NEXXT AI Summit 2026: From Experiment to Business Value

Artificial intelligence is entering a stage where technological performance must be backed by economic results: more efficient processes, more relevant services and new revenue streams. This set the direction for NEXXT AI Summit 2026. On 28 and 29 October, the summit brought together 2,000 business leaders, entrepreneurs, specialists and technology developers at FACE Convention Center in Bucharest.

With Raiffeisen Bank România as main partner, the event connected the conversation on strategy and organisational transformation with case studies, product demos and solutions built for real business needs. At the heart of the discussions were the criteria that make an AI investment worthwhile: the problem it solves, the cost of integration, measurable results and accountability for the decisions it influences.

“AI is one of the most talked-about topics of the moment, but we wanted to take the conversation beyond the hype and into business reality. At Raiffeisen, we are already advanced in AI adoption, with many teams using the technology in their work and constantly exploring new ways to create value. At NEXXT AI Summit, we wanted to share our experience and also build a practical space for learning and inspiration, bringing together people from technology and business. Because the real value of AI emerges when technology meets real needs and delivers concrete results,” said Laura Mihăilă, Marketing, Communication & CX Director, Raiffeisen Bank România.

The AI Act: Between trust and competitiveness

The implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) and what it means for companies opened the business discussions at NEXXT AI Summit 2026. The debate looked at how regulation shapes the development and adoption of AI solutions: where it builds trust and where it risks slowing down innovation. The key question was how to balance compliance, risk management and competitiveness.

“For business leaders, the AI challenge is turning the promise of technology into concrete results: better services, better-informed decisions and organisations that adapt faster. That takes more than deploying tools. It requires rethinking processes, investing in people and building trust through the responsible use of technology. NEXXT AI Summit succeeded in bringing to the same table the people who can turn this ambition into reality,” said Ștefan Pătra, Managing Director, Tremend – Publicis Sapient.

AI Agents: Autonomy, Results and Accountability

As AI agents take on increasingly complex tasks, companies need to define which decisions they can delegate, what information the agents can access and when human intervention is required. The discussion covered both the limits of autonomy and how to assess the impact on revenue, service quality and business growth.

“The real challenge is not autonomy itself, but carefully defining the boundary between machine decisions and human judgment. Companies need to determine which decisions require an independent human perspective and give people the time and conditions to form it,” said Paolo Sironi, Global Research Leader, Banking and Financial Markets, IBM.

“AI transformation must start from the real needs of the business, not from the technology. Companies first need to define their objectives and identify the AI use cases that can deliver concrete, measurable results. It is essential to look beyond cost reduction and understand how AI can generate additional revenue and create new business opportunities. Ultimately, this is a business transformation, not just a technological one,” said Yannis Jacob-Drăghici, General Manager Romania & Moldova, Wonderful, at the event.

Healthcare and Retail: value is measured in use

In healthcare, the discussion focused on how AI can support diagnosis, medical work and service efficiency. Dr. Robert Beke, Executive Director of the MedLife Laboratory Division, brought the perspective of a healthcare provider, while ZayaAI and Genomate Health presented their work in digital pathology and precision oncology. Ioanna Christopoulou, Country Manager, L’Oréal Romania, added a perspective on personalising the consumer experience. The common goal: applications that deliver concrete benefits for specialists and users.

In retail, Alexandru Câmpean (OLX), Fabiola Cazan (Vodafone), Alexandru Mihalache (Visa) and Pratyush Sinha, former Head of Responsible AI at Decathlon Europe, discussed customer experience, operational efficiency and the need to measure results before scaling AI solutions.

“I trust an AI system when its outcome has been measured before it was scaled, when the people using it can override its decision, and when they can still read the code that runs it,” said Pratyush Sinha.

Solutions and Showcases: applications for concrete business needs

The solutions area and the showcase sessions put participants in direct contact with products and providers. The applications on display ranged from integrated data, analytics and AI platforms (Databricks), document management and process automation (Planet Group International), and digital banking and digital identity (IT Smart Systems) to AI tools for analysing digital asset markets (Bybit), organisational mentoring (Mentessa), crisis communication (Crisis Desk) and brand visibility in AI-generated answers (GEOflux). Agora Robotics and AgriCloud rounded out the line-up with solutions for autonomous robotics, monitoring and resource optimisation, alongside many other technology providers and developers.

