Gartner Data & Analytics Summit 2026 London: Day 2 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit, taking place this week in London, U.K. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. You can read the highlights from Day 1 here.

On Day 2 of the conference, we are exploring the future of data and analytics (D&A) governance, discussing steps to govern unstructured data, and examining how AI maturity can accelerate AI adoption and evolve D&A roles. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Says Lack of Semantics Causes Inaccurate AI Agents and Wasted Spending

Presented by Anurag Raj, Director Analyst, Gartner

Data and analytics (D&A) governance has historically lagged in innovating. We are at a tipping point where D&A governance can be a single point of failure for AI. To succeed, D&A leaders must evolve governance for the future while reinforcing proven practices. In this session, Anurag Raj, Director Analyst at Gartner, provided a forward-looking perspective on D&A governance, including governance of AI, by AI and for AI.

• “Data governance will be the single point of failure for organizations’ AI ambitions.”

• “The core principles of D&A governance (stewardship, decision rights, accountability) are as critical now as ever. As data environments become more complex, governance models must evolve from simple, distributed controls to sophisticated, adaptive frameworks.” 

• “The fundamentals of D&A governance (clarity, integrity, trust) don’t just remain; they become even more essential. It’s innovation in these fundamentals that enables organizations to scale and adapt.”

• There are five best practices organizations should follow to adapt D&A governance for the future:

  • Be explicitly business-outcome and risk driven

  • Scale adaptive governance of data and derived assets

  • Implement an integrated governance operating model

  • Ensure diversified and dynamic stewardship 

  • Implement technology-enforced behavioral controls

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Anurag Raj by contacting Laurence Goasduff at laurence.goasduff@gartner.com.

Presented by Mark Beyer, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

As AI shapes business decisions, making unstructured data AI-ready is a key governance priority. In this session, Mark Beyer, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, shared five steps to help data and analytics (D&A) leaders govern unstructured data.

• “Unstructured data, such as documents and multimedia files, accounts for 70% to 90% of organizational data.”

• “Unstructured data governance transforms messy, hard-to-use information into a reliable, accessible resource.”

• “When governing unstructured data, D&A leaders need to first prioritize unstructured data sources by identifying their business value and relevance to current and potential AI use cases.”

• “Implement a five-step approach to unstructured data governance:

  • Discovery and cataloging

  • Preprocessing and analysis

  • Tag and classification

  • Connect and share

  • Define and execute clear governance policies

• “By strategically governing unstructured data, organizations can transform it from an unknown entity into a core strategic asset, driving competitive differentiation.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Mark Beyer by contacting Laurence Goasduff at laurence.goasduff@garner.com.