TBW ADVISORS LLC

Tag: AI

Conference Whispers: Black Hat USA 2026
Las Vegas, NV August 1-6, 2026

Published: August 9, 2026 ID: TBW2226

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Enjoy the related Computer Talk Radio and Computer Talk Radio.

ABSTRACT

Black Hat USA 2026 brought 20,000 cybersecurity professionals to Las Vegas, where researchers, vendors, and practitioners examined the evolving risks introduced by agents, AI, and increasingly complex digital environments. The event held over 100 briefings, 125 tool demonstrations and 120 sponsored sessions. Discussions across sessions and exhibits touched on agent security, threat hunting, governance, infrastructure resilience, device vulnerabilities, fraud prevention, and professional development.

The Conference
- A community of 20,000 verified cybersecurity professionals gathered at Black Hat USA. Over 100 briefings, 115 tool demonstrations, 120 sponsored sessions and 425+ Exhibits and vendors gathered across the 6 days.
Cautions
- Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Sessions

We were given an advance preview of the talk, “Promptward EOD: Skillful Agent Detonation” by Zenity’s CTO and Co-Founder Michael Bargury. Just by visiting the wrong website you could be compromised. They specifically demonstrate how an agent can jump from viewing a web site to gaining control of your bank account. Now that is scary.

We were also provided an exclusive summary to the session, “Obscurize: Malware for Defense and Counter Offense”. As a response to recent malware, Aaron Beardslee, Manager of Threat Research at Securonix created Obscurize. Sitting above the EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response), it acts as an additional layer. Leveraging the malware’s own fingerprint, its psychology is studied and learned. This tool then makes a sandbox look like a bare metal system or a bare metal system look like a sandbox. This enables the hunter to trick the malware to kill itself or to run thinking it found the goods. The best part? Obscurize is free and publicly available for your to use during your threat hunting!

Exhibits

Fast track adoption of agents has organizations trying to keep up and stay safe. Sometimes in the chaos, the best laid plans go astray. Sometimes, guardrails are not enough. We have all read the horror stories of agents gone wild! Meet PointGuard AI the ultimate kill switch for agents. Avepoint aims to be your unifying trust layer for AI. Their focus is cloud security, safe data governance, and resiliency challenges across the AI stack.

If you are Fortune 2000 and concerned about tracking agents, Zenity was looking to meet you! Softbank and other clients leverage Zenity to understand what data is being touched by agents and what that intent of those agents are. Not only that it will steer agents into the correct direction to help keep them on track.

Mission critical infrastructure for sovereign AI that is private to you. Cogl provides a knowledge graph and enables threat hunting and investigation in a transparent and secure manner. As you might expect, this technology is leveraged in environments ranging from the Department of Defence to banking.

Focusing on the Security Operations Center, BlueVoyant brings what they like to call ‘holistic protections’. Their approach combines internal monitoring and ecosystem oversight. Traditional operating challenges are now assisted by AI driven agentic capabilities. The four risks they aim to mitigate include: data security and leakage, identity vulnerabilities, supply chain and vendor risks, and operational inefficiencies.

Threat hunting is the ultimate game of cat and mouse in cybersecurity. Securonix was on site to share their tool with fellow threat hunters. Whether you want your sandbox to trap the threat or to let it run to so you may study it’s behavior, Securonix provides both options. They even have their own threat hunting team that regularly leverages the tool as they assist the clients security their own environments.

One of our favorite areas is at the edge, connected devices and the Internet of Things – IoT. These devices span from connected vehicles to the simple fire alarms in your home. These devices often bring vulnerabilities. Due to the difficulty in updating their firmware, connected device firmware vulnerabilities become your environment’s weakest point and the point of failure. Finite State focuses on assisting companies reduce the noise as they test their products before shipping. This noise reduction enables their clients to find their vulnerabilities before they ship products to their customers.

Today, a wire money transfer is frequently still sent in plain text. Thus, it is not surprising it is a huge target of fraud. Introducing InoQlate! A Canadian non-profit providing a solution to your wire transfer security issues. Close that door to fraud and stop sending wire transfer information over plain text communication lines!

Seeking a boutique penetration firm? Meet the white hats from Black Hills Information security. They beg you to make their lives harder! They don’t want to succeed when they try to break into your infrastructure! Providing penetration testing, SOC operations, IR (incident response), and training. Perhaps the most unique thing coming out of Black Hills Information Security is their well known communication medium: Comics! Their security comic series titled, “The Future is ***” available at 750 comic book stores. Not only that, their wisdom is available via a game to make training even more approachable. The game Back Doors and Breaches boasts over 150,000 sales to date.

Finally, the ultimate organization for security professionals, ISC2 was in expo hall. Known as the largest professional organization for cyber security professionals, there is likely a chapter near you! Providing certifications, community and advice with the goal to the make the world a safer place.

Conference Vibe

Cybersecurity specialists gathered on the Las Vegas Strip for Black Hat 2026 and it did not disappoint. Over 20,000 verified attendees gathered for over 100 briefings, 115 tool demonstrations, 120 sponsored session and over 425 exhibits and vendors. You may recall last year we were the first ones given permission to video expo hall at Black Hat USA. This year, enjoy a first ever live Black Hat USA walkabout while expo hall its open. We once again live streamed from on site to share the experience. Be sure to catch coverage on my syndicated segment on the nationally broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.

While at Black Hat, we conducted research for 9 additional forthcoming Whisper Reports. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel first.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Black Hat USA 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be cited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending Black Hat USA live in Las Vegas?”.

