94% of mainframe practitioners confident in AI's future role

In a survey of more than 1,300 mainframe practitioners and decision makers, BMC has revealed a significant shift in how enterprises are approaching artificial intelligence (AI) on the mainframe. According to the 2026 BMC Mainframe Survey, 94% of respondents express long-term confidence in the mainframe's ability to support AI initiatives, highlighting a move from experimental to operational stages.

The findings indicate that as AI technologies increasingly play a role in mainframe operations, organizations are adopting a cautious yet pragmatic approach. While 45% of respondents consider implementing AI technologies a top priority, they are more comfortable with AI providing insights and recommending actions rather than executing them independently. For instance, 40% are willing to have AI recommend code-management actions, but only 23% are willing to allow AI to complete those tasks.

Mainframe professionals are increasingly leveraging generative AI tools to recommend actions in various use cases. These include performance tuning, problem detection, database reorganizations, IMS queue management, and documentation generation. The survey suggests that these initiatives are geared towards improving productivity, simplifying operations, preserving critical knowledge, and accelerating modernization efforts.

However, the transition to AI-driven operations is not without challenges. Survey respondents cited significant concerns, with 41% highlighting high implementation costs, 39% noting security and privacy issues, 37% expressing worries about data integration, and 22% concerned about regulatory compliance. Despite these challenges, 36% of respondents plan to invest in creating agents to manage the mainframe, while 32% intend to invest in third-party agents.

Another critical finding is the fragmented state of digital certificate management. With the new requirement for reducing the standard digital TLS certificate lifecycle to 88% by 2029, mainframe shops face increased work and potential disruptions. The survey reveals that 43% use in-house automated solutions, 31% use product-based automated solutions, and 25% still rely on manual effort.

John McKenny, senior vice president and general manager of Intelligent Z Optimization and Transformation at BMC, commented on the survey results. "Our latest mainframe survey shows an industry moving beyond AI experimentation toward trusted, operational adoption. When trust and reliability are essential, enterprises start with BMC first. We are seeing a significant shift as organizations have gone from asking how they can use AI to asking where they can trust it, how it can be governed, and where it delivers measurable value. It's becoming clear that the path to greater AI autonomy on the mainframe will be earned through trust, with the option of humans remaining in the loop to oversee and implement AI recommendations."

BMC continues to position itself as a leading provider of automation and orchestration solutions for enterprises, emphasizing its role in enabling AI-driven operations at scale. The company offers a suite of mainframe solutions designed to help businesses navigate the complexities of AI and mainframe integration, ensuring reliability and governance.