Mainstage 2026 Themes

AI takes action, but leaders remain accountable.

The rise of artificial intelligence systems, particularly generative models, is shifting the focus of decision-making without eliminating accountability. Organisations must now address issues of traceability, explainability, and compliance, particularly in the context of European regulations such as the AI Act and the GDPR. The question is no longer simply what technology enables, but rather taking responsibility for the consequences of the decisions it automates. In this context, AI governance is becoming a strategic issue, at the intersection of technology, law, and business.

Every technological choice involves costs, risks, and long-term dependencies.

Technology decisions are no longer neutral. Choosing a cloud architecture, a SaaS solution, or an open-source model involves fundamental trade-offs between performance, cost, security, and vendor lock-in. Against a backdrop of increased budgetary pressure, organisations must adopt FinOps principles, control their TCO, and anticipate the long-term impacts of their choices. Technological leadership, therefore, involves prioritising, sometimes making sacrifices, and aligning IT decisions with measurable business objectives.

It comes down to the structure, the supporting systems, and the actual capacity for action.

Digital sovereignty is no longer an abstract or institutional concept. It manifests itself in concrete terms through infrastructure choices, data localisation, vendor selection, and organisations’ ability to maintain control over their critical systems. In an unstable geopolitical context, companies are increasingly incorporating these issues into their IT strategies, particularly to reduce their exposure to dependency risks and ensure their operational autonomy. Sovereignty is thus becoming a decision-making criterion on par with performance or cost.

Security, compliance, and governance are becoming the cornerstones.

Regulatory frameworks such as NIS2, DORA, and the GDPR are fundamentally transforming the way information systems are designed. Security, data management, and compliance can no longer be addressed as an afterthought in projects. They must be integrated from the design phase onward, in line with the principles of security by design and privacy by design. This shift is driving organisations to restructure their IT governance, strengthen their risk management frameworks, and align their architectures with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.

Data, platforms, and security determine true value.

The ability to generate value from data and AI depends directly on the quality of the technical foundations. Inadequate data governance, poorly structured architecture, or security vulnerabilities can derail even the most promising projects. Many initiatives today remain limited to testing phases due to a lack of maturity in these areas. Conversely, organisations that invest in solid foundations—scalable platforms, reliable data, and secure architectures—are the ones that succeed in scaling up and turning their projects into tangible results.

What matters is what holds up in production, under pressure, over time.

With the proliferation of talk about emerging technologies, a sense of weariness is setting in among decision-makers. Empty promises are no longer enough. What makes the difference are projects capable of functioning under real-world conditions, with constraints related to performance, security, and cost. Organisations now prioritise feedback, customer case studies, and performance metrics over empty promises. Technological credibility is built on the ability to demonstrate, not to project.

Cost, performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability must be balanced against one another.

IT system optimisation can no longer be viewed from a single perspective. Companies must now balance technical performance, cost control, energy consumption, and environmental impact. FinOps strategies, Green IT initiatives, and trade-offs related to resource optimisation are becoming key drivers. Efficiency is no longer measured solely in terms of performance, but in the ability to balance multiple—and sometimes conflicting—factors.

The ability to absorb shocks is becoming a competitive advantage.

In an environment marked by cyber threats, technical incidents, and geopolitical tensions, the resilience of information systems has become a key issue. Organisations must be able to anticipate, withstand, and quickly recover from disruptions. This requires robust architectures, business continuity plans, advanced cybersecurity strategies, and the ability to operate under degraded conditions. Resilience is no longer just an operational requirement, but a true differentiator.