AI Flagship Conference
Our flagship AI conference experience brings together professionals, students, and leaders to translate emerging AI ideas into practical skills, clearer career direction, and real execution.
Why Attend Horizons
Welcome to LISUG Horizons 2026, our flagship AI conference experience built for professionals, students, leaders, and innovators who want to move from curiosity to confidence in an AI-driven world. This year's theme, From Code to Career: Thriving in an AI World, focuses on practical insight, career impact, and real-world strategies you can apply immediately.
Our featured sessions begin with Arup Das and a deep dive into Inference-First Agentic AI, including efficient token pipelines for long-horizon work, context engineering, token budgets, model routing, and observability patterns needed for reliable enterprise execution.
David Birdwell brings a direct, no-spin view of how AI will impact jobs over the next 24 months, unpacking where disruption is already underway, which roles are most exposed, and which capabilities are becoming strategically essential. His session connects workforce reality to action, showing how organizations can update hiring and talent strategy now so they can lead through the shift instead of falling behind.
Jesse Gorzinski's Agentic AI Revolution for IBM i session translates strategy into execution, showing how MCP, BOB, and i Assist can power end-to-end agentic workflows for operations and systems management. From faster diagnostics to consistent automation playbooks, his session focuses on pragmatic implementation patterns teams can adopt right away.
The evening continues with student innovation spotlights, a career-focused AI panel, and Aaron's live demo on preserving institutional knowledge with AI coding agents that analyze existing applications, generate documentation, and accelerate ongoing enhancement.
If you want to understand where AI is going and how to turn that momentum into career growth and real execution, Horizons 2026 is where strategy, community, and action come together. Join us, connect with the LISUG community, and register today to secure your place.
Program Experience
Every block is designed to move attendees from AI awareness to real execution and career momentum.
Event Timing Coming Soon
2:00 PM - 2:10 PM
Welcome remarks that set the direction for Horizons 2026 and the evening's AI-focused program.
2:10 PM - 2:45 PM
Practical strategies for building inference-first agentic AI with efficient token pipelines and strong context management.
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
The conversation about AI and jobs is no longer theoretical. David delivers a direct, no-spin briefing on how AI is moving from support tooling into systems that automate, augment, and in some cases replace categories of work. He maps which roles are most vulnerable, which are rising in strategic value, and how hiring priorities and team structures are already shifting. You will leave with practical guidance to reposition your organization and your own career to capitalize on this transition rather than react to it.
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Jesse shows what the agentic AI shift looks like in real IBM i environments. Using MCP, BOB, and i Assist, he walks through practical workflows where AI agents can observe system state, coordinate tools, and execute repeatable operational playbooks for diagnostics, automation, and modernization support. You will leave with patterns your team can apply immediately to reduce manual effort and improve operational consistency.
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Short break to recharge and connect before student presentations.
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM
Penn College challenge winners present practical AI and IBM Power projects in concise showcase talks.
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Dedicated networking with speakers, peers, and community leaders.
6:15 PM - 7:00 PM
Panel discussion on workforce shifts, opportunity areas, and practical strategies for adapting to AI.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dinner service paired with quick vendor rounds featuring tools and implementation ideas.
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Live demo showing how AI agents can document legacy systems and accelerate ongoing enhancement work.
Understand which roles are most vulnerable, which are increasing in strategic importance, and how to adapt hiring, team design, and career positioning before traditional talent playbooks become obsolete.
See how agentic AI patterns can be applied to IBM i systems using tools like MCP, BOB, and i Assist to improve operational efficiency, system management, and modernization without disrupting core business workflows.
Understand how AI coding agents can analyze legacy applications, generate living documentation, and use that context to help teams continue enhancing systems as experienced team members retire or transition.
Learn why larger context windows alone are not enough, and how retrieval-first patterns, compact state summaries, and structured case files keep agentic systems grounded, accurate, and cost-efficient.
Build practical strategies for token budgeting, caching, KV-cache usage, and task-based model routing so long-horizon workflows remain performant under real enterprise load.
Track the metrics that matter, including token usage, tool-call rates, and tail latency, to continuously improve quality, speed, and cost across multi-step agentic processes.
Featured Speakers
Learn directly from experts shaping the future of AI strategy, delivery, and career transformation.
STSM & Senior Business Architect • IBM
Jesse Gorzinski, a Senior Technical Staff Member and Senior Business Architect at IBM, has built a distinguished career over 17 years, focusing on open source software and AI solutions for the IBM i platform. H...
Chief Architect • Eradani
Aaron Magid, Chief Architect at Eradani, has over a decade of experience in software development and technology. He specializes in modernizing legacy systems like IBM i/AS400 using Python, Node.js, and Javascri...
Senior Director of Data Service & AI • Jackson Lewis P.C.
Arup Das is Senior Director of Data Service & AI at Jackson Lewis P.C., where he leads the firm's data and AI strategy and brings 20+ years of AI and machine-learning experience, including shaping strategies fo...
National Vice President • Soni
David Birdwell is the National Vice President of Soni, where he leads national growth and strategy across 10 markets in the United States. A veteran of the technology recruiting industry, David began his career...
Registration
Join us for an evening of practical AI insight, career-focused discussions, live demos, and community connection. Seats are limited for this flagship experience, so secure your place today and be part of the conversation shaping what comes next.