experience the company

As AI tools become better at summarising information, companies will need to be clearer about what their own digital channels uniquely offer.

In response, many corporate websites will place greater emphasis on experience. This includes richer storytelling, more authentic video, visual explainers, and content that gives audiences a sense of how the organisation actually operates and thinks.

The aim is not to compete with AI answers on speed, but to provide depth, context and perspective that cannot be distilled into a single response.

5. Genuinely human storytelling is the key

As more content across the web is generated or assisted by AI, audiences are becoming more sensitive to tone and authenticity.

In 2026, we expect a clamour for material that feels unmistakably human: first-hand perspectives, authentic employee videos, and storytelling that reflects real voices.

AI tools will continue to play an important role in supporting content creation, but the companies that stand out will be those that use them with restraint and transparency.

6. Responsibility and sustainability narratives are back

Over the past year, some companies have softened or pared back their communications around climate change, diversity and responsibility, particularly in response to political pressure and uncertainty.

In 2026, companies are likely to return to these topics with greater clarity. Political threats tend to lose force when they run up against legal limits and business realities, and companies still need to explain what they stand for. At the same time, pulling back or relying on vague language leaves space for others to define a company’s position, including in AI-driven search results.

For many organisations, being clearer and more specific is likely to feel less risky than staying silent.

7. Accessibility will underpin discovery, reputation and reach

Digital accessibility will continue to grow in importance, not only as a regulatory or ethical concern, but as a practical requirement for visibility.

Features such as accurate alt text, captions, transcripts and structured content make material more usable for people and more scannable to AI systems. At the same time, more companies will extract important data from PDFs and translate it into HTML, which not only helps from an accessibility perspective, but is a huge move towards credibility and trustworthiness.