Post-Industrial Summit 2027:Autonomous Ecosystems
From Autonomous Organizations to Autonomous Ecosystems
, Palo Alto, CA
Why this Summit
At the 2026 Summit, we examined the rise of Autonomous Organizations and how they will speed the evolution of firms.
As more organizations move in this direction, a new question becomes urgent. What happens when we link Autonomous Organizations together? In Autonomous Ecosystems, organizations find each other, negotiate, trade, and collaborate. We will see Autonomous Organizations created, funded, acquired and divested — autonomously.
The 2027 Summit brings together the leaders shaping this shift and senior executives driving transformation in their organizations. We will explore implications for strategy, innovation, human talent, governance and organizational design. We will discuss risks, opportunities, challenges, and what we can do now to accelerate progress.
Explore the future of
organizations
- 01
AI Agents and Post-Industrial Management Science
How does management thinking change when AI agents become integral to organizational design, work orchestration, innovation, and commerce? We will explore the management principles and practices needed for organizations built around AI agents.
- 02
Implementing Autonomous Organizations
Autonomous Organizations accelerate organizational evolution in a world where competitive advantage is increasingly fragile. We will examine how to build them and what they require in technology, talent, and culture. Pioneers will share what they have built, what has worked, and what remains unsolved.
- 03
The Rise of Autonomous Ecosystems
Individual AI agents can already connect and collaborate. As Autonomous Organizations connect, they form Autonomous Ecosystems, extending the potential for rapid adaptation and evolution beyond organizational boundaries. We will explore what these ecosystems will look like, how they will transform existing industries, and how they could accelerate the emergence of new ones.
- 04
What’s Next in Autonomous Innovation and Product Development
Accelerating product and service innovation is essential to staying competitive. Advances in AI have been especially rapid in software engineering, with progress also underway in fields such as chip design and drug development. We will explore what becomes possible when Autonomous Organizations collaborate to develop new products and services.
- 05
Autonomous Venture Development
Organizations that create, fund, and spin out new ventures are called Higher-Order Organizations. We will discuss what happens when Higher-Order Organizations become autonomous and how multiple Autonomous Organizations can collaborate to form them. We will explore how these models might work and what they could mean for corporate venturing and venture capital.
- 06
Infrastructure and Standards for Autonomous Ecosystems
Standards for agent registries, identity, communication, and commerce are already helping agents coordinate across organizational boundaries. We will examine the infrastructure needed to support Autonomous Ecosystems, where gaps remain, and which standards and capabilities should come next.
- 07
Autonomous Ecosystems and Supply Chain Management
Supply chains are a natural setting for Autonomous Ecosystems: networks of interdependent organizations coordinating the flow of goods, services, and information. We will examine how AI agents are assuming supply chain responsibilities and how greater autonomy will reshape coordination, resilience, and performance across supply chains.
- 08
Marketplaces, Competition, and Collaboration
How will agents discover one another, evaluate potential partners, and decide when to compete or collaborate? We will explore the marketplaces and mechanisms that enable these interactions, including how agents negotiate, transact, and resolve disputes.
- 09
Strategy in Autonomous Ecosystems
As Autonomous Organizations use AI agents to formulate and execute strategy, both competition and collaboration will evolve. We will examine what past research and practice can teach us, what changes in an autonomous setting, and how organizations can develop, execute, and adapt strategies faster.
- 10
Governance and Risk in Autonomous Ecosystems
Governance must ensure that autonomous activity remains aligned with organizational objectives, shareholder interests, and applicable laws. We will explore how oversight, accountability, and risk management must evolve as AI decisions and their risks extend across organizational boundaries.
- 11
Human Talent and Workforce Transformation
As organizations become more autonomous, the value and nature of human work will change. Some tasks and roles will be automated, while others will gain value through collaboration with AI agents. We will explore the implications for workforce design, skills development, and career paths, examining how organizations and individuals must prepare for this transition. The answers are subtle, and they keep changing. Who will survive and who will thrive?
- 12
Autonomous Organizations and the Law
At least two jurisdictions (Argentina and Delaware) are now developing legal frameworks for Autonomous Organizations. We will discuss the challenges human courts face in handling disputes between Autonomous Organizations operating at high transaction volumes.
- 13
Industries of the Future
Some industries are already developing at extraordinary speed, including AI infrastructure, advanced energy, robotics, autonomous mobility, and the space economy. Others, from synthetic biology and longevity to quantum technologies, neurotechnology, and advanced materials, are still in their infancy. AI is accelerating scientific discovery, engineering, and innovation, while Autonomous Organizations and Ecosystems will transform how industries emerge, evolve, and interconnect. We will explore the multi-trillion-dollar opportunities ahead, the breakthroughs and challenges shaping their development, and how entrepreneurs and established enterprises can build entirely new industries.
Organizations represented at past Summits include:
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Get updates on the Post-Industrial Summit 2027, including speakers, the program and registration. You will also receive invitations to exclusive events leading up to the Summit and learn about potential speaking opportunities as we curate the sessions.
