“The more AI we use, the more important people become.” 90 online Up2Date webinars to inspire and strengthen your activity and organisation in the technology industry

From 7 to 16 October, Agoria and Sirris will bring companies that want to stay sharp in a fast-changing market an extensive webinar series: Up2Date 2026. Under the banner Expert insights at your fingertips, you will gain concrete, practical insights to help you navigate four major transitions: the technological, human, regulatory and sustainable transition. How can these insights help make your company more resilient and productive? 

AI is accelerating. New regulations are following one another at pace. Customers expect more. Competitors are moving faster. At the same time, companies must continue to invest in talent, resilience, innovation, and sustainable growth. Staying up to date has therefore become essential. But where do you start? 

Last year, 1,700 professionals from 880 companies took part. Together, they attended more than 7,000 sessions. “You will not want to miss the 2026 edition,” say Herman Derache, Managing Director at Sirris, and Christophe Lebrun, Director Services at Agoria. “Especially because your expertise is becoming even more important in the age of AI. Have you heard of the AI paradox?”  
 

The more AI we use, the more important people become  

“The more processes we automate, and the more decisions AI takes, the more important human judgement becomes,” says Herman Derache. “That is the AI paradox. And it makes expertise extremely important.”

Christophe Lebrun recognises this across several sectors. “Look at aviation or nuclear energy. The more automated a cockpit, the more important the pilot becomes when something goes wrong,” he says. “Because things rarely do go wrong. But when they do, the consequences are greater.”

“But the impact of AI is not limited to technology. It also affects roles, competences, leadership, and the way work is organised. Which tasks will change? Which knowledge will become more important? What do teams need to prepare for? And how do you make sure technology strengthens people rather than replacing them?”

These questions and answers run like a common thread through Up2Date 2026. Companies that want to use AI intelligently must not forget to invest in the people who ask the right questions, assess risks, and take or review decisions. 
 

Physical AI gives you a head start 

The Managing Director of Sirris sees strong potential in AI adaptation. “Companies that really want to succeed use AI to strengthen their value proposition and adapt their products and business processes with AI. This is about AI adaptation, with AI embedded in the broader business strategy, not merely AI adoption, where companies mainly look for efficiency gains.”

For the concrete translation of this idea, both experts point to ‘physical AI’: the combination of artificial intelligence with the physical world of sensors, cameras, robots and more. Lebrun: “A camera or a piece of software on its own can be copied quickly. But if you combine both into a new business model, your strengths become harder to match.”

Two strong examples are Macq and Phoenix AI. Macq builds traffic cameras that recognise number plates. Derache: “Instead of simply selling a camera, Macq worked with Sirris to develop a service in which on-board intelligence makes the real difference. That makes the offering much harder to copy than pure software.”

Phoenix AI develops cameras with built-in artificial intelligence that can, for example, detect when ships are not moored correctly. “The intelligence sits inside the camera itself, not in a separate software layer. The software may be copied one day. But the combination with the hardware makes the product unique,” emphasises the Director Services at Agoria. 

“Many companies underestimate the impact new regulations have on their competitiveness today. Knowing what is coming becomes a strategic advantage.”
Christophe Lebrun, Director Services at Agoria 
 

New regulation can offer strategic advantage

Alongside technology and people, regulation plays an increasingly important role in companies’ strategic choices. Lebrun: “Many companies underestimate the impact new regulations have on their competitiveness today. Knowing what is coming becomes a strategic advantage.”

“We still see new rules on cybersecurity or sustainability too often as an administrative burden,” adds Derache. “Yet new obligations around cybersecurity, product safety, data, sustainability, reporting, energy, and the circular economy are increasingly determining access to certain markets. One important point is that these rules must apply to everyone, both inside and outside the EU. Our companies deserve a level playing field.” 

“New obligations around cybersecurity, product safety, data, sustainability, reporting, and the circular economy are increasingly determining access to certain markets.”
Herman Derache, Managing Director at Sirris 
 

Resilience goes beyond crisis management 

Resilience is also moving higher up the agenda, driven by geopolitical and economic shocks, rising energy costs, raw material scarcity, and vulnerable value chains.

Lebrun sees more and more companies willing to accept slightly lower efficiency in the short term if it makes them more robust in the long term. “Think of repairable products, circular business models, and actions that make companies less dependent on scarce materials. Today, this can sometimes seem more expensive or more complex, but tomorrow it can make all the difference.”

Resilience is therefore also about thinking ahead. How do you manage energy? How do you make products repairable or reusable? How do you build business models that remain solid when the rules of the game change, and new trade tariffs suddenly come into force? 

Challenges cross the boundaries of your own area of expertise 

All these challenges are also reflected in the Up2Date programme. The more than 90 sessions cover topics such as AI and digitalisation, cybersecurity, talent and skills, wellbeing at work, energy, sustainability, international trade, product development, technical regulation, and standardisation.

The offer is deliberately broad. “It encourages you to look beyond the boundaries of your own field and to motivate colleagues to follow sessions too,” say Derache and Lebrun. “Because these challenges rarely sit within one department or one theme. AI affects both IT and HR. Cybersecurity affects both technology and compliance. Sustainability affects production, finance, customers, and market access. Regulation affects strategy, processes, and innovation. The more widely your organisation embraces Up2Date, the richer the conversation afterwards.”

Derache’s final advice: “Follow at least one session outside your comfort zone. One hour is often enough to open up a new perspective. And that is where the real added value lies.”