AI Leadership Summit 2026

10/27/2026 7:30:00 AM
International Convention Centre Sydney

The AI Leadership Summit is the most influential AI event of the year designed for leaders and organised by CEDA and the National AI Centre. It connects executives, decision makers and thought leaders from across business, government and academia.

This year, for the fourth annual summit, we will gather in Sydney and host a full program featuring 50+ domestic and international speakers, thematic breakouts, and optional in-depth workshops on day two of the program. 


Day One – Tuesday 27 October 
Full Day Summit

Key plenary and breakout themes for discussion include:

  • Australia’s AI ambition

  • Leadership, governance and regulation

  • AI as a productivity driver

  • AI technology and infrastructure

  • AI education, skills and work transition

  • AI sovereignty and national security

  • AI and the social compact

  • SME / Founder / Regional stream – AI adoption


Kindly note

  • Registration for the AI Leadership Summit 2026 only covers day 1 of the 2 day event program.


Day Two – Wednesday 28 October

AI Explorer Workshops 

Day 2 features a curated list of AI Explorer Workshops, providing an in-depth exploration of specific topics; includes a stream for SMEs / Regional.

 

Governing autonomy: Responsible adoption of agentic AI in practice

9.45am - 11.45am

Hosted by EY

Facilitated by Gradient Institute

  • Artificial intelligence is shifting from systems that generate content and recommendations to systems that act. Agentic AI can plan, use tools, and carry out multi-step tasks with limited human involvement, and this changes the nature of the risks organisations need to manage. This practical masterclass, designed for senior leaders and decision-makers, offers a clear and technically grounded view of what changes when AI moves from advising to acting with autonomy. Drawing on Gradient Institute's frontier research into the behaviour and governance of multi-agent systems, we examine how agentic AI systems work, where they fail in genuinely new ways, and what safer and more responsible deployment involves. No prior technical knowledge is required. The emphasis is on the practical mechanics of risk and control, giving you a structured basis for setting direction.

 

HTI’s AI Governance Operating Model: A practical, structured approach

9.45am - 11.45am

Hosted by IBM

Facilitated by Human Technology Institute, UTS

  • As organisations move beyond experimentation and start to scale their use of AI, they need a structured approach to governing it across the enterprise. HTI’s AI Governance Operating Model provides a practical framework for doing so, bringing together four interconnected components: strategy, governance structures, governance practices and governance enablers.
    In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the four components of the model, the challenges that can arise in applying them, and examples of leading practice drawn from HTI’s case studies and advisory work. Participants will then apply the model to a hypothetical case study, working through some of the practical choices and trade-offs involved in putting the model into practice.

 

Put Claude to work

9.45am - 11.45am

Hosted by Stone & Chalk

Facilitated by simplefy.ai

  • This is a build session rather than a demonstration. You bring a real task from your own work, and you leave with it built in Claude, saved, and ready to run again next week. Most people using AI at work are still typing one question at a time and starting from scratch each morning. The step that changes the return is turning a good answer into something repeatable that your team can run without you. We work in three streams, sales, operations and finance, so you build the thing you actually need rather than a worked example. We start with how Claude holds context, then you build, with us in the room to help. No technical background is required.

 

How best-in-class companies are driving AI transformation 

12.45pm - 2.45pm

Hosted by EY

Facilitated by Build Club

  • AI is moving quickly, but company-wide transformation is much harder than adopting a new tool. This workshop brings together what we’re seeing in San Francisco, real company use cases and case studies, the biggest lessons from AI rollouts, and where AI is heading next. The focus is practical: what leading companies are doing differently and what executives should be thinking about now.

 

Beyond the MVP: How to scale AI securely and deliver real business value

12.45pm - 2.45pm

Hosted by IBM

Facilitated by SMEC AI and ARM Hub

  • Most organisations can build an AI pilot. Far fewer can scale one successfully. This practical workshop explores what happens next, helping leaders move from experimentation to secure, enterprise-ready AI deployment.

 

Hit the ground running with Microsoft Copilot M365

12.45pm - 2.45pm

Hosted by Stone & Chalk

Facilitated by Lumify Group

  • This workshop is designed to help participants understand its capabilities, improve productivity and realise greater value from their Copilot investment.


Kindly note

  • The AI Explorer Workshops on day 2 are optional and separately ticketed events.

  • Workshop registrations will open shortly.


Sponsorship
PROFILE YOUR THOUGHT LEADERS AND ELEVATE YOUR BRAND THROUGH SPONSORSHIP.
Please reach out to your membership manager or email Fay Burstin at fay.burstin@ceda.com.au for more information on the available sponsorship opportunities.

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This event aligns with: Goal 1 - Productivity, investment + innovation

LEARN MORE ABOUT PROGRESS 2050

Hear from a compelling line-up of thought leaders.

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