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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Monday, October 19, 2026

02:45 PM - 03:15 PM EDT

AI-Native Development: From Vibe Coding to Teams of Coding Agents
Mark O'Neill, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
AI-native development platforms range from vibe coding platforms to AI assistants, though to teams of AI coding agents. CIOs are excited about this technology because it improves developer productivity, enables innovation and holds the potential to replace off-the-shelf software with custom-built alternatives. ... Show More Show Less

02:45 PM - 03:05 PM EDT

Hype Cycle for Generative AI, 2026
Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Generative AI technologies and techniques are evolving at an unprecedented pace, accompanied by a significant hype, making it challenging for leaders to navigate this dynamic landscape. CIOs can leverage this Hype Cycle to identify the innovations worth pursuing as they shape and execute their AI strategies. ... Show More Show Less
Tuesday, October 20, 2026

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM EDT

Hype Cycle for AI in Manufacturing: Debunking the Hype
Mike Ramsey, VP, Team Manager, Gartner
AI in manufacturing is moving faster than organizations can invest, meaning CIOs are risk betting on the wrong capabilities at the wrong time. In this presentation, we’ll introduce Gartner’s new Hype Cycle for AI in manufacturing and detail what to deploy now, what to explore and what to avoid. ... Show More Show Less

04:45 PM - 05:15 PM EDT

Physical AI: Your Next Blue Ocean Opportunity in the New AI Era
Erick Brethenoux, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Physical AI refers to tangible AI systems that sense and act in the real world: where digital rubber meets the physical road, bringing intelligence out of software and into real-world environments. Bridging IT and OT through innovative AI capabilities, physical AI brings new business opportunities beyond asset-intensive industries. This session aims to guide CIOs in integrating off-the-shelf solutions into "repeatable engineered outcomes." ... Show More Show Less
Wednesday, October 21, 2026

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

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

How to Build Reliable AI Agents Out of Unreliable AI Parts?
Erick Brethenoux, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Reliability is the core challenge for AI agents. AI agents are systems whose components, such as LLMs, can be unreliable. This presentation will introduce CIOs to a set of principles and best practices to design AI agents with reliability as a key principle. ... Show More Show Less

02:15 PM - 02:45 PM EDT

4 AI Scenarios: Superpromising, Superintelligent, Superdisappointing or a Superdisaster?
Frank Buytendijk, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
What does the future of AI hold? Are we really moving towards Superintelligence? Is there another AI winter coming? What are the results of weaponization of AI? Or will the results stay mediocre? Scenarios help derisk strategic investments, build resiliency, and help to go beyond incremental improvement. Three things most organizations are desperately looking for. ... Show More Show Less
Thursday, October 22, 2026

03:15 PM - 03:45 PM EDT

Demystifying the AI Agent Ecosystem: A Strategic Playbook for CIOs
Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
AI agents promise to make AI more autonomous and goal oriented. CIOs should join this session as we discuss and understand the benefits, risks, use cases and the evolving technology ecosystem for AI agents to create a robust strategy for agentic AI. ... 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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