CDAO Fall Summit Confronts Enterprise AI Scaling Hurdles

The CDAO Fall conference, co-located with the CAIO Fall event, is scheduled for October 26–27, 2026, at the Renaissance Boston Seaport District. This gathering aims to address the shifting landscape of enterprise artificial intelligence, moving past initial experimentation to tackle hard operational questions. Attendees will include senior data, analytics, and AI leaders from prominent organizations such as Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, the United States Air Force, Capital One, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, and Comcast.

A primary focus of the event is transitioning AI projects from pilot phases to measurable business outcomes. Ash Dhupar, the Chief AI and Data Officer at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, will discuss how to prevent projects from stalling in early experimental phases. Other sessions, such as one featuring leaders from Johnson & Johnson, Dakota, Omnicom Media, and Sensata, will address the critical role of data engineering and quality. Additionally, Manajit Barman, Chief Data Officer for the United States Air Force, will discuss long-term architectural decisions shaping the next five years of enterprise technology.

The rise of agentic AI, where systems take autonomous action rather than just offering recommendations, introduces new governance hurdles. Panels featuring representatives from Walmart Global Tech, The Hartford, and MassMutual will explore how to oversee systems that operate faster than human intervention. To address the regulatory landscape, Colleen Tartow of Capital One and Chandrakanth Thadkapally of Walmart will discuss building resilient governance frameworks that do not stifle business velocity.

Finally, the summit will highlight the evolving relationship between Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs) and Chief AI Officers (CAIOs). Speakers including Adem Albayrak of Alzheon, Sanjay Sidhwani of Valley Bank, and Jillian Landi of Needham Bank will discuss how these two leadership roles must collaborate to align data foundations with AI strategy. The event will also feature participants from NYC Health + Hospitals, Mass General Brigham Healthcare, Prudential Financial, Travelers, Citi, New York Life, The Cigna Group, and MetLife.