Cisco AI Summit 2026 Brings the World’s AI Power Brokers Together to Shape What Comes Next

Published: February 2026

Category: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to experimental tools or isolated pilot projects. It is rapidly becoming a foundational layer of modern business infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Cisco is hosting its AI Summit 2026 on 3 February, bringing together some of the most influential leaders in global technology to define how AI will scale, govern, and reshape industries in the years ahead.

The summit is positioned around a central idea: AI has moved beyond models and demos and into the systems that underpin economies. Networks, compute, data platforms, energy systems and security frameworks are now inseparable from how artificial intelligence functions in the real world. The strategic decisions made at this layer will determine who can deploy AI responsibly, securely, and at scale.

Cisco has designed the event to be both global and accessible. The summit will be live streamed without registration barriers, allowing executives, technologists and learners worldwide to participate in real time. This open format reflects the growing recognition that AI strategy is no longer limited to a small group of specialists but has become a leadership issue across every sector.

The speaker lineup underscores the breadth and seriousness of the discussion. Leaders from cloud computing, semiconductors, venture capital and enterprise software will explore how AI infrastructure is evolving, why compute and silicon remain critical bottlenecks, and how new models will influence markets, institutions and society.

The summit brings together a rare cross section of figures shaping the AI landscape, including Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz, Matt Garman of Amazon Web Services, Dr Fei Fei Li of World Labs, Lip Bu Tan of Intel, Amin Vahdat of Google, Mike Krieger of Anthropic, Kevin Weil of OpenAI, Dylan Field of Figma, Aaron Levie of Box, and senior advisers from Cisco spanning policy, people and international affairs.

For enterprises, one of the most urgent challenges is moving from experimentation to production. This means building AI systems that are observable, secure, and manageable at scale. Discussions at the summit are expected to focus on reducing operational complexity while maintaining control, resilience and governance across AI deployments.

The human dimension of AI adoption will also take centre stage. As organisations integrate AI into everyday workflows, leaders are grappling with workforce adaptation, ethical responsibility and cultural change. Speakers will address how AI can augment human capability without eroding accountability, trust or organisational values.

Economic implications will form another key pillar of the summit. As AI accelerates towards a trillion dollar economy, investors and venture capitalists will examine which business models are positioned to thrive and which risk being left behind as AI becomes more widely available.

Security and resilience remain unavoidable concerns. As AI systems proliferate, they introduce new threat surfaces that challenge traditional security thinking. Industry leaders will explore how organisations must rethink defence strategies to protect data integrity, operational reliability and system trust in an AI driven world.

In an era defined by rapid change and rising competition, the Cisco AI Summit aims to move the conversation beyond hype and towards execution. By convening leaders across technology, policy and business, the event seeks to clarify the

pathways that will define successful, responsible AI adoption well beyond 2026.

Author. Adigun Adedoye