Next Year’s Conference

The Black Hat USA will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Mandalay Bay on .

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.

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©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, Vegas Convention Library; Leading Professionals, Real Questions, Real Time, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
August 9, 2026
Conference Whispers: Ai4 2026
Las Vegas, NV August 4-6, 2026

Published: August 9, 2026 ID: TBW2216

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

ABSTRACT

“Ai4 2026 experiencing over 50% growth and welcomed more than 12,000 in the enterprise AI ecosystem to Las Vegas. Over 100 countries were represented amongst attendees and 400 exhibitors. Vendors, startups, and practitioners discussed what it takes to move artificial intelligence beyond experimentation. Conversations across the show floor touched on governance, deployment, security, agents, data accessibility, software delivery, and business process transformation as organizations continued evaluating paths toward large scale adoption.”

Enjoy the related Computer Talk Radio and Computer Talk Radio

The Conference
- A community of over 12,000 came together in Las Vegas for the 9^th annual Ai4 event. Attendance grew by over 50% at the 9^th annual event. Vendors grew from 250 in 2025 to 400 in 2026.
- Start-ups were also present growing from 25 last year to 66 this year.
Cautions
- Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Exhibits

It’s wonderful when an individual AI pilot works, maybe even delivers business value to a department. Getting that solution to deploy corporate wide is very different. Engineers that have worked in the largest organizations always smile when they see the demos and chuckle inside as looks great but what about at my scale. For those seeking industrialized AI delivery, ModelOp is a delivery engine meant to overcome frictions that occur during integration. It’s purpose is to enable those organizations to take the idea and realize it in production for the entire organization.

Governance was on the mind of many. Actualyze AI was founded by repeat founders who have spent their careers in large scale infrastructure and transformations. They focused their solution on protecting data, models routing, financial spend, and the type of infrastructure a technology requires to become part of enterprise IT.

For business work flows that make a difference, Evalueserve wants to remind you, don’t start with the technology to enable scale. Their organization focuses on business workflows that make a difference. They serve life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing and consumer good verticals. While many solutions leverage AI, many metrics such as cost and quality do not require AI. Never approximate when math can get you the precise answer.

One critical aspect of reliability is the infamous undo button or some method of recovery. There is rule in cybersecurity to assume when not if; as such one must prepare for how to recover when it goes wrong. It may be quite wise to adopt this stance in AI as well. Rubik is all about deploying agents – safely. They provide capabilities for agent monitoring, control, and something new – rewind agents. As one might suspect this includes the ability to back-up and recover from agent behavior. In their world, no agent permanently wiped out my database or the code we wrote – it can be recovered.

When you have a complex web of services, models, or agents. Understanding the complex web of dependencies is critical for operations with any type of reliability. The infamous Solar Winds incident let everyone know that the software supply chain and its dependencies are critical for security and stability. The solution turned out to be something in the industry referred to as SBOM for software bill of materials – expanding on the shipping term. Now Lineaje has thought of this problem and created a solution for AI and AI agents. Their solution provides dependency crawler, checks and suggests upgrades for compatibility and provides what they like to call security layer for agent builders.

Some environments are tougher than your average environment such as those that have required decentralization or compartmentalization of information such as government and military environments and related applications. Axonis was in expo hall to serve you. They also create a trail of decisions. Not about insights but rather save the final decision made by humans and AI. They like to think of it as a creating a feedback loop for audit and training models on past decision. They referred to it as metadata on data; we have shared this approach before. The hash of an image matched against the hash of what is in front of someone for authentication during our coverage of ISC West.

Not all AI solutions involve Large Language Models or LLMs. Modulate is a voice ai platform that provides all your common conversational understanding requirements for any conversational need. Like the advice provided in Whisper Report: Which spatial computing use case will scale fastest?, Modulate is growing through a pivot to APIs. By leveraging an architecture of highly specialized models, each trained for a narrowly defined purpose, a given application can combine them in a manner that fits its environment. Their architecture leverages these specialized models to monitor conversational tone and provide insight into intent, meaning, emotion, and context. Together they refer to their architecture as an ensemble listening model to understand and identify user behavior. This AI architectural approach of leveraging several specialized machine learning models is one that provides a high degree of success and has a long track record of enterprise results at scale.

If you have an enterprise software development team and are seeking an AI Powered DevSecOps Platform meet Digital AI. Their environment is specifically focused on regulated industries. They purported clients such as the Top 10 banks in N. America and Europe, and the top 5 Global airlines, top 4 N. American Insurance Companies. Their use of AI is very purposeful, is strictly to enhance delivery and planning capabilities to accelerate delivery.

Department strictly focused on marketing and customer data? Kana.ai marketing operating layer was designed for you. Kana provides an agentic End to end solution for marketing that moves to where the customer data’s resides offering a continuous agentic layer across marketing stack. The named elements of the marketing stack they service include: strategy planning, audience building, activation, and measurements such as MTA – multi-touch attribution and MMM Marketing Mix Modeling.

Two hurdles frequently stand in the way of AI’s success. On one hand, corporations may have their history locked up on physical books. On the other hand, organizations creating models need data to train and a controversial method of scanning physical books is involved. One reason for the controversy is that the organizations are breaking the spines to digitally scan them. Both hurdles can be solved by ARC document solutions. Another hurdle for capturing data, particularly notes are notes on the go. If find yourself want to take notes on the go or for when you are not in front of your computer, Ninja Concepts AI note takers offer you different options to fit your needs.

