All 2026 Conference Sessions

Gartner Opening Keynote: The Human Compass: Chart Your Course to an AI-Native Workplace

Speakers:

Max Goss, Sr Director Analyst

Erin Pierre, Sr Principal Analyst

1. Trust, not technology maturity, is the primary barrier to workplace AI adoption. Executive pressure and vendor hype accelerate deployment, but employees experience AI as something happening to them rather than with them, driving resistance and low adoption.
2. Three navigation waypoints center organizational strategy: trust, govern, and empower. Organizations must keep employees at the center by avoiding narrow focus on tools or vendor hype.
3. Governance must enable, not restrict. Intelligent, cross-functional, risk-based controls with guardrails replace hard restrictions, allowing AI agents to safely collaborate with humans under adaptive frameworks.

Related research: The Human Compass: Chart Your Course to an AI-Native Workplace

Gartner Keynote: "Lead With Impact: North Star DEX Leaders

Speakers:

Tori Paulman, VP Analyst  

Dan Wilson, VP Analyst

1. Over 80% of digital workplaces are stuck in low maturity, while CIOs expect transformational outcomes, creating an ambition impossible gap that demands decisive leadership.
2. An emerging class of north star digital employee experience (DEX) leaders stand out by anchoring on strategies in outcomes: clear value metrics, direct linkage to business results, and sustained executive and stakeholder commitment.
3. North star DEX leadership requires a mindset shift, structured listening strategy, broader stakeholder engagement and alignment, and outcome-focused value stories that tie DEX investments to measurable business impact.

Related research: Lead With Impact: Becoming a North Star DEX Leader