AI Expo 2026 Day 1: Governance and data readiness enable the agentic enterprise

While the prospect of AI acting as a digital co-worker dominated the day one agenda at the co-located AI & Big Data Expo and Intelligent Automation Conference, the technical sessions focused on the infrastructure to make it work.

A primary topic on the exhibition floor was the progression from passive automation to “agentic” systems. These tools reason, plan, and execute tasks rather than following rigid scripts. Amal Makwana from Citi detailed how these systems act across enterprise workflows. This capability separates them from earlier robotic process automation (RPA).

Scott Ivell and Ire Adewolu of DeepL described this development as closing the “automation gap”. They argued that agentic AI functions as a digital co-worker rather than a simple tool. Real value is unlocked by reducing the distance between intent and execution. Brian Halpin from SS&C Blue Prism noted that organisations typically must master standard automation before they can deploy agentic AI.

This change requires governance frameworks capable of handling non-deterministic outcomes. Steve Holyer of Informatica, alongside speakers from MuleSoft and Salesforce, ...