Conference Vibe

This enterprise AI gathering focused on adoption, implementation, governance and business outcomes. This wasn’t about the clouds and sizzle, more about show us real impact. Attendance shot up more than 50% from last year’s crowd of 8,000 to more than 12,000 attendees this year! Over 100 countries were represented and expo hall exploded from 250 exhibitors to 400! Due to their explosive growth there were some growing pains. The registration lines for some attendees was reported in excess of 90 minutes. Navigation was a bit tougher than usual as the convention put the show carpet over a large majority of the navigational booth numbers making finding vendors very very difficult. I had not witnessed this error at other events at that location previously. In addition, perhaps due to the explosive growth, the connectivity was exceptionally challenging at the same level or worse than CES. At that same time, the energy and excitement easily matched and dare I say, exceeded CES this year. At one point I recall literally realizing I could not feel my face from so much smiling. Enjoy the walkabout to and through expo hall. We always try to bring you fresh vendors in our coverage but you will recognize many brands in the walkabout from our coverage of other data related events such as the Informatica World, or our coverage of Put Data First.

We once again live streamed from on site to share the experience. Be sure to catch coverage on my syndicated segment on the nationally broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.

We conducted research for Six additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Ai4 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

The video will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Ai4 live in Las Vegas?”.

Next Year’s Conference

The Ai4 will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Venetian Expo on August 4-6, 2027.

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.

Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.

©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, Vegas Convention Library; Leading Professionals, Real Questions, Real Time, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
August 9, 2026
Conference Whispers: Licensing Expo 2026
Las Vegas, NV May 19- May 21

Published: May 24, 2026 ID: TBW2197

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Enjoy the related Computer Talk Radio broadcast.

ABSTRACT:

“Licensing Expo 2026 brought together enterprise visitors focused on brand licensing, IP management, and merchandising strategy as Las Vegas hosted global retail, media, and marketing conversations shaping how brands extend, protect, and monetize intellectual property through AI, partnerships, and fan-driven experiences in an increasingly digital, connected marketplace for future growth and competitive differentiation across industries.”

Conference
- Licensing Expo 2026 had over 410 companies exhibit at this year’s gathering. Over 130 of the exhibitors were experiencing their first ever Licensing Expo event.
- Over 12,500 industry professionals attended spanning retailers, manufacturers, brands, and marketers. Over 78 countries were represented among the 28% of global visitors.
Cautions
- Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
YouTube Fandom IRL

Movie theaters hosting YouTube Live streams and replays? Screeny is looking to help fans of the same channel get together and enjoy content together In Real Life (IRL). If you have ever wanted to meet new friends and enjoy some really amazingly popular influencer content, the answer might just be your closest movie theater!

Protect that Brand!

While many licensing products have been upgraded to include AI features, MyMediabox is an AI-first platform. Designed with AI in mind at the beginning, AI is not a clumsy bolt-on within the platform but carefully leveraged for results. These results come in the form of rapid feature expansion and operational efficiency for users. Product reviews and style compliance a burden? No more. Requiring advanced natural language search? In their AI-first world, you get efficient workflows.

If you simply need a US Agent to facilitate merchandise licensing partnerships, Creative Licensing Corporation is able to assist – globally. Working with an incredibly diverse portfolio, JRL Group was onsite with their 27 years’ experience. Featuring clients from famous motorsport brands, corporate brands, to educational brands, JRL Group is prepared to make the difference. If you view licensing as a strategic tool, LMCA would like to share their 40 years of experience with you. Their client-first strategy starts with the business needs. Those needs then turn into a strategic plan with tactical goals to execute against.

Are you a brand owner who needs help with copyrights and patents? Need help with licensing agents, and licensees who use the brands? Dependable Solutions has all your brand needs covered throughout the lifecycle of a brand. They can assist at the copyright and patent stage of branding. Likewise they have licensing agents who can represent the brand outbound and licensees that desire to use brands. In addition, they handle the end-to-end management of the brand approvals, distribution, royalty tracking, and forecasting.

Bringing 30 years’ experience, Octane5 describes their impact as licensing ecosystem wide. They serve the consumer, licensee and the licensor. In the management arena they cover the marketplace to contracts, approvals, royalties, and audits. No matter which direction, Octane5 believes they offer best in class in every direction.

Conference Vibe

Breaking all previous records, Licensing Expo 2026 had over 410 companies exhibit at this year’s gathering. Over 130 of the exhibitors were experiencing their first ever Licensing Expo event. The 12,500 industry professionals spanning retailers, manufacturers, brands, and marketers. Over 78% countries were represented among the 28% of global visitors. Interestingly over 49% of the visitors hold global decision-making power. Enjoy our video of getting to the exhibit and the walkabout in the event space. Given the complex licensing and the high value brands, we were not allowed to do an Expo Hall walkabout. The Mandalay Food Court for all to enjoy.

We once again live streamed from on site on Tuesday requesting assistance on your favorite videos for my syndicated segment on the May 25th nationally broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.

We conducted research for additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Licensing Expo 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Licensing Expo live in Las Vegas?”.

Next Year’s Conference
The Licensing Expo will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Mandalay Bay on May 25-27, 2027.

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.

Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Vegas Convention Library, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
May 24, 2026
Whisper Report: What’s the hardest problem in robotics no one solved?

Published to Whisper Club: April 21, 2026 ID: TBW2142

Published to Readers: April 21, 2026

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Enjoy the related Computer Talk Radio broadcast.

