O IAPP Global Summit 2026 The Washington conference, which took place between March 30th and April 02nd, maintained its fundamental characteristic: an "all hands on deck" approach.
Unlike the Brussels editionWhile the American event tends to be denser, more technical, and focused on the political and academic debate of norms, it focuses on practical application. Cases real and in toolkits designed for the immediate challenges of privacy professionals.
While in Europe the discussion revolves around the content of regulations and the politics behind governance, in Washington the focus is on the...Regulatory impacts and governance from an operational perspective..
Key trends and themes
In 2026, the agenda was largely dominated by Artificial Intelligencewith special emphasis on the figure of AI agents and in governance in its most pragmatic nuances. Furthermore, topics such as data management, cyber security (quite a lot!), protection of minors (especially age verification), digital advertising, ethics e digital sovereignty gained prominence.
One turning point was the keynotes and the opening and closing panels. These sessions fostered existential and social reflections, enhanced by the presence of figures such as Salman Rushdie and Prince Harry – although they missed opportunities for technical, content-based discussions on relevant and current issues.
In the regional context, the participation of was noteworthy. President of the ANPD, Waldemar Gonçalves Ortunho, which discussed the Regulatory perspectives in Latin America alongside authorities from Argentina and Ecuador.
The Summit from the perspective of AI Governance: from compliance to practical strategy.
It's important to highlight that the Summit experience is multifaceted; the event transforms according to each participant's choices. From my perspective, the focus was on... AI Governance, exploring the challenges of implementing adequate supervision in the face of limitations in human capital and the unavoidable need to use technology itself as a control tool (the concept of technology monitoring technology under human supervision).
Panels dedicated to technical governance They demonstrated that the compliance and confidentiality modern It depends on the integration between different teams and the ability to formulate the right questions. Among the essential questions for developing a solid repertoire, the following stand out: "Who does this AI really serve?"; "Who does it affect and how?"; "How is this AI monitored?"; "What signals does this AI emit regarding urgency or limitations of choice?"; "Does the review focus only on performance or on user experience?"; "What records are there about the process behind the design?"; "What controls are working in practice?" – these are some examples of necessary questions.
These questions become crucial in a scenario where AI adoption overrides the establishment of safeguards, resulting in solutions being implemented even before structured controls exist.
