Emerging Tech Trends 2026 Agenda
Thursday, January 29th 2026

Opening Panel: The State of Emerging Tech
11:00-12:30 | Main Stage
Johannes Beekman | IoT Marketing
Tiffani Neilson | IoT Marketing
Scott Gerard | Knowledge Reactor
Thomas Gilheany | Hippocampus Partners
Topics Discussed in this panel:
- AI
- Physical AI
- Humanoid Robots
- Edge AI
- AIoT
- Composite AI
- IoT
- Cybersecurity attack surfaces
- Infrastructure
- IoT
- AI
- Voice
- impact of AI on organizations
- Trust
- Weaponization of AI
- Quantum preparation
- Human element

From AI Breakthroughs to Business Reality
Adem Ibrahim | AIRISE Global Solutions
12:30-1:00 | Main Stage
Despite rapid advances in AI capabilities, many organizations struggled to convert breakthroughs into sustained business value in 2025. This session explains why the constraint shifted away from models and toward foundations: data quality, workflow design, governance, cloud readiness, and practical capability in teams. Attendees will leave with a clear lens for separating scalable AI from expensive experimentation as they plan for 2026.
Topics of Discussion
- The most misunderstood aspects of AI progress in 2025
- Why many AI initiatives fail to deliver real business impact, even as models and tools improve
- Where the most meaningful AI progress is actually happening beyond headline model releases
- What separates organizations that successfully moved AI into production from those still stuck in pilots
- How leadership teams are rethinking their AI strategy in 2026, and what they should stop doing
- The one foundational focus area organizations should prioritize over the next 12 months, and why it matters

Human Connection in a Tech-Driven World: Leading with Empathy, Ubuntu, and Innovation
Yumna Aysen | Your Life Pass
1:00-1:30 | Main Stage
In an era defined by rapid technological evolution, AI integration, and shifting workplace expectations, one essential element still determines the strength of teams, brands, and leadership: human connection.
In this session, Yumna Aysen explores the emerging trend of human-centered innovation – where technology enhances (rather than replaces) empathy, collaboration, and trust. Drawing from her coaching experience and her South African heritage, she weaves in the concept of Ubuntu, a uniquely South African philosophy meaning “I am because we are,” which emphasizes shared humanity and interconnectedness
Participants will learn how to navigate the future of work with greater humanity, clarity, and confidence – understanding not just where technology is taking us, but how to stay deeply connected, emotionally intelligent, and authentically human while leading in a rapidly evolving digital world.
Topics of Discussion
- The top human-centered trends reshaping leadership in 2026 and beyond
- How AI and automation are changing the way we build trust, communicate, and connect
- Why emotional intelligence is becoming the #1 leadership skill in a tech-driven world
- Practical ways to use technology without losing authenticity or humanity
- The Ubuntu framework applied to modern-day workplaces and AI
- How to lead teams with psychological safety during rapid digital transformation
- The future of storytelling and personal branding in an AI-powered era
- How human connection fuels innovation, engagement, and long-term retention
- Strategies for building a high-trust culture in hybrid or virtual environments

Reinventing Supply Chain Execution with AI Agents and Autonomous Workflows
Srinivasan Narayanan | Milwaukee Tool
1:30-2:00 | Main Stage
Supply chains are entering a new era where AI Agents and autonomous workflows are no longer experimental concepts they are becoming essential to how modern operations run. AI Agents can interpret real-time data, reason through multi-step processes, collaborate across teams, and trigger system actions with speed and accuracy that traditional automation cannot match.
This session explores how AI-driven agents are transforming supply-chain execution across planning, fulfillment, maintenance, logistics, and compliance. Using real enterprise examples inspired by next-generation workflow frameworks, we will examine how AI Agents screen outbound shipments, automate fulfillment steps, interpret planning notes and exceptions, and build or record maintenance work orders with minimal human intervention.
Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how embedded AI, dynamic grounding, governance, and human-in-the-loop controls make these autonomous workflows secure, explainable, and ready for large-scale deployment. The session will close with a roadmap showing how organizations can begin using AI Agents today and scale toward a truly autonomous supply chain.
Topics of Discussion
- Learn how AI Agents streamline supply-chain execution by reasoning, collaborating, and performing multi-step tasks autonomously.
- See real examples of high-value workflows, including fulfillment processing, outbound compliance screening, planning exception resolution, and automated maintenance work-order creation.
- Understand how AI-powered workflows reduce manual effort, accelerate cycle time, and improve decision consistency across the supply chain.
- Gain insight into the architecture behind autonomous workflows: embedded AI, dynamic grounding, secure access, governance, and human-in-the-loop review.
- Walk away with a practical roadmap to adopt AI Agents today and scale toward an autonomous, self-optimizing supply chain.

Reinventing Supply Chain Execution with AI Agents and Autonomous Workflows
Clinton Walker | Pragmatyq
2:00-2:30 | Main Stage
Living in a world where the future lead us down the path of using less brain power & more reliance(swapping our brain for machine power) on the IoT or the autonomous ‘things’; it is important to acknowledge that trust is handed off to the unknown entity with limited control and limited security.
Topics of Discussion
- Highlight how IoTs is shaping the futures of society and the way we work
- Explore the good, the why and how
- Assessing the risks/security, compliance challenges
- Explore the commoditisation of human intelligence for the unknown IoTs
Space is moving from science fiction to real-world innovation. In 2026, further developments in commercial space travel and next-generation satellite networks are set to open new doors to possibilities few have imagined.
Join Rob Lauer as he sits down with Tiffani Neilson for a fireside chat from the United Spaceports hangar to explore the emerging trends shaping the future of space tourism and satellite communications.
Topics of Discussion
- The Rise of Space Tourism – What’s next for commercial travel, pilot programs, and passenger experiences.
- Next-Generation Satellite Networks – How advanced satellites are improving global connectivity and communication.
- Challenges & Regulations – Navigating safety standards, international rules, and operational risks in an emerging industry.
- The Future of Space Commerce – How private spaceports, orbital services, and tech innovation will shape the next frontier.
- Opportunities for Investors – Identifying high-growth areas in space infrastructure, tourism, and communications technology.

Driving ROI Through AI & GenAI Enablement
Fatima Baz | AI/GenAI Subject Matter Expert
3:00-3:30 | Main Stage
We’re moving beyond ‘just generative AI’ : and that shift is much bigger than most people realize. Agentic AI moves value creation from isolated productivity gains to measurable cost reduction, speed, and scalability by owning entire workflows end to end. The real ROI for enterprises will come from redesigning how work is done, not from layering generative AI on top of existing processes.
Topics of Discussion
- Anchor AI to Value Pools
- Start from business outcomes (revenue growth, cost reduction, risk mitigation), not technology and Prioritize use cases with measurable P&L impact and clear owners
- Target High-Impact Use Cases
- Automate knowledge-intensive work (e.g., content generation, analysis, reporting)
- Redesign End-to-End Processes
- Embed GenAI into workflows rather than layering it on top
- Build a Strong Data Foundation
- Ensure access to high-quality data
- Address data privacy, security, and IP risks upfront
- Adopt a Product-Oriented Delivery Model
- Rapidly prototype, test, and scale via agile test-and-learn cycles
- Enable the Workforce at Scale
- Upskill employees on “AI-first” ways of working (prompting, validation, orchestration)
- Establish Responsible and Secure AI by Design
- Implement guardrails for accuracy, bias, explainability, and compliance
- Track ROI Relentlessly
- Define KPIs and measure through Business Review Processes