ABSTRACT

“This Whisper Report investigates what’s the hardest problem in robotics no one solved. It follows the technologists who reveal why extreme environments, continuous learning during operation, and the elusive quest for a universal foundational model still defy today’s best systems. The full story hints at breakthroughs but leaves the biggest twist ahead. Cited experts: Dr. Yuxin Zhang, Widemount Dynamics Tech Limited; Pai-Heng Hsiao, “Memorence “AI; Anson Yuen, Scanbotics.”

Analysis available only to clients at this time. Join the YouTube Whisper Club at the Whisper Club Level to get access to the video edition today.

Related playlists and Publication

Spatial Computing (XR)

1. Whisper Report: What XR tech will change enterprise workflows first?

2. Whisper Report: Which spatial computing use case will scale fastest?

3. Whisper Rerpot: What’s the killer XR use case no one sees coming?

Smart Home / IoT

4. Whisper Report: What’s the biggest IoT security blind spot today?

5. Whisper Report: What IoT innovation will redefine smart living in 2026?

6. Whisper Report: Which connected device will drive the next big shift?

Health Tech / Med AI

7. Whisper Report: What AI breakthrough will transform patient care next?

8. Whisper Report: Which health tech will cut costs without cutting quality?

9. Whisper Report: When will AI in health beat human diagnosis?

Robotics / Automation

10. Whisper Report: What robotics advance will reshape manufacturing first?

11. Whisper Report: Which automation trend will hit enterprise hardest?

12. Whisper Report: What’s the hardest problem in robotics no one solved?

13. Conference Whispers: CES 2026 – TBW ADVISORS LLC

14. Conference Whispers: Commercial UAV Expo 2025 – TBW ADVISORS LLC

Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Vegas Convention Library, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.

April 21, 2026
Whisper Report: What’s the next data breach our industry isn’t ready to handle?
Published to clients: January 6, 2026 ID: TBW2123

Published to Readers: January 7, 2026

Public: May 4, 2026

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

“This Whisper Report investigates the next data breach our industry isn’t ready to handle. It captures urgent insights from Put Data First revealing how emerging threats are reshaping risk landscapes. These include AI pipeline compromises, indirect prompt injections, company chat exfiltration, and deep fake-driven social engineering. Expert perspectives explain why traditional defenses fail. The report urges proactive strategies to secure data integrity across every stage of AI-driven operations before vulnerabilities escalate.”

Target Audience Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Data Officer, Chief Security Officer, Head of Data Strategy, Head of Information Security
- Director of Cybersecurity, Director of AI Operations, Director of Risk Management, Director Data Governance Manager, Enterprise Architect
- Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Cybersecurity Analyst, AI Operations Specialist, Risk Analyst, Cloud Security Engineer, Threat Intelligence Analyst
Key Takeaways:
- AI pipelines are vulnerable at every stage, requiring continuous protection of training data and outputs.
- Indirect prompt injections can manipulate AI agents through unvalidated web content, creating hidden security risks.
- Company AI chat data is a high-value target for exfiltration, exposing sensitive organizational insights.
- Deep fakes amplify social engineering attacks, eroding trust and enabling data breaches through deception.
What’s the next data breach our industry isn’t ready to handle?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the data and AI experts gathering at the Put Data First’s Inaugural event held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding the biggest AI risk no one in your organization is talking about as depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Prepare NOW for these Four Data Breaches

1.      AI Pipeline Compromise

Our first area to defend, was suggested by SafeBreach’s Hudney Piquant. “The AI pipeline I like to call it. It’s the pipeline of the data that you are the training data that you have and then your prompting that you’re doing and then the output like those three things I believe that that’s going to be the biggest breach that the adversaries will be looking at because if you’re able to really manipulate those things it’s going to affect the pipeline from a scalability perspective.” Hudney raises an important point that data needs to be always protected, every step of the way on its journey. For more research on how to protect data during execution see Industry Whispers: Public is Private -Confidential Computing in the Cloud.

2.      Indirect Prompt Injections

The next attack vector, brought by Mend.io’s Amit Chita, is subtle and exploits GenAI. “Indirect prompt injections. All the web contains websites. We take AI agents, we connect them to get information from these websites, but we don’t validate that it that this website doesn’t contain prompt injections within them. and they can manipulate our agents as they surf through the web. I think this is going to be one of the major issues that we’re going to deal with in the next coming weeks.” One may want to be careful where you let your agents roam!

3.      Company Chat Exfiltration

Our third attack vector is an insider and SaaS risk with significant exposure potential, highlighted by AnswerRocket’s Shanti Greene. “Exfiltrating company AI chats. So, the organizers like Open AI have done a good job of giving you a sandbox for your company to work within and they’re not training on your data. But being able to exfiltrate a company’s specific use and see what they’re prompting with could be interesting. There’s probably some interesting gold in that data.”

4.      Deep Fakes

Our final area of concern may not be a direct data breach but rather is a tool frequently leveraged to breach data and trust and is brought to us by The Agentic Manager’s Neil W. Smith. “The implications of deep fakes. We’re already used to AI being used for fishing expeditions, for extracting information from our databases. But what we don’t realize as humans is that we trust other humans to play by the rules more often than not. However, with deep fakes, both voice fakes, visual fakes, and context fakes, I think more and more humans are going to be fooled by the efficacy of deep fakes.” And the more humans that are fooled, the more systems can be compromised. Despite how widely discussed this topic is, deep fakes remain underestimated for their use in fraud and as a social engineering threat.

