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 follows with a focused look at AI’s impact on the jobs market, while Jesse Gorzinski explores practical agentic workflows for IBM i systems management using MCP, BOB, and i Assist.
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 Time
1:30 PM - 9:00 PM
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Arrival, registration, and early networking before the main Horizons 2026 program begins.
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
A practical session on inference-first agentic AI, showing how to design efficient token pipelines, manage context for long-horizon workflows, and scale reliable enterprise automation.
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
A clear look at how AI is changing roles, hiring expectations, and the skills professionals need next.
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
How agentic workflows with MCP, BOB, and i Assist can improve IBM i operations and systems management.
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.
9:00 PM - 9:15 PM
See you next time.
Learn how hiring trends, in-demand skills, and role expectations are changing in an AI-first economy, and how to position yourself for long-term career growth with practical, future-ready capabilities.
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...
AI Workforce Strategy Speaker • Industry Advisor
David Birdwell is a featured Horizons 2026 speaker focused on how AI is reshaping the jobs market for both organizations and individual professionals. His session examines the practical impact of AI on hiring p...
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...
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.