AI Governance Playbook authors set for Las Vegas conference sessions

The authors of The AI Governance Playbook will speak at the AI Governance World Conference in Las Vegas Oct. 12-14, 2026, pushing an information governance-first model for managing AI. The conference will bring together more than 50 global speakers to focus on agentic AI, compliance, risk and practical governance frameworks.

Why it matters: - The conference is aiming at one of the biggest pressure points in enterprise AI: how to govern agentic systems that can act, transact and create legal risk. - The playbook authors are arguing that AI governance should build on existing information governance models rather than inventing a separate framework. - The event is designed for managers, policymakers, lawyers and risk leaders who need usable governance controls, not abstract theory.

What happened: - The AI Governance World Conference will take place Oct. 12-14, 2026, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. - The conference theme is “AI Governance at Work.” - Robert Smallwood and Chris Surdak will present sessions based on The AI Governance Playbook: How to Secure, Control, and Optimize Artificial Intelligence Initiatives. - The conference is hosted by the Certified Information Governance Officers Association. - The conference will feature more than 50 global speakers.

The details: - 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 curriculums and certifications. - Smallwood has more than four decades of experience and 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 focused on AI trust software. - Surdak has spent more than 30 years working in engineering, digital transformation, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and information governance. - Surdak’s books include Data Crush, Jerk and The Care and Feeding of Bots. - The playbook argues that core functions identified in the Information Governance Reference Model should handle key responsibilities across the AI software lifecycle. - The sessions will cover mitigating algorithmic bias, scaling governance frameworks and aligning compliance with innovation. - The conference agenda also includes topics such as agentic AI governance challenges, the EU AI Act, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, healthcare, financial services, cybersecurity, defense, trust and transparency. - Speakers include leaders from OpenAI, Mars, Google, Cisco, DoorDash, the U.S. Space Force, Foley & Lardner, Clarion AI Partners, DLA Piper and Baker Hostetler. - The conference also includes an executive forum, AI governance training, networking receptions and group dinners.

Between the lines: - The push for an information governance-forward model reflects a broader enterprise trend: companies want AI controls that fit existing compliance and accountability structures. - Surdak’s focus on “human authorization” signals growing concern over who is legally responsible when autonomous systems execute actions without direct oversight. - Smallwood’s warning about agentic AI suggests the speakers see governance as a condition for safe deployment, not a post-launch fix. - The conference lineup shows that AI governance is moving from a niche policy topic to a cross-functional business issue involving law, security and operations.

What’s next: - Attendees will hear practical guidance from the playbook authors during the October conference sessions. - The event is likely to surface concrete approaches for AI readiness, legal accountability and governance at scale. - Surdak’s Proof of Intent platform, protected by U.S. Patent 12,505,416, is positioned as one method for binding human intent to machine actions. - The conference will continue its annual role as a forum for executives and regulators working through AI, data governance, privacy and cybersecurity.

The bottom line: - The Las Vegas conference is positioning AI governance as an operating model problem, not just a policy discussion.