Related playlists and Publication
Corporate Headquarters

2884 Grand Helios Way

Henderson, NV 89052

©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Vegas Convention Library, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
January 6, 2026
Whisper Report: What tech blind spot will stall aftermarket innovation in 2026?
Published to clients: December 23 2025 ID: TBW2128

Published to Readers: December 24, 2025

Whisper Email Release: February 9, 2026

Public Editions: February 12, 2026

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

“Aftermarket innovation in 2026 faces three critical blind spots: workforce training lagging behind rapid tech adoption, supply chain visibility gaps impacting profitability, and misinterpretation of EV battery health undermining consumer trust. These challenges, identified through expert insights at AAPEX and SEMA 2025, demand proactive strategies to ensure sustainable growth and competitiveness in an evolving automotive landscape.”

Target Audience Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO)
- VP of Aftermarket Strategy, VP of EV Programs, Director of Training & Development
- Supply Chain Data Analyst, EV Battery Diagnostics Engineer, Aftermarket Product Manager
Key Takeaways
- Workforce training lags behind rapid tech adoption, creating operational inefficiencies and slowing aftermarket innovation.
- Supply chain visibility gaps threaten profitability, requiring cleaner data and faster delivery strategies to stay competitive.
- Misinterpretation of EV battery health erodes consumer trust, impacting resale value and aftermarket growth.
What tech blind spot will stall aftermarket innovation in 2026?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the experts from the automotive sector gathering at the Venetian Convention Center AND Caesars Forum AND the Las Vegas Convention Center for AAPEX & SEMA 2025. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding what tech blind spot will stall aftermarket innovation in 2026 as depicted in Figure 1.

1.      Training Can’t Keep Up

New innovation is great but only if you know how to use and apply it. The first challenge isn’t as much as the tech as the ability for the employees in the organizations to use the tech as shared by Texa’s Fabio Mazzon. “Up to speed with new technology and be try to be trained as much as possible and follow everything that is new in the automotive world.” Sometimes, the technology changes come faster than the teams are ready for. Keeping up to date with the current speed of innovation is a common challenge of many today. Be sure to schedule your inquiry with your TBW Advisors LLC’s analyst to ensure your roadmap is futureproofed and ready for all the new innovations coming your way. For additional research on training technologies available see Conference Whispers: HR Tech 2025.

2.      Supply Chain Stay in the Dark

One of the biggest challenges for those in the aftermarket industry is simply staying profitable with the greatest challenge being the supply chain. The tariffs alone have thrown global supply chain into a new environment. As Lynnco’s Andrew Yokiel emphasized, “Supply chain. Having greater data and visibility into everything from small parcel down to up to full truckload, LTL, and getting your product to your customers faster and having an idea where it is in the marketplace and having cleaner data to make business decisions to be profitable.” Profitability, much like having customers, is truly a key ingredient to staying in business.

For additional on data in supply chain and logistics see Whisper Report: What are the biggest challenges of using generative AI in Logistics and Whisper Report: Can generative AI prevent supply chain disruptions.

3.      Battery Health Misread

In order for the used and aftermarket to flourish, the value of those components or in adding those components should be commonly agreed upon and understood. Unfortunately, this is a challenge particularly in the EV market as Midtronics’ Lance Losinski emphasized. “Consumer understanding and credibility of the value say the health of a battery pack. That drives the market prices down because the understanding versus mileage on a gas car versus what’s the state of health battery and how long is it going to last and how do you repair these things, creates the biggest gap for a consumer to be able to trust and utilize the vehicle despite having lower service costs long term and things like that. I think that’ll be the biggest blocker in the near term.”

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©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
December 23, 2025
Industry Whispers: AI in Medicine: Promise or Peril?

oin us for “AI in Medicine: Promise or Peril?”—a candid discussion with leading experts on how artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare. From groundbreaking diagnostic tools to ethical dilemmas and patient safety concerns, we’ll explore whether AI is the ultimate game-changer or a ticking time bomb. Gain insights into what’s real, what’s hype, and what’s next for medical innovation. Don’t miss this chance to separate fact from fiction and prepare for the future of healthcare.

Research Code: TBW2129

Cannot make it live? Register and submit your question. The answer will be in the video on TBW Advisors’ YouTube Channel.

NO AI note takers allowed. Event copyrighted by TBW Advisors LLC All Rights Reserved.

BIOS

Doreen Galli, PhD MBA

Doreen Galli, PhD MBA is the Chief of Research at TBW Advisors LLC and regular contributor to Computer Talk Radio. She’s led significant and measurable changes as an executive at IBM, DPWN, Dell, ATT, and most recently Microsoft. Dr Galli was Chief Technology and Chief Privacy Officer in Azure’s MCIGET. Gartner recognized Dr. Galli as an expert in data ingestion, quality, governance, integration, management, and all forms and analytics including sensor data.

Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH

Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH is a physician, public health specialist, and internationally recognized expert in healthcare AI, clinical informatics, and digital transformation. Trained at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Chaiken previously worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, experience that informs his expertise in public health analytics, system-level strategy, and the design of resilient, data-driven healthcare systems.

A former Chairperson of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), he has served as a strategic advisor to healthcare IT companies, life sciences organizations, and health systems worldwide. Dr. Chaiken is the author of Future Healthcare 2050 and Navigating the Code, and is a leading keynote speaker on AI, trust, clinician workflow, and patient experience.

