Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2026 Orlando: Day 1 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, taking place this week in Orlando, Florida. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference.

On Day 1 from the conference, we are highlighting the Gartner opening keynote presentation, the key areas CIOs and IT executives are focused on heading into 2027 and the top trends in data. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Says AI Risk is Rising Faster Than AI Value

Presented by Kristin Moyer and Daryl Plummer, VPs, Distinguished Analysts and Gartner Fellows

As AI becomes embedded across the enterprise, value is increasing, but risk is growing at a much faster rate. In the Opening Keynote, Daryl Plummer, VP, Distinguished Analyst and Gartner Fellow and Kristin Moyer, VP, Distinguished Analyst and Gartner Fellow, explained how CIOs and IT leaders can build an approach to drive good AI momentum while balancing value against compounding risk. 

• “Your need to build AI value is strong, but your ability to govern the risk is weak.”
• “The new CIO imperative is to align value with risk and align safety with governance. Without this alignment, AI will create risk faster than organizations can create value.”
• “Value and risk can’t be managed separately. They are interconnected outcomes that compound as AI adoption accelerates.”
• “Momentum accelerates outcomes, while drag slows outcomes. CIOs who outperform know how to create positive momentum and strategically introduce good drag, while reducing bad momentum and bad drag.”
• “The goal is not simply to move faster. It is to build momentum and apply the right drag so you can build more value safely.”

Learn more from the Gartner press release Gartner Says AI Risk is Rising Faster Than AI Value.

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with Daryl Plummer or Kristin Moyer by contacting Matt LoDolce at matt.lodolce@gartner.com.