All 2026 Conference Sessions

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ 2026 conference dives deep into key topics for CIOs — including agentic AI, AI governance, IT, cost optimization, emerging technologies and more — to help you address your organization’s mission-critical challenges.

2026 Conference Theme

Ignite Intelligence

AI is no longer a differentiator — it’s now part of the foundation. CIOs must take the artificial out of intelligence, combining human ingenuity with AI to unlock value, drive agility and navigate disruption. A human-centered approach is key to leading the intelligent enterprise. 

Explore our conference sessions below, all developed with this theme in mind.

Hear from a long-term Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo attendee on why he keeps coming back.
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Filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Gartner Conference Navigator.

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Monday, October 19, 2026

12:45 PM - 01:15 PM EDT

Process Orchestration and AI Agents - Aspirations and Reality
Marc Kerremans, VP Analyst, Gartner
Discover how integrating agent and workflow technologies can revolutionize your business. Unlock new levels of automation, adaptability and efficiency while reducing manual effort. Join this session to explore practical strategies and real-world value that can give your enterprise a powerful competitive edge. ... Show More Show Less
Tuesday, October 20, 2026

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

Decision Intelligence: Getting Value From AI Agents and Multiagent Systems
Erick Brethenoux, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
The AI operationalization phase is giving way to the next evolution of AI software based on composite AI and AI agents. AI agents need an enterprise view and a bigger picture to organize their collaborations. To build adaptable and resilient systems, organizations should explore this evolution — based on the decision intelligence discipline — to maximize the benefits brought by the AI agent wave. Join this session to learn more. ... Show More Show Less

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM EDT

Gartner Future Directions: Hype Cycle for Agentic AI 2026 (Inaugural Edition)
This session will introduce the innovation in AI agents and agentic AI using the inaugural Hype Cycle for Agentic AI. Show Less
Wednesday, October 21, 2026

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

Agents Aren’t Apps: Rethinking How IT Works for the AI Era
Enterprise IT has mastered the art of delivering applications, but AI agents operate on fundamentally different principles. This session exposes why traditional app-centric methods fall short for agents, and what CIOs must do to adapt. This session will examine organizational blind spots, share frameworks for agent-centric IT, and outline actionable steps for transforming your operating model. ... Show More Show Less

10:30 AM - 11:15 AM EDT

Ask the Analyst: Early Implementations and Opportunities for AI Agents in Banking
Jasleen Kaur Sindhu, VP Analyst, Gartner
We share insights on early implementations of AI agents in banking, including the risks and opportunities that pioneers have encountered and practical implications for all banking CIOs. Show Less

10:30 AM - 11:15 AM EDT

Ask the Analyst: Regain Control on "Coworking" AI Agents: Opportunities vs. Risk
Dan Wilson, VP Analyst, Gartner
The market for on-device or "coworking" agentic AI solutions is rapidly evolving with seemingly limitless potential. But few are directly comparable and all introduce significant risks if undiscovered and ungoverned. Join this session as we discuss how to explain similarities and differences, key risks to consider, the options that work with specific data sources and how to think about auditability and monitoring for these coworking agents. ... Show More Show Less

04:15 PM - 05:00 PM EDT

Ask the Analyst for Healthcare and Life Sciences : Agentic AI - Building Accelerators and Conquering the Hurdles
Michael Shanler, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Agentic AI is rapidly accelerating moving from automation towards autonomous intelligent workflows. But scaling requires more than isolated pilots - it demands foundations of governance, data, security and interoperability. This Ask the Expert session will explore how organizations are building accelerators and overcoming the cultural, technical, regulatory and operational hurdles that can slow ROI. ... Show More Show Less

04:15 PM - 04:45 PM EDT

Build vs. Buy AI Agents in Enterprise Applications
Tad Travis, VP Analyst, Gartner
46% of organizations believe that they can replace most of their applications with custom AI. This complicates the traditional perspective on build versus buy. Enterprise application vendors and AI platform vendors are in a race towards the same finish line but are starting from two different points. Join this session to learn the latest practices and recommendations. ... Show More Show Less
Thursday, October 22, 2026

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

Insurance Vision: Agentic Insurers Will Dominate the Market By 2028
Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Agentic insurers, who use agentic AI across the value chain and balance human-centric with autonomous processing, will achieve results beyond conservative competitors. Agentic AI accelerates transformation, overcomes industry challenges, and enables radical process reinvention. Building a roadmap to be agentic is difficult, most insurers are not fully prepared for this shift. This presentation identifies key elements of a successful agentic insurance strategy, providing CIOs guidance to make well-informed IT decisions. ... Show More Show Less

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“It really helps you get away from the operational things you’re doing every day, and think about what’s next.”

JR Williamson
Senior Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, Leidos

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