A two-time cancer survivor and 41-year rider in the Pan-Mass Challenge, Dr. Chaiken brings a unique perspective that connects clinical knowledge, policy insight, and human experience.

Susie Branagan BSN,RN

Susie Branagan is a highly experienced nurse and healthcare leader whose career spans 25 years of ICU, pediatric psychiatry, adult medical-surgical care, telemetry, perioperative services, and hospital leadership. She has served in roles from frontline clinician to Nurse Manager, gaining a deep understanding of patient care, caregiver well-being, and the operational realities that shape healthcare systems.

As the founder of Susie Branagan Consulting, Susie specializes in trauma-informed care, Just Culture principles, leadership development, communication strategies, and building safe, supportive care environments. She helps teams strengthen accountability, improve psychological safety, and respond to challenging situations with clarity, compassion, and evidence-based practice.

What sets Susie apart is that everything she teaches comes directly from real-life experience, not from textbooks or theory. Her coaching, trainings, and leadership support are grounded in decades of navigating complex cases, supporting distressed families, advocating for staff, and leading teams through high-pressure clinical moments.

Susie’s mission is to transform healthcare culture by empowering leaders and caregivers with practical, human-centered tools that create safer, stronger, more resilient organizations.

Chris Hutchins

Chris Hutchins is the Founder & CEO of Hutchins Data Strategy, a consultancy that helps healthcare organizations unlock the value of data, AI, and analytics with clarity, ethics, and measurable impact. A nationally recognized voice in healthcare transformation, Chris previously served as SVP and Chief Data & Analytics Officer at LifePoint Health, and prior to that, as Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated delivery network.

Over the past two decades, Chris has led enterprise-wide initiatives in self-service analytics, ambient AI, digital governance, and workforce enablement, always with a sharp focus on care equity, operational sustainability, and trust. His leadership is grounded in building practical, inclusive strategies that bring technologists, clinicians, and operators into shared alignment.

Chris is also the creator and host of The Signal Room, a podcast platform amplifying leadership, ethics, and innovation in health. He is a frequent contributor to CDO Magazine, HIMSS, and other national forums, where he advocates for AI adoption that augments human care, not replaces it.

Chris holds a deep belief that every data strategy is ultimately a human strategy, and that transformation only succeeds when it is designed with care at the center.

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other example products in the same category may have also been on display.

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©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.

December 5, 2025
Whisper Report: What’s the biggest AI risk in HR no one talks about?
Published to clients: November 28, 2025 ID: TBW2098

Published to Readers: December 1, 2025

Public Release Date: April 13, 2026

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

This Whisper Report reveals nine overlooked AI risks in HR—from loss of human connection and identity challenges to compliance, data quality, and black-box concerns. Insights from HRTech2025 experts stress the need for ethical design, integrated systems, and AI literacy to safeguard trust and organizational resilience.

Target Audience Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Chief People Officer (CPO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Data & Analytics Officer (CDAO)
- VP of HR Technology, VP of Talent Management, Director of HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems), Director of Data Privacy & Compliance
- HR Technology Manager, HRIS Analyst, Data Scientist (HR Analytics), AI Ethics Specialist
Key Takeaways
- Keep humans in HR: Overreliance on AI erodes trust and relationships—HR must preserve human touchpoints for employee engagement.
- Protect identity and ethics: AI adoption impacts employee identity; embed responsible AI design and ethical standards from the start.
- Secure and integrate systems: Data security lapses and fragmented AI tools increase risk—prioritize compliance and cohesive integration.
- Invest in AI literacy: Lack of training leads to misuse; HR teams need prompt engineering and clear goals for effective AI use.
What’s the biggest AI risk in HR no one talks about?

We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the human resource technology professionals gathering at HRTECH2025 held in Las Vegas. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding the biggest AI risk in HR no one talks about? Figure 1 displays the nine risks we will now discuss.

Figure 1. Nine Hidden AI risks in HR No One Talks About

1.      Loss of Human Connection & Trust

Human resources is all about managing the employees of an organization. It is one of the most critical relationships an organization has. Fountain’s Bastian Botella raises one very concerning risk. “It’s the loss of trust between employees and the company. AI is all over right anywhere from the hiring phase down to retention communication tools everywhere. Okay. At some point and I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later all employees will figure out that the human has been removed from all processes. Removed from interviews, removed from communication, removed from any touch points that they have with their employer.” BambooHR’s Paul Swenson is on the same page. “I see in HR is the over reliance on AI. HR is all about people, right? Like interacting with people and AI can sometimes pull you away from that. So HR needs to stay close to the people. Build relationships with the people that they work with in their companies. But sometimes I think an over reliance on AI can lead to people not doing as much of that which is really the bread and butter of what HR is good at and what they excel at. Right? So as we use AI we need to make sure that we’re you know remaining consistent with our relationships with the people at our companies and providing great employee experiences for our people.” In other words, let’s keeps the humans in humans resource management!

2.      Identity & Psychological Impact

HRTech2025’s opening keynote speaker, FranklinCovey Leadership’s Patrick Leddin observed, “a lot of people in the organization find a lot of value in the work they’re doing. It isn’t just about replacing a task and giving somebody a new task or saying this is going to be something that generative AI is going to do and you you’ll be able to do more analysis. It’s recognizing that people’s sense of self is often times connected to their work and if you take that away from them, how are you going to help them find their new identity?” Given that one of the first questions a stranger asks outside of your name is your profession, it is easy to understand how one’s profession is tied to one’s identity. What is a software engineer who no longer writes code but monitors the AI writing code?

