AI is becoming infrastructure, not a stand alone feature or solution
As you’d expect, artificial intelligence was everywhere at ISE 2026, but what I observed was that AI tech has matured and advanced, specific to the events industry. Rather than being positioned as a headline feature, AI is increasingly being embedded into the underlying operation of AV systems.
In my view, we’re going to see AI increasingly being used for:
- Intelligent camera framing and tracking
- Audio optimisation and speech clarity
- Captioning and accessibility support
- Monitoring system health and performance
AI is not to replace people, but rather support faster decision‑making, improve consistency and accessibility and reduce manual intervention during live environments.
What is interoperability and how will it be used/implemented?
Another major takeaway from ISE 2026 was the growing momentum behind interoperability. In the it’s simplest terms for the events industry interoperability is refers to how different pieces of event technology can connect and work smoothly together, allowing events to run reliably across in-person and hybrid formats, with less technical risk and a consistent experience for audiences.
As a technician by trade, that’s music to my ears.
In practical terms it means systems that simply connect and work together seamlessly, reducing risk and increasing flexibility.
Broadcast and live events continue to converge, but in more sophisticate ways
ISE 2026 reinforced what many in the industry are already experiencing: the line between broadcast and live events continues to blur.
At the show, I observed:
- Increased use of broadcast technologies for corporate and experiential events
- Greater emphasis on content quality and storytelling
- Demand for environments that are both live‑audience and camera‑ready
As expectations rise for how events are experienced both in‑room and online, this convergence is reshaping how production environments are designed and delivered.
It’s genuinely exciting.
Security is not optional, it’s vital!
As AV systems become more connected, cybersecurity has emerged as a vital topic and I certainly observed multiple examples at ISE 2026, including:
- Secure‑by‑design hardware
- Network segmentation
- Governance around cloud‑connected AV systems
- Greater alignment between AV and IT teams
For the events industry, where temporary networks and fast deployments are common, the importance of security will increasingly influence how systems are specified and supported.
I observed a shift in focus from technology that supports creativity rather than complicating it and enables repeatable delivery solutions that are reliable and focussed on audience connection.
For event professionals, is that technology is becoming more dependable and interoperable. What this means is teams can spend less time managing systems and more time focusing on storytelling, experience design and meaningful engagements.
In conclusion
For me, ISE 2026 didn’t just showcase what’s new. It showed how the industry is maturing and advancing and where it’s heading next.
