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INSEAD AI Forum Americas debates AI’s impact across industry, careers and society

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FONTAINEBLEAU, France and SINGAPORE and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Every industry is now being asked the same question: not whether to adopt AI, but how to do so in a way that strengthens rather than hollows out the organisations and people building them. That question sat at the centre of INSEAD’s AI Forum Americas 2026, which brought together business leaders, scientists, founders and policymakers in San Francisco this week for two days of debate on how artificial intelligence is reshaping industry, work and society. 

Across keynotes, panels and workshops spanning healthcare, robotics, organisational design and the future of careers, a consistent thread emerged: AI’s promise is inseparable from the discipline of implementation. Capturing its value responsibly means building the right frameworks, exercising sharper judgment about what to automate and what to protect, and investing in the human partnerships that make transformation durable rather than disruptive. 

Day One: Launching the INSEAD Future Council 

Day one started with the official launch of the INSEAD Future Council. This new initiative looks to bring together a network of communities, including enterprises, start-ups, investors, global innovation corridors, think tanks and academics, to work alongside INSEAD.  

The Council aims to deliver practical value across five pillars, starting by giving industry access to INSEAD’s MBA and EMBA talent through student projects and hiring opportunities. It will also foster knowledge by bringing real-world challenges and data into academic research, and improve learning by designing education programmes around current priorities. The Council will also create a connected network between industry and INSEAD’s global alumni community, and generate impact through shared research and events. 

“The Council is a two-way partnership: INSEAD brings a global platform, faculty, talent and an alumni network, and Council members bring the strategic challenges we all face as we roll out AI at the fastest possible pace,” said Victoria Woo, Senior Director of the INSEAD San Francisco Hub of Business Innovation. 

Dean of Research & Innovation Lily Fang used the Forum as an opportunity to give more details on the launch of the INSEAD Human and Machine Intelligence Institute (HUMII), made possible by a five-year, 15-million-euro gift from an alum. HUMII’s mission is to research and teach how AI can amplify human intelligence and expand human agency rather than focus on the technology itself. HUMII’s five founding principles, Fang explained, are modelled on INSEAD’s own entrepreneurial roots – open and interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial and courageous, faculty-led and independent, focused on quality over hype, and deeply connected to the outside world – positioning the institute to earn further funding by proving its impact, much like a startup hitting milestones. 

“We have a very strong voice, perhaps increasingly needed by this world, to think about how this technology will impact human society and business,” Lily Fang, Dean of Research & Innovation and Academic Director of HUMII. 

Learning, innovation, organisational challenges and the real-world impact of AI were recurring themes throughout the forum. This included the day’s opening panel, which explored the growing impact of AI in healthcare with Marc Tessier-Lavigne, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Xaira Therapeutics. He explained how AI is reshaping how new medicines get discovered, from target identification to clinical trial design, and compressing timelines that used to take a decade into a fraction of the time. 

Josh Cohen of Apple University then took the stage to explain why companies need to consider a “4A” framework to better integrate AI into work. 

“The design idea is to avoid falling into either the language or the practice of knee-jerk automation, which does potentially great human damage. We avoid it by designing with a framework of alternatives in mind: automation when we can, augmentation when we can, addition when it’s needed, and avoidance when excessive reliance undermines learning or erodes relationships.” 

Day one also featured panels, organised by the INSEAD Future Council, focusing on the potential geopolitical tensions arising from AI development, and a session emphasising the value of diversity and emotional intelligence when it came to sparking innovation and entrepreneurship. Other sessions touched on the role of robots in the operating theatre, how much we should hand over to AI in the workplace, and why boards need to better understand AI to lead their organisations through this transformative moment. 

Day Two: From the Research Lab to the Factory Floor 

Day two opened with Yossi Matias, Vice President at Google and head of Google Research, who showed just how far AI has already reached into the real world, from satellites that spot wildfires before they spread, to LearnLM and NotebookLM tools built to support teachers rather than replace them, to MedGemma, an open-source medical model already downloaded millions of times. Matias’s own team is even putting AI to work as a co-scientist, generating hypotheses and combing research literature across disciplines. 

The sessions that followed dug into what it actually takes to make AI work inside an organisation, from building AI-ready teams and rethinking incentive structures, to the operational realities of agentic AI, physical AI and robotics on the factory floor and city streets, to hard data on how automation is reshaping careers and long-term earning potential. 

