We are bringing you the highlights from the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2025, taking place this week in Kochi, India. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of Day 1 of the conference. Some key announcements include the Gartner opening keynote on how CIOs must navigate the blinding hype surrounding AI readiness and the lagging progress of human readiness, discussing the future of automation, revealing the top strategic predictions for 2026 and exploring how to increase the board of directors confidence in cybersecurity. 

Key Announcements

1.  Gartner Opening Keynote: Walking The Golden Path to Value – Presented by Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner, and Galliopi Demetriou, VP Analyst, Gartner

To achieve the next level of value in AI, CIOs must navigate the blinding hype surrounding AI readiness and the lagging progress of human readiness. In the Gartner Opening Keynote, Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst and Galliopi Demetriou, VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed how CIOs can chart their own "golden path," navigating vendor choices, reimagining the workforce and redefining organizational identities to be agents of change.

Key Takeaways

• “Avoid the extremes of disbelief and hype regarding AI. Walk the Golden Path of AI readiness and human readiness to find, capture, and sustain AI value.”
• “Enterprises need a dedicated AI leader.”
• “Evaluate AI readiness and achieve sustainable AI value by managing hidden costs and navigating the rise of digital nation states.”
• “Build human readiness and capture AI value by developing critical skills and managing behavioral byproducts.”

• “Sustain AI value by preparing for the era of autonomous business.”

1. Future of Automation — Will AI Agents Replace My Bots? - Presented by Saikat Ray, VP Analyst, Gartner

Given the enormous interest in AI agents, many CIOs are questioning whether AI agents will truly disrupt robotic process automation (RPA) bots or if the excitement is simply hype. In this session, Saikat Ray, VP Analyst at Gartner, explored where AI agents can outperform traditional bots, where RPA remains most effective and what the future may hold for automation.

Key Takeaways

• “AI agents will not replace existing bots, but they will disrupt the automation landscape for organizations that are not prepared.”
• “Organizations should plan for a near-term future in which AI agents complement and enhance existing automation technologies.”
• “The capabilities of AI agents should be explored with a focus on high-value, lower-frequency use cases where traditional automation offers limited value.”
• “Bots and AI agents differ in functionality, autonomy and adaptability. Understanding these distinctions helps in choosing the right technology for specific applications.”
• “Organizations should pivot to orchestration which would be a key capability to ensure collaboration between bots, AI agents and human workforce.”

2. How to Increase Board Confidence in Cybersecurity - Presented by Kristin Moyer, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

Boards lack confidence in their own cybersecurity oversight abilities and those of their CEO. Lack of board confidence spells trouble for CIOs because it can amplify pressure for unrealistic results, lower investment appetite and ultimately reduce business resilience. In this session, Kristin Moyer, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed how CIOs can empower a confident, cyber resilient board.

Key Takeaways

• “Ninety percent of non-executive board directors lack confidence in cybersecurity value.”
• “The key to increase board confidence is by becoming a sense-maker. Sense-maker CIOs and CISOs have managed to earn their boards’ trust on “just right” levels of protection and cost.”
• “Fewer cybersecurity breaches won’t earn board trust—business alignment will.”
• “Being transparent about actual exposure levels and revealing uncomfortable truths builds board confidence.”

3. Signature Series: Gartner’s Top Strategic Predictions for 2026 and Beyond - Presented by Ganesh Ramamoorthy, Managing VP at Gartner

When it comes to predicting the future, CIOs can either embrace the opportunity to change or stand by as competition that takes the first mover advantage threatens their position. In this session, Ganesh Ramamoorthy, Managing VP at Gartner, unveiled the top predictions that CIOs can use as a call to action today to prepare for a soft-landing tomorrow.

Key Takeaways

• • Through 2026, atrophy of critical-thinking skills, due to GenAI use, will push 50% of global organizations to require “AI-free” skills assessments. “Treating AI like a wizard could set us back 10 years.” 
  • By 2027, 35% of countries will be locked into region-specific AI platforms using proprietary contextual data. “Employ model distillation as a tactic to reduce the impact of regional lock-in.”
  • By 2028, organizations that leverage multiagent AI for 80% of customer-facing business processes will dominate. “Design processes for AI agents, not humans.”

• By 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI agent intermediated, pushing over $15 trillion of B2B spend through AI agent exchanges. “Make products machine-readable to unlock new markets.”
• By the end of 2026, “death by AI” legal claims will exceed 2,000 due to insufficient AI risk guardrails. “Create contingency funds for damaging AI incidents.”

That’s a wrap on Day 1! You can view the complete agenda for the second day of the conference i.e. tomorrow here. If any session interests you and you would like to get more insights, you can reach out to us, and we can set up an interaction with the analyst.