Agenda
Thursday, December 3, 2026
All times are listed in Central Standard Time.
AI & Data Summit Dallas
Thu, Dec 3
Registration, Breakfast & Networking
Welcome Remarks & Ice Breaker
IDC Keynote: Agentic AI at Scale: Accelerating Innovation While Managing Risk
Agentic AI is unlocking new levels of enterprise innovation by enabling autonomous decision-making and adaptive workflows at scale. Balancing this potential with robust risk management is essential for ensuring trust, compliance, and sustainable value as organizations operationalize agentic systems across critical functions.
Shari Lava
Group Vice-President, AI, Data, and Automation, IDC
Keynote: Unlocking AI Value Through Intelligent Integration
AI success depends on more than models: it requires seamless access to trusted data, applications, and processes across the enterprise. This session explores how organizations are using intelligent integration, automation, and API management to connect disparate systems, eliminate silos, and create the foundation for scalable AI and data-driven innovation.
Networking Break
Panel: The Intelligence Layer: How Modern Analytics Powers Enterprise AI
AI is becoming the new interface for enterprise data. This session examines how organizations are creating an intelligence layer that connects data, analytics, and AI to deliver trusted insights, accelerate decisions, and unlock new business value.
Megha Kumar
Research Vice President, Analytics & AI, IDC
Fireside Chat: Data as a Strategic Asset
Data is emerging as a core driver of enterprise strategy, fueling innovation, operational excellence, and competitive differentiation. Organizations that treat data as a strategic asset are positioned to unlock new value, enable intelligent decision-making, and build resilient, future-ready business models.
Rob Tiffany
Research Director, Cloud and Infrastructure Services, IDC
Discussion Tables
Sovereign AI: Enabling the Token Economy
AI-Skilled IT Teams
Scaling AI in the Enterprise
Networking Lunch
Discussion Tables
From Pilots to Production: What Separates Enterprises That Scale AI from Those Stuck in Experimentation?
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Shari Lava
Group Vice-President, AI, Data, and Automation, IDC
Going Beyond Models and Building Out Context
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Megha Kumar
Research Vice President, Analytics & AI, IDC
Governing the Agentic Era: Can One Unified Platform Manage Traditional, Generative, and Agentic AI Responsibly at Scale?
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Kathy Lange
Research Director, AI, Data, and Automation Software, IDC
Is the CDP Still the Heart of Customer Experience in an AI-First World, or Does Agentic AI Change What the Customer Data Foundation Needs to Be?
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Tapan Patel
Research Director, Customer Data Platform, Intelligence and Analytics, IDC
Trust Under Attack: How Do Organizations Defend Against AI-Powered Fraud and Deepfakes Without Frustrating Legitimate Users?
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Aaron Press
Research Director, Worldwide Payment Strategies, IDC
What Are Cloud Buyers Really Saying? Repatriation, AI Workloads, and the Changing Economics of Where Workloads Live
2:30PM – 3:10PM
Rob Tiffany
Research Director, Cloud and Infrastructure Services, IDC
Lightning Insights: Closing the AI Delivery Gap: From Idea to Production
Lightning Insights: Modern Infrastructure for an AI-Driven World
Keynote: Responsible Technology in Practice: Operationalizing Fairness, Accountability, and Governance
As AI adoption accelerates, ethical and regulatory pressures are increasing. This session explores embedding responsible AI frameworks into development pipelines, operationalizing model review boards, leveraging platforms for compliance and risk management, setting up ethical guardrails, and preparing for evolving regulations.
Eric Poon
Chief Information and Technology Officer, Resolute Grid
Networking Break
Fireside Chat: Trustworthy AI – Ethics, Bias & Transparency in Practice
Building trustworthy AI requires embedding ethics, bias mitigation, and transparency into every stage of the AI lifecycle. Organizations that operationalize these principles not only strengthen compliance and stakeholder trust but also position themselves for responsible innovation and long-term success.
Kathy Lange
Research Director, AI, Data, and Automation Software, IDC
Panel: AI & Data in 2030 – What Leaders Must Prepare For
AI and data will fundamentally redefine competitive dynamics, business models, and workforce expectations. Leaders must anticipate disruptive technological shifts, invest in adaptive strategies, and cultivate organizational resilience to harness the full potential of an AI-driven future.
Megha Kumar
Research Vice President, Analytics & AI, IDC
Shari Lava
Group Vice-President, AI, Data, and Automation, IDC
Kathy Lange
Research Director, AI, Data, and Automation Software, IDC
Tapan Patel
Research Director, Customer Data Platform, Intelligence and Analytics, IDC
Aaron Press
Research Director, Worldwide Payment Strategies, IDC
Rob Tiffany
Research Director, Cloud and Infrastructure Services, IDC
Raffle Winner Announcements & Closing Remarks
Networking Cocktail Reception
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