The day closed with a keynote talk from Vivienne Ming, Chief Scientist at Possibility Sciences and author of the new book Robot Proof: When Machines Have All the Answers, Build Better People. She argued that AI’s real power lies not in giving us answers but in pushing us to think harder.  

“Challenging people makes them better. Invest in better people by investing in technology that challenges us to be better,” said Ming. 

The AI Forum Americas marked the second stop in INSEAD’s 2026 AI Forum series. The global series began with the Europe Forum, held in Paris and Fontainebleau in June, and will continue in Singapore on 30-31 October. The AI Forums are part of IN:AI – The INSEAD Initiative on Responsible AI Leadership, which brings together education, research and engagement to advance responsible AI leadership.

Learn more about the INSEAD AI Forums.

About INSEAD, The Business School for the World

As one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society. Our research, teaching and partnerships reflect this global perspective and cultural diversity. Our global perspective and unparalleled cultural diversity are reflected in our research, teaching, partnerships; as well as in our alumni network of over 73,000 members representing 176 nationalities across 183 countries.

With locations in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi), and North America (San Francisco), INSEAD’s business education and research spans four regions. Our 162 renowned Faculty members from 40 countries inspire more than 1,700 degree participants annually in our Master in ManagementMBAGlobal Executive MBA, Specialised Master’s degrees (Executive Master in Finance and Executive Master in Change) and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 21,000 executives participate in INSEAD Executive Education programmes each year.

INSEAD continues to conduct cutting-edge research and innovate across all our programmes. We provide business leaders with the knowledge and awareness to operate anywhere. Our core values drive academic excellence and serve the global community as The Business School for the World.

CONTACT: news@insead.edu

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DAXIO Sets Three-Year Public-Market Pathway Towards a $1 Billion Valuation

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Founder-owned trade show and commercial-technology company combines 12 specialist US events, proprietary DealConnect technology, $35.7 million in annual commercial capacity and a high-margin AI-powered operating model

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — DAXIO today set out its three-year pathway towards a public-market listing and a $1 billion enterprise valuation.

“With 12 specialist events, proprietary DealConnect technology and $35.7 million in annual commercial capacity, DAXIO has a defined three-year pathway to a $1 billion valuation and public-market listing.” — Dawn Barclay-Ross, Founder and Chief Executive, DAXIO

Founded and wholly owned by international trade show organizer Dawn Barclay-Ross, DAXIO has established a portfolio of 12 specialist US events supported by proprietary DealConnect technology, qualified Hosted Buyer programmes and a portfolio-wide AI operating system.

The portfolio contains approximately $35.7 million in maximum annual commercial inventory capacity: $32.2 million in stand inventory and $3.54 million in sponsorship, advertising and Thought Leadership opportunities.

At 35%, 60% and 85% inventory realization, annual portfolio revenues are approximately $12.5 million, $21.4 million and $30.4 million respectively.

DAXIO’s current cost model indicates the potential for portfolio contribution margins above 90% at scale, reflecting its AI-powered infrastructure, centralized technology and capital-efficient operating structure.

“The next billion-dollar exhibition business will not resemble the last generation of exhibition groups,” said Barclay-Ross, Founder and Chief Executive of DAXIO.

“It will combine deep industry expertise with proprietary technology, intelligent automation and disciplined commercial execution. It will be faster, leaner and more accountable for the business value created at every event. That is DAXIO.”

Twelve events. One scalable commercial platform.

DAXIO’s 2027 portfolio comprises InfraBuild, PowerXpo, EnerWasteXpo, AgriTechXpo, BioGenomic Health Expo, Advanced Medical Device Show, NextGen MedTech Xpo, InsureCap, SmartMfg, AerospaceXpo, DefenseXpo and TalentTech.

Together, the events establish DAXIO across infrastructure, energy, environmental services, agriculture, healthcare, medical technology, insurance, manufacturing, aerospace, defense and workforce technology.

The portfolio has capacity for up to 5,856 stand-equivalent positions across the full commercially deployable event footprint.

Its multi-sector structure creates diversified revenue opportunities through stand sales, sponsorship, advertising, Thought Leadership, commercial partnerships and technology.