3.      Identity Responsible AI & Design Standards

Our next risk came from Eightfold AI’s Michael Dunne. “Great concern that should be attention given to is responsible AI by design.” Many of the critical aspects of a solution need to be thought of from the very beginning. TBW Advisors LLC repeatedly reminds one that security, privacy, and accessibility cannot be an afterthought. Ethical AI is right in the center and a critical part of the predesign work. Michael continued, “You having this bloom of hype around AI and the possibilities. There’s a lot of excitement but one is always take into account then how was this system built from the start and so what I like to say is people should look at their providers and see has this been done by design which means have they done understandings about managing the data what’s called feature sets and how it goes in for recommendations also understand whether the right certifications have been done around data privacy data residency and controls around the use of AI. One is for developing applications being consumers of applications and the use of that data. And you’ll see that now with a number of standards that have come out a lot of people pay attention about the EU AI act. There’s also ISO 420001.” Thus the organization’s ethical stance on how to use the data and AI should be defined in conjunction with your security and privacy policies.

4.      Data Security & Compliance Risks

With AI comes a lot of data and information. Darwinbox’s Eli Kameron warns that, “people are sending their data all over the place without even thinking about security. This was a problem already with APIs and it is going to explode with agentic AI particularly folks using MCP protocol servers. So a lot of folks are not thinking about the risks and the compliance risks that they are exposing themselves to when they send data everywhere.” Just because it will take your data, doesn’t mean you should be sharing it with the application. Even lower tiered paid models do not provide the privacy expected by many enterprises.

5.      Fragmented & Siloed AI Systems

Risk number five comes to us from Benifex’s Joe Sears. “All these different AI agents out there with different functionality. But each of these companies has their own thing that they’re doing and we need to keep that message joined up and all of the different AI needs to talk to one another. If we can integrate our AI capabilities with the wider AI capabilities that are going on, then that’s going to be that best experience for the employee.” In other words, much like what we saw with commercial UAV’s in the enterprise, AI systems are popping up by function within organizations. Enterprises should take a cohesive desired solutions approach to achieve the best ROI with their AI investments. If AI and your data is becoming siloed in your organization, be sure to schedule your inquiry with your TBW Advisors LLC’s analyst. We can provide you guidance based on first hand experience that is sure to make the difference even is the work is outsourced.

6.      Liability & Legal Risk from Misuse

One concerning risk was highlighted by Paychex’s Nathan Shapiro. “Over reliance on AI and even furthermore folks outside HR trying to practice because lacking the expertise can lead to dangerous things. The democratization of AI and the proliferation is fantastic and is going to really change the way we work. But lacking that expertise can run you into some significant challenges and liability. Just think about asking AI for guidance on a termination scenario with an employee and lacking the expertise to know that their age is really critical for discrimination law. What jurisdiction is going to rule on that and the liability it could create?” As long as worker’s have rights and the AI isn’t training on the complexities and nuances of those rights, it may be best to keep seasoned professionals as the humans in the loop!

7.      Lack of AI Literacy & Training

A tool is only useful if it is used and used properly. As Attensi’s Joanna Akar denoted, a huge risk in, “AI is actually not having the knowledge on how to use it. If you don’t know how to prompt engineer or use AI or Gen AI or whatever type of AI you’re using within your day-to-day. If we fall

you risk not being able to follow the trend, not being able to be more efficient within the learning environment. So, it’s super important that HR people are trained in how to prompt AI or prompt engineering to make sure that they’re utilizing it in the best way possible to get the most return on investment that they can get out of their people.” Lollipop’s Jonathan Ferrell shared very similar concerns. “Lack of understanding on what AI is and what it isn’t. I think a lot of people recognize how quickly it’s able to solve immediate tasks and maybe make it feel like it’s a more complex task, but what really matters is what you’re trying to accomplish. And if you don’t know upfront what you’re trying to accomplish, you could really go in the wrong direction.” Thus to minimize this risk, start with the problem and learn how to communicate with the specific AI you are using for best results!

8.      Data Quality & Model Reliability

One Model’s Phil Schrader reports our next risk. “Data quality. The AI is going to be able to answer questions in new ways for organizations. But if you don’t have a quality data model to feed into it or quality reliable tools for it to use, it is going to generate noise, it is going to generate nonsense that actually moves you backward.” Or as previously highlighted in Whisper Report: What are the biggest challenges of Using Gen AI in Logistics?, you put garbage data in you get garbage out. Without quality data, it is not possible to get reliable answers.

9.      AI is a black box

The final risk should come as no surprise from anyone but is always important to remember. Aptia USA’s Jeff Williams reminds all, “AI is a black box the way it’s permeating everything we do on an everyday basis. And think about how little each of us really understand about what AI is, how it’s generating the answers it’s generating, and the advice it’s dispensing, and the actions that are being taken as a result. I think the fact that we are lumping AI together for things as simple as a chatbot and things as complex as fully generative large language models. I think kind of lumping all that together, calling it AI and expecting to solve all of our problems without really knowing what’s feeding it underneath, I think is a big un-discussed risk that we really need to address.” Clients will recall a similar warning arrived in Whisper Report: What’s the biggest Cybersecurity Myth in 2025? One of the biggest requirements to shine the light on the black boxes are logs. Let’s make 2026 the year all AI systems are required to provide immutable logs.

