AI governance authors to speak at Las Vegas conference

The AI Governance World Conference will bring more than 50 speakers to Las Vegas Oct. 12-14, 2026, with the authors of The AI Governance Playbook set to present on how Information Governance can shape AI controls. The event is centered on agentic AI, compliance and practical governance frameworks for business and public-sector leaders.

Why it matters: - The conference is focused on how organizations can govern AI as agentic systems take on more autonomous work. - The event is positioned around practical controls for compliance, risk reduction and business outcomes. - The AI Governance Playbook argument could influence how companies structure AI oversight by borrowing from established Information Governance models instead of building new ones from scratch.

What happened: - The AI Governance World Conference is scheduled for Oct. 12-14, 2026, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. - The three-day conference will center on the theme “AI Governance at Work.” - Robert Smallwood and Chris Surdak, authors of The AI Governance Playbook: How to Secure, Control, and Optimize Artificial Intelligence Initiatives, will present sessions at the event. - The conference is hosted by the Certified Information Governance Officers Association. - More than 50 global speakers are listed, including leaders from OpenAI, Mars, Google, Cisco, DoorDash and the United States Space Force. - Speakers from Foley & Lardner, Clarion AI Partners, DLA Piper and Baker Hostetler are also on the program.

The details: - The playbook argues that AI Governance should use Information Governance principles, models and best practices rather than creating a separate governance structure. - The book says core functional groups in the Information Governance Reference Model should handle key responsibilities across the AI software lifecycle. - The sessions will cover mitigating algorithmic bias, operationalizing AI governance at scale and aligning compliance with innovation. - Conference topics also include agentic AI governance, the EU AI Act, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, healthcare, financial services, cybersecurity and defense. - The event will also address trust and transparency between enterprises, regulators and consumers. - Smallwood is the founder of InfoGov World Magazine and chair of the Certified Information Governance Officers Association. - Smallwood created the CIGO/AI and CIGO/AI-A curricula and certifications. - Smallwood has authored eight books on Information Governance, including Information Governance: Concepts, Strategies, and Best Practices. - Surdak is CEO and founder of ReLeaf Financial, a startup offering AI trust software. - Surdak’s background spans engineering spacecraft, digital transformation, data analytics, AI, cybersecurity and Information Governance. - Surdak’s books include Data Crush, Jerk: Twelve Steps to Rule the World and The Care and Feeding of Bots. - The playbook is published by Bloomsbury in 2026 and is aimed at managers, policymakers, attorneys and risk and governance professionals. - Surdak has patented Proof of Intent under U.S. Patent 12,505,416. - Proof of Intent is designed to bind human intent to machine actions through a legal and technical trust stack. - Surdak argues that the next major legal battleground is Human Authorization when autonomous AI agents execute transactions, sign workflows or transfer data. - Smallwood said agentic AI can greatly accelerate and improve business, but it can also ruin it. - Smallwood said organizations need clear accountability, ethical guardrails and sustainable governance programs. - Smallwood said organizations also need limits on agents and secure sandbox testing.

Between the lines: - The conference is trying to move AI governance away from abstract policy talk and toward operational controls that legal, compliance and technology teams can actually use. - The emphasis on Information Governance signals a belief that AI risk can be managed with existing enterprise governance structures, not a brand-new framework. - The Human Authorization framing suggests the next wave of AI disputes may center on who is responsible when autonomous systems act without direct human approval.

What's next: - Attendees will hear sessions from the authors and other speakers over the three-day conference in October. - The conference is expected to produce practical guidance on governance, compliance and risk management for organizations deploying AI. - The event may also help set the agenda for how enterprises think about agentic AI readiness heading into 2027.

The bottom line: - AI Governance World Conference is betting that the fastest path to safer AI is not a new rulebook, but stronger governance built on proven enterprise controls.