DealConnect moves the model beyond networking

DAXIO’s principal technology asset is DealConnect, created by Barclay-Ross to move business-event matchmaking beyond profile-swiping, unqualified introductions and chance encounters.

DealConnect assesses more than 500 data points across capability, compliance and financial dimensions to identify stronger-fit commercial opportunities during DAXIO events.

It operates alongside DAXIO’s qualified Hosted Buyer programmes. Approved buyers with purchasing responsibility and confirmed budgets may receive flights and hotel accommodation in return for agreeing to attend scheduled meetings with exhibitors during the event.

“Attendance is not the commercial outcome,” Barclay-Ross said. “The outcome is whether the right organizations meet, whether the opportunity is credible and whether that conversation can progress into business. DealConnect is designed around that standard.”

A three-year pathway to public markets

DAXIO’s public-market pathway is structured around five measurable drivers:

Converting revenue across the existing 12-event portfolioExtending the portfolio into further specialist and international marketsEstablishing recurring commercial revenues through DealConnectPreserving high margins through AI-powered executionAchieving institutional standards of governance, reporting and financial control 

Barclay-Ross has applied 25 years of international trade show and business-development experience to create an integrated exhibitions and commercial-technology company without the inherited cost base of a conventional exhibition group.

DAXIO is wholly founder-owned and independent of private-equity ownership, institutional exhibition groups and external corporate control.

“The first 12 events give DAXIO significant commercial scale. DealConnect creates proprietary technology value. Our AI operating system provides the execution capacity to operate across multiple specialist markets while protecting margin,” Barclay-Ross said.

“The pathway is already defined: convert the existing inventory, extend the portfolio, establish recurring technology income and enter the public markets as a high-growth exhibitions and commercial-technology company.

“The platform exists. The commercial capacity is quantified. The margin model is compelling. The route is repeatable. DAXIO’s pathway to a $1 billion valuation is underway.”

Strategic capital window closes September 25

DAXIO’s current $200,000 strategic-capital participation window closes on Friday, September 25, 2026.

The capital will be deployed directly into revenue-generating activity across the existing portfolio, including exhibitor and sponsor acquisition, qualified-buyer development, commercial marketing, technology deployment and sales execution.

The current financing provides a time-limited opportunity for eligible investors to participate at the beginning of DAXIO’s three-year public-market pathway.

Confidential company and investment information is available to eligible investors and professional advisers directly from DAXIO.

About DAXIO

DAXIO is a founder-owned, independent trade show and commercial-technology company headquartered in Florida.

Its portfolio comprises 12 specialist US business events supported by proprietary DealConnect technology, qualified Hosted Buyer programmes and an AI-powered operating infrastructure.

DAXIO is executing a three-year pathway towards a $1 billion enterprise valuation and public-market listing.

Media and investor enquiries

Dawn Barclay-Ross
Founder and Chief Executive
DAXIO
dawn@infrabuildXpo.com
+1 561 785 3120

Media Contact

Dawn Barclay-Ross, Capital Connect International Events Inc dba DAXIO, 1 5617853120, dawn@capitalconnectevents.com, https://www.infrabuildxpo.com/

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SOURCE Capital Connect International Events Inc dba DAXIO

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OpenCV Introduces Enterprise Support for Companies Building Products with Computer Vision

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Three service tiers offer long-term maintenance, OpenCV-certified binaries and direct engineering support. OpenCV remains free and open source.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OpenCV today announced OpenCV Enterprise, a paid maintenance and engineering offering for organizations that depend on OpenCV in their products. The program brings together support for established deployments, priority help with production issues and ongoing engineering collaboration through three tiers: OpenCV Enterprise LTS, OpenCV Enterprise Premier and OpenCV Enterprise Partnership.

Organizations can explore the tiers and register at opencv.org/enterprise.

OpenCV Enterprise is a maintenance and engineering offering for organizations that depend on OpenCV in their products.

OpenCV Enterprise builds on OpenCV’s existing engineering collaborations with companies including Qualcomm Technologies and Arm. These efforts include strengthening native OpenCV support for Windows on Snapdragon through builds, automated testing and optimization, and improving performance on Arm-based platforms through integrations such as Arm KleidiCV. The Enterprise offering brings this platform engineering experience to organizations maintaining their own OpenCV-based products.

