2026 ANSI Innovation Summit:
where standards power progress

Standards at the Speed of Innovation: A Fireside Chat with Standards CEOs

Standards are the backbone of innovation—but can the standards community keep pace with the technologies it supports? The U.S. Standards Strategy 2025 calls on the community to make standards development more efficient by embracing innovation and training the next generation—recognizing that development processes must evolve alongside the technologies they address.

In this fireside chat, ANSI president and CEO Dr. Laurie E. Locascio sat down with CEOs of leading standards developing organizations for a candid conversation about what it will take to answer that call. Together they’ll explore how flexible, iterative, and adaptive approaches can ensure standards remain relevant and effective—and how the ingenuity for which the U.S. standards system is known can drive development models that are timely, efficient, and responsive to rapid societal and technological change.

The Standards Lab: Testing New Development Approaches

The U.S. standards community is pioneering new approaches to accelerate consensus-based processes while maintaining rigor. This interactive session explored how standards developing organizations and consortia are using AI, collaboration tools, agile review mechanisms, and fast-track pathways to transform standards development—particularly for rapidly evolving technologies.

Speakers:

• Jory Burson, Vice President of Standards, The Linux Foundation; General Manager, Joint Development Foundation Projects
• Jesse Dunietz, AI Standards, Policy, and International Engagement Lead, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Casey Granata, Senior Program Manager, Grid, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
• Jason Wampler, Managing Director of IT, International Society for Automation (ISA)

Accelerating the Digital Economy through AI and Quantum

Standards are critical infrastructure of the digital economy. This day explored how they can accelerate—not just govern—the adoption of AI-enabled solutions today and prepare for the quantum transition ahead.

MORNING SESSION: AI and the Digital Economy—Standards for What's Happening Now

AI has moved from chatbots to agents that can reason, plan, and act on their own—a leap in capability that also brings a new class of risks. Two panels took it on: one built around a newly approved framework for managing the unique risks of frontier AI, and one on how standards must evolve to govern agentic systems that don’t just suggest, but act.  

AFTERNOON SESSION: Quantum and the Digital Economy—Standards for What's Coming

Industry investment is already driving quantum development forward. But the standards decisions made in the next few years will shape whether that progress translates into broad, interoperable adoption or fragmented, sector-by-sector implementation. Are we developing standards in time to shape the market rather than chase it?

2026 ANSI Leadership and Service Awards

ANSI honored twenty-seven standardization stars of 2026.

Dress Code: Cocktail Attire

ANSI Legal Issues Forum: Standards at a Crossroads - AI Policy, Practice, and Protection

This forum explored how AI is transforming standards licensing, and the challenges SDOs face in protecting their intellectual property while adapting to new commercial realities. A three-part discussion covered: 1) what approaches SDOs are taking to digitizing their standards and enabling AI use; 2) what companies, system integrators and enterprise users are building by incorporating digitized standards into AI-enabled platforms/products; and 3) how SDOs can protect their IP in AI licensing agreements.

Lunch and Annual Business Meeting Presentations

ANSI Board Chair Chris Dubay presented financial information, followed by closing remarks from ANSI President and CEO Dr. Laurie E. Locascio.

2026 U.S. –  Korea Standards Forum*

Now in its sixth year, the U.S. – Korea Standards Forum brings together U.S. and Korean government and industry leaders to share expertise and shape collaboration on some of today's most consequential technologies. This year’s forum features high-level dialogues and expert panels on priority areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, future mobility, and biotechnology.