AI is progressing from idea to reality, and from development into production. But with this comes the need to understand how to make that jump. Across every industry, executive leaders are being asked to move AI projects faster and deliver measurable results at a scale never seen before. At the same time, many are repurposing data architecture that was designed for analytics workloads.
Fragmented data and legacy infrastructure often struggle to keep up with growing workloads. Meanwhile, as AI scales, data governance becomes even more important, particularly when considering Agentic AI initiatives. The need to move beyond theory into production is real, as is the need to understand how to repurpose disparate data sources to provide the context and data that AI needs to succeed.
AI & Datanova is designed for leaders working with AI
That is why we are launching AI & Datanova 2026 for leaders navigating the changing landscape of AI implementation. This two-day executive experience in Miami Beach is designed to address the real constraint behind AI adoption, the need for a data foundation capable of accessing all of an organization’s contextual data to make AI actually useful in the real world.
Let’s look at 3 of the topics covered.
1) Exploring the hidden realities of AI in production environments
Senior leaders today are no longer debating whether to adopt AI. Instead, they are asking how to unlock more value from data without increasing risk or cost, and how to actually operationalize the process. They want to move from insight to action faster and deploy AI without requiring data migration or losing control.
At the core of this is another shift, from static Business Intelligence (BI) tools to dynamic, conversational AI interfaces. In many organizations, dashboards are sufficient for routine reporting. But they do not meet the demands of ad hoc analysis and exploration or agent-driven workflows. AI fills that gap, providing a more human, interactive experience than traditional dashboards.
2) Strategies to ensure that AI has the access and governance it needs
The question of data access is foundational to AI, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to achieve. To succeed, leaders need to determine how to unlock data value without increasing risk. At the event, we will focus on practical strategies for querying and accessing data where it lives, across cloud platforms or on-premises. We will also discuss how to balance performance with controllable costs using data federation.
In regulated industries, whether finance, healthcare, insurance, or the public sector, data governance cannot be an afterthought. It must be embedded into the architecture itself. We will explore how to maintain trust through governance applied at the point of access.
3) Strategies for deploying and scaling enterprise AI
The most urgent question many leaders face is how to deploy AI in a way that actually works for their organizations. At AI & Datanova, we will explore how enterprises can democratize insight through governed and consumable data products. This includes evolving beyond static dashboards toward conversational analytics, using tools like Starburst’s AIDA.
Success requires integrating models and agents into enterprise workflows with confidence. When deployed effectively, AI does not require starting over from scratch. Instead, it requires strengthening the infrastructure that sits underneath the models to be able to provide the context and certainty needed to actually operate effectively. That doens’t happen automatically. It requires technology and strategies that take into account the real context of your business and the operations within it.
Starburst provides an unparalleled executive experience
At Starburst, we are proud of our long tradition of AI & Datanova events. AI & Datanova 2026 will take place at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. Over two days, senior leaders will hear directly from global data executives and collaborate with peers facing similar scaling challenges.
It will provide a forum for candid discussion about what it actually takes to make enterprise AI operational and sustainable. Attendees will leave with a clear framework to evaluate their current data foundation and a practical path to balance performance and cost.
Starburst and the foundations of AI data
We believe that AI does not fail because of insufficient models. Instead, it fails because the foundations of contextual data that make it useful are flawed. AI & Datanova 2026 is about getting that data foundation right for your organization and finding strategies to turn generic AI models into contextually aware AI workflows that deliver real-world value.
We look forward to hosting you in Miami.
Register to join us at AI & Datanova 2026