For companies building industrial inspection systems, medical imaging applications, robotics and embedded devices, maintaining a computer vision library is an ongoing engineering responsibility. An upgrade can require extensive integration and regression testing. Staying on an older version means continuing to assess security issues, maintain builds and resolve defects. OpenCV Enterprise helps companies manage that work within an agreed support scope and product lifecycle.

“Companies need to support the products their customers already use while continuing to develop what comes next,” said Dr. Satya Mallick, CEO of OpenCV. “OpenCV Enterprise gives those teams a direct engineering relationship with OpenCV, with clear responsibilities for maintenance, testing and support. The library remains free and open source.”

Three tiers for different product needs

OpenCV Enterprise LTS — US$150,000 per year. For teams maintaining a stable OpenCV integration over a defined product lifecycle. LTS includes applicable security backports, covered severe-defect remediation, agreed regression testing, a named service owner and 10 engineering days annually. It helps companies keep established products supported while planning upgrades around their own release schedules.OpenCV Enterprise Premier — US$250,000 per year. For teams that need priority engineering support when OpenCV issues affect production or delay releases. Premier builds on LTS with a named technical lead, product-specific qualification, monthly technical reviews and 30 engineering days annually. It gives engineering teams a clear escalation path and additional capacity to address deployment-specific problems.OpenCV Enterprise Partnership — from US$400,000 per year. For organizations requiring continuing engineering collaboration across custom forks, platforms and hardware generations. Partnership builds on Premier with 60 reserved engineering days annually, an agreed development backlog and quarterly roadmap planning. Work can include optimization, fork maintenance, test integration and scoped migration or porting. 

Every delivered Enterprise binary will be certified by OpenCV

Certification ties each supplied binary to its source, build configuration and qualification results. Deliverables include signed builds, source and patches, a software bill of materials, test results, change notes and a release certificate for the supported configurations.

For companies maintaining private OpenCV forks, the service can also address gaps in automated testing and ongoing maintenance. An internal fork may not have the breadth of build-and-test coverage available through OpenCV’s continuous integration infrastructure. Enterprise qualification defines the configurations and regression checks needed for the customer’s deployment; it does not imply testing on every hardware platform.

OpenCV certification applies to the supplied software and agreed configurations. Customers retain responsibility for final product validation and any required regulatory or functional-safety approvals.
The tiers use three-year agreements billed annually. Initial qualification is priced separately, and support for older releases or private forks begins with a supportability assessment. Covered components, configurations, service windows and maintenance commitments are defined in the agreement.

Organizations can explore the tiers and register at opencv.org/enterprise. Registration creates no purchase commitment. OpenCV Enterprise is an optional paid service; OpenCV remains free and open source.

About OpenCV

OpenCV is an open-source library for computer vision, image processing and AI. It is operated by the Open Source Vision Foundation, a nonprofit supporting the beneficial use of computer vision through open collaboration and freely available software. Learn more at opencv.org.

Media contact

Phil Nelson 
Director of Content & Creative, OpenCV 
phil@opencv.org

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NICB Announces Leadership Transition

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OAK BROOK, Ill., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry’s association dedicated to predicting, preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime and fraud, announces that David Glawe will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer in October after six years of service leading the nonprofit organization.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to thank David for his six years of service to NICB and his commitment to its important mission,” said Nick Seminara, Chairman of the NICB Board of Governors. “We appreciate his contributions to the organization and wish him well as he prepares for his next chapter.”

Glawe reflected on his time with NICB and the organization’s mission:

“It has been a privilege to serve NICB and to work alongside such a talented and committed team. I have tremendous respect for the work they do every day and for the mission we share—bringing together the insurance industry, law enforcement, and our many partners to fight insurance fraud and crime and protect the public.

I am proud of what we have accomplished together over the past six years and grateful for the dedication, expertise, and commitment I have seen throughout the organization.”

Glawe will work with the Board and NICB leadership team through his departure to support an orderly transition. The Board will announce its leadership transition plans at the appropriate time.

NICB remains focused on its mission and on continuing to strengthen its capabilities and partnerships in the fight against insurance crime and fraud.,

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is the nation’s leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. To learn more, visit NICB.org.

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