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©2019-2026 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, Whisper Club, Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Vegas Convention Library, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
November 28, 2025
Whisper Report: What’s one casino innovation you wish existed today?
Published to clients: November 20, 2025 ID: TBW2107

Published to Readers: November 21, 2025

Whisper Email Release:

Public Release Date:

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract:

“This Whisper Report explores the most desired casino innovations identified at G2E 2025. Industry experts highlighted two key areas: operational improvements for casinos—such as seamless system integration and cross-platform play—and enhanced player experiences through biometric authentication, personalized VIP services, and engagement strategies. These insights reveal opportunities for transformation and differentiation in gaming technology.”

Analysis available only to clients at this time. Join the YouTube Whisper Club at the Whisper Club Level to get access to the video edition today.

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©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
November 20, 2025
Conference Whispers: Put Data First 2025
Las Vegas, NV October 27- October 29

Published to clients: November 3, 2025 ID: TBW2121

Published to readers: November 4, 2025 am

Published to Email Whispers: November 4, 2025

Public with video edition: November 5, 2025

Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli

Abstract

Put Data First’s Inaugural event brought together a few hundred ranging from deep learning AI experts and data enthusiasts for in-depth, detailed conversations. Sponsoring vendors had demonstrations on-site to enable tangibility to their product capabilities. The event featured 23 round tables as opposed to keynotes and speakers providing an intellectually satisfying and successful networking experience for those involved.

Coverage on Computer Talk Radio

The Conference
- The inaugural Put Data First made an impressive splash featuring AI experts with a long-standing track record in deep learning. This led to deep and insightful conversations by all.
- Featuring 23 round tables, vendors at the show were prepared to show product demonstrations to attendees.
Cautions
- Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Conference Vibe

After 3,000 steps, 30 videos, over 30 minutes of content including demos and a livestream, and a handful of fact checks, our coverage of the inaugural Put Data First held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas closes. Registration was easy to find once inside the conference section of Planet Hollywood. Rather than endless keynote speakers, this event featured approximately 23 round tables. In addition, vendors had demonstrations so one could tangibly understand the products. What I enjoyed most was the fact that the event was full of those with deep expertise in deep learning leading to deep conversations about the state and future of various forms of AI in our enterprises and society at large. Enjoy the walkabout of the conference space.

We once again live streamed from on site. On Tuesday requesting those attending to find me to answer Questions 1-3, to introduce all to TBW Advisors LLC, and requesting assistance. Specifically, I requested assistance on your favorite videos for my segment on the November 14th broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.

While at Put Data First 2025, we conducted research for three additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available and will eventually fill in with the video version of the report so you may wish to bookmark these playlists.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Put Data First Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.

The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Question 4, “What’s the best part about attending the combination event live in Vegas?”

Vendors and Demos

As mentioned earlier, Put Data First vendors didn’t just show up, but showed up with demonstrations many of which we were able to capture. Kicking things off as many do with an Agentic Workshop for your leadership teams to get your organization on the right path. Led by established AI author, Neil W. Smith, his demonstrations were live conversations with those that attended and at the round tables.

Putting data first, we will start with Mend.io whose platform can secure you application data. The demonstration shows how they help organizations pull back the shadows hiding what AI platforms are being leveraged withing their organizations. The platform monitors vulnerabilities in agentic and generative systems and tests them to ensure resilience against both known and emerging threats.

If you are seeking to secure you environment, above and beyond and including the latest threats? SafeBreach shared the details of their breach and attack platform. During their demonstration, their shared how one could drill into the various aspects of the score to identify the exact weakness to address. Not only were automated updated possible, but one could simulate a red team or blue team against their environment.

Enjoying all the newest forms of AI and convinced you want your own enterprise agentic solution? Lucky for you AnswerRocket was their to answer your need. If you have never seen or thought of the enterprise use case for the power of agentic AI, do enjoy their demo of its power.

Finally, and perhaps the star of the show, are you tired of your generative models hallucinating? Interested in a fact-based model? Well established deep-learning expert Herb Roitblat, Ph.D. was there to share Reliath AI. The demonstration of his fact-based system quickly reveal the differences behind his straight forward concept. Answer based on building up from known facts. I look forward to watching how fast and far they can run and to discover where it shines most.

Either way, fact-based models will be a critical model type to leverage in solutions that must be relied upon. Experienced AI solution developers know it’s not about a single model. The product/end result is about how a combination of models, methods, and agents are orchestrated to deliver the desired customer experience and required business outcomes that matter most.

If you are embarking on any type of data journey, be sure to schedule your inquiry with your TBW Advisors LLC analysts. You can leverage our first-hand experience through-out your transformation and future proofing processes.

Next Year’s Conference

We do not have exact dates for Put Data First 2026 at the time of publication; however, it is scheduled to be mid-to-late July 2026 in Las Vegas.

^*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.

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©2019-2025 TBW Advisors LLC. All rights reserved. TBW, Technical Business Whispers, Fact-based research and Advisory, Conference Whispers, Industry Whispers, Email Whispers, The Answer is always in the Whispers, Whisper Reports, Whisper Studies, Whisper Ranking, The Answer is always in the Whispers, and One Change a Month, are trademarks or registered trademarks of TBW Advisors LLC. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without TBW’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of TBW’s research organization which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, TBW disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. TBW does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by the TBW Usage Policy. TBW research is produced independently by its research organization without influence or input from a third party. For further information, see Fact-based research publications on our website for more details.
November 3, 2025