The masterclasses and workshops on the Solutions Stage went deeper into the stages of implementation: identifying use cases, designing intent-based AI search and moving from prototype to production. Participants explored problem prioritisation, data preparation, integration with existing systems, and how to assess reliability and costs at scale.

AI in the Physical World: Robotics, Applications and Safety

Two humanoid robots gave live demonstrations on the Main Stage and in the exhibition area, adding a hands-on dimension to the discussion about AI in the physical world. From space research to operational automation and human interaction, the panel moderated by Spencer Kelly (BBC) examined the safety and reliability conditions these systems need before they can be used. Jorge Lopez Trescastro (European Space Agency), Kimberly Washington (Deep Space Biology), Paul Popescu (Agora Robotics) and Roshni Lulla (Institute for Humane Robotics) offered complementary perspectives on moving from technological capability to real-world applications.

“Giving AI a physical form is probably AI’s last great frontier, because the physical world is an environment where training these systems is very difficult. It was fascinating to meet people tackling this challenge through virtual simulations of physical phenomena and to discuss how we will interact with robots in the future,” said Spencer Kelly, BBC technology journalist and presenter of “Click”.

“AI is very good at mimicking the part of us that reads other people’s emotions. It hasn’t yet built the part that feels something about what it reads, and the difference between the two will matter enormously once these systems reach our homes and hospitals,” said Roshni Lulla, PhD, Co-Founder & Chief Research Officer, Institute for Humane Robotics.

NEXXT AI Hackathon: 400+ Applications, 64 Teams and Four Winning Projects

NEXXT AI Hackathon drew more than 400 applications. The 250 participants, organised into 64 teams, had 24 hours to build prototypes for four challenges set by Raiffeisen Bank România, Stripe and QA DNA: Scaling & Growth, Operational Efficiency, Financial Confidence and Hype or Truth (information verification).

More than 50 mentors with experience at Raiffeisen Bank România, Stripe, QA DNA, AWS, IKEA, Featherless AI, Adore Me, Instantly, Lovable and Deutsche Telekom, together with entrepreneurs and academics, provided technical and business support as the teams developed their solutions.

The finalists presented their projects on the Main Stage. The four winning teams were:

• San Francisco, Raiffeisen Bank România | Operational Efficiency: VersoML, an AI agent that automates the documentation of disputed payments and drafts responses to customers, with human approval for key decisions.
• Ratatouille, Raiffeisen Bank România | Scaling & Growth: Family, a financial assistant designed for Smart Mobile that analyses a family’s financial obligations and simulates scenarios for obtaining a mortgage.
• NexxtInna, Stripe | Financial Confidence: Moni, a WhatsApp assistant with a browser extension that suggests redirecting money meant for impulse purchases into savings or investments.
• Icarus, QA DNA | Hype or Truth: a system that assesses claims about a fictional company against a history of events, indicating whether they are true or false and the confidence level of the assessment.

Prizes included EUR 8,000 in cash and additional benefits. Selected teams will receive feedback and mentoring within the NEXXT AI Hackathon community to take their projects to proof of concept, while the Talent Pathway programme gives participants easier access to internships and jobs at partner companies.

“An exceptionally well-organised event that inspired leaders from Romania’s public and private sectors and gave participants practical tools, frameworks and connections for the next stage of applying artificial intelligence,” said Brian Evergreen, AI-driven organisational transformation expert, former Microsoft AI Strategy Lead and author of “Autonomous Transformation”.

Held on 28 and 29 October in Bucharest, NEXXT AI Summit 2026 connected business strategy with implementation practice. The case studies, demos and prototypes shaped an agenda in which AI investments are measured by results: more efficient operations, value for customers and new growth opportunities.

About NEXXT AI Summit

NEXXT AI Summit took place on October 28–29, 2026, at FACE Convention Centre in Bucharest, with the AI Hackathon kicking off on October 28 and the conference program taking place on October 29. The event is an UNCHAIN Media initiative, organized in partnership with Raiffeisen Bank Romania and Tremend – Publicis Sapient, alongside Planet Group International and Wonderful AI. NEXXT brings together leaders involved in the development and adoption of artificial intelligence across business, technology, and public administration. Through practical examples, case studies, and high-level networking, the summit accelerates the transformation of ideas into actionable enterprise solutions.