CIO Summit New York
The Rise of Agentic Systems
Modernize. Secure. Innovate. Lead with the power of Agentic-AI
The IDC CIO Summit 2026 is the premier event for senior technology and business executives shaping enterprise strategy and digital leadership. Designed for CIOs, CTOs, and senior IT and transformation leaders, this full-day event delivers high-impact insights and actionable strategies focused on today’s top priorities: technology modernization, resilience, risk management, AI-driven innovation, and delivering measurable business value in an era of constant disruption.
IDC’s analysts and industry experts will guide you on how to architect adaptive technology foundations, reduce technical debt, and operationalize AI (including Agentic AI) responsibly and at scale, while aligning digital strategies with business outcomes. Through keynotes, panels, and collaborative discussions, the Summit provides CIOs with the frameworks, benchmarks, and leadership tools to navigate disruption, govern AI innovation, and drive long-term, sustainable enterprise transformation.
Expert Perspectives
Hear from global thought leaders, visionary CIOs, and celebrity speakers redefining technology, leadership, and innovation across the region.
Scaling AI for the Agentic Future: Closing the Enterprise Gaps
Scaling AI for the agentic future requires organizations to move beyond isolated pilots and fragmented automation, embracing systems capable of autonomous decision-making and continuous learning. While 40% of enterprises are already investing in agentic AI and another 44% are piloting use cases, significant gaps remain in governance, talent, infrastructure, and business alignment. Closing these gaps demands a holistic approach: robust data governance, upskilling the workforce for AI-driven roles, modernizing IT architectures, and embedding responsible AI practices across the enterprise. As agentic AI is projected to account for more than 26% of worldwide IT budget growth by 2029, CIOs must ensure that scaling AI delivers measurable business value, operational resilience, and sustainable innovation.
Meredith Whalen | IDC
Chief Product, Research & Delivery Officer
Meredith Whalen
As IDC’s Chief Product, Research & Delivery Officer, Meredith Whalen leads the company’s global product, research and data, and delivery organizations. Under her leadership, IDC delivers cutting-edge intelligence to the world’s leading technology vendors, enterprises, and investors as they navigate the evolving AI economy. Meredith sets the strategic direction for IDC’s global analyst community, shaping research methodologies and agendas that generate industry-leading data and actionable insights to drive high-impact business decisions.
With more than 20 years at IDC, Meredith has been a catalyst for some of the company’s most transformative initiatives. She founded IDC’s Industry Insights and Tech Buyer business units and pioneered the industry’s first comprehensive business use case taxonomy. She also led the creation of IDC’s DecisionScape methodology—a strategic framework that empowers organizations to better plan, implement, and optimize their technology investments.
A recognized thought leader and sought-after speaker, Meredith regularly delivers keynotes at major global technology events and advises senior executives on the trends shaping the future of business and technology.
Meredith holds a B.A. with honors from Wellesley College and an MBA with honors from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.
Event Sessions
Day 0 9:30 am
Scaling AI for the Agentic Future: Closing the Enterprise Gaps
Scaling AI for the agentic future requires organizations to move beyond isolated pilots and fragmented automation, embracing systems capable of autonomous decision-making and continuous learning. While 40% of enterprises are already investing in agentic AI and another 44% are piloting use cases, significant gaps remain in governance, talent, infrastructure, and business alignment. Closing these gaps demands a holistic approach: robust data governance, upskilling the workforce for AI-driven roles, modernizing IT architectures, and embedding responsible AI practices across the enterprise. As agentic AI is projected to account for more than 26% of worldwide IT budget growth by 2029, CIOs must ensure that scaling AI delivers measurable business value, operational resilience, and sustainable innovation.
As U.S. organizations intensify digital investment, CIOs are confronting a multifaceted mandate: modernizing legacy systems, controlling technical debt, embedding cybersecurity and regulatory compliance, and preparing their workforce for increasingly automated, AI-driven operations. Global digital transformation spend is projected to exceed $4 trillion by 2027, reinforcing the scale and urgency of this shift.
Yet the next frontier is already here: Agentic AI. Systems capable of autonomous decision-making, task execution, and continuous learning. IDC estimates that agentic AI will account for more than 26% of worldwide IT budget growth between 2025 and 2029, with expenditures reaching $1.3 trillion by 2029. Also, according to IDC’s 2025 research, 40% of organizations are already investing in Agentic AI, with another 44% testing or piloting use cases. CIOs are now tasked with governing this wave of automation, balancing innovation with control, and rethinking architectures, skills, and policies to harness AI safely and strategically.
2026 Prediction
By 2027, G1000 organizations will face an up to 30% rise in underestimated AI infrastructure costs, driving CIOs to expand the scope of FinOps teams to optimize expenses and enhance business value.
The future CIO will guide organizations into the agentic AI era. The CIO’s success depends on modernizing IT infrastructure, reducing technical debt, and fostering human-AI collaboration. CIOs will also lead the development of AI value playbooks to measure efficiency, growth, and innovation.
In multinational organizations, CIOs must prioritize resilience in response to regional sovereignty demands and geopolitical shifts, increasing investments in modular, sovereign-ready IT environments.
Venue
Convene – 101 Park Avenue (Midtown)
Address: 101 Park Ave, New York, NY 10017
Convene at 101 Park Avenue is located near Grand Central at the corner of 41st Street and Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan near the following subway stations:
Nearby Parking:
Quik Park 101 Park Ave (41st & Park Ave) (212) 661-7493
Icon Parking 90 Park Ave (39th & Park Ave) (212) 682-6884
Nearby Bus Stations:
Madison Ave & E 40-41 St E 3rd St & Park Ave E 42nd St & Park Ave Port Authority Bus Terminal
Nearby Train Stations:
Grand Central Terminal Pennsylvania Station
Knowledge Hub
CIO readiness in the face of the Middle East war: From disruption to resilience
How CIOs should prepare for geopolitical disruption. IDC outlines resilience priorities, scenario planning, and operational readiness strategies
The CIO Imperative: Six Priorities for the AI-Fueled Organization
CIOs who proactively do and align AI with business priorities will shape their organization’s future, those who hesitate risk being left behind.
Dispelling the myth of a silver bullet in sovereign AI
Sovereign AI is not one-size-fits-all. Learn how leaders are balancing control, innovation, and hybrid deployment strategies in a fragmented world.