Prerequisite: None
This session will include a moderated Q&A featuring questions from the live audience.
Quantitative TDWI research demonstrates that the transition from generative AI to agentic systems is the defining shift for enterprise technology in 2026. While 2025 was the year of the conversational assistant, organizations are now under executive pressure to move toward autonomous systems that can reason, plan, and execute complex business processes.
In this session, TDWI research fellow Donald Farmer will move beyond the hype to examine what can be learned from recent TDWI surveys with over 250 organizations. Farmer will explore the technical and organizational capabilities, from trusted data foundations to multi-agent orchestration, that practitioners tell us are required to achieve scalable impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Bridge the value gap: Learn why grounding AI in unified, company-controlled data is the primary driver of measurable ROI
- Master the AI stack: Identify the essential layers of the new architecture as it emerges, including semantic layers, vector infrastructure, and agent orchestration
- Implement governed autonomy: Understand how organizations are using "human-in-the-loop" mechanisms and rule-based execution to manage operational risk
- Shift from pilots to production: See the transition from reactive chatbots to task-oriented agents, which are capable of end-to-end process execution