Day one of Vision 2026 brought big ideas to the stage and practical conversations to life across the conference.
From conversations about trust and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to breakout sessions, hands-on experiences in the Innovation Arena and connections throughout San Antonio, leaders from across the industry came together to explore the technologies, strategies and opportunities shaping what’s next.
Welcome to Vision 2026
Jeff Softley, CEO of Experian North America, welcomed attendees with a look at the growing importance of trust as AI becomes a more active participant in business and decision-making.
He announced Experian Cashflow Data Bureau, Inc, a new consumer reporting agency (CRA) that operates under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), enabling financial institutions to leverage consumer-permissioned cash flow insights at scale to help support more informed underwriting decisions and responsibly expand access to credit.
Softley emphasized how trusted data, technology and connections can come together to create greater opportunity and meaningful outcomes for consumers and businesses. Reflecting on the growing role of AI agents, Softley explored how organizations can lead as intelligence becomes a more active participant in decision-making, emphasizing the importance of trust, scalability and accountability. Softley also explored how connecting trusted data in new ways can help businesses make smarter decisions and create greater opportunities for consumers. His opening remarks set the stage for a day focused on embracing greater intelligence while maintaining the trust needed to turn possibility into meaningful outcomes.
Data isn't scarce anymore. Trust is.Jeff Softley, CEO of Experian North America
Designing Tomorrow: Molly Poppie and Kathleen Peters
Next, Molly Poppie, Chief Product & Analytics Officer, Experian North America, and Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer, Experian North America, took the stage for Designing Tomorrow.
They explored how trusted data, advanced analytics and seamless workflows can help organizations navigate an increasingly agentic world, make smarter decisions and drive resilient growth.
Trust remained central to the conversation, particularly as AI agents become more prevalent. Poppie and Peters explored digital identity and human-to-agent connections, including how organizations can establish trust between an agent and the person behind it.
They also looked at how bringing together the right data, logic and technology can reduce guesswork, make interactions smarter and accelerate new capabilities. As disruption creates both risk and opportunity, organizations have an opportunity to design what comes next with trust built in from the start.
Day 1 keynote: A conversation with Ethan Mollick
Day one keynote speaker Ethan Mollick, Innovation Expert and Artificial Intelligence Thought Leader; Professor of Entrepreneurship at The Wharton School, explored the evolving relationship between people and AI.
Through live demonstrations, he examined how working effectively with AI calls for many of the same skills that make strong managers — providing direction, context and judgment while keeping people at the center.
As AI becomes increasingly capable, Mollick explored what it means to keep people involved in the process. The conversation reinforced the continued importance of human expertise and judgment even as AI takes on increasingly complex tasks.
From big ideas to practical action
Beyond the main stage, day one breakout sessions gave attendees the opportunity to dig deeper into some of the biggest questions facing businesses today.
Conversations explored practical AI roadmaps and trust frameworks for agentic ecosystems, new approaches to fraud prevention, and how better data and analytics can support smarter lending decisions.
Other sessions examined the growing role of nontraditional data in expanding credit access, fairness by design in AI underwriting, real-time prescreen, AI-powered connected intelligence and smarter approaches to pre-delinquency management.
Across topics, a common theme emerged: turning rapidly evolving technology, data and intelligence into practical strategies that can help organizations make smarter decisions and create better outcomes.
Innovation in action
Innovation was on full display in the Innovation Arena, with 27 demos bringing Experian’s latest capabilities to life and creating opportunities to connect directly with the experts behind them.
From AI-driven decisioning and fraud prevention to growth and operational resilience, the Arena offered a hands-on look at how emerging capabilities can help address real business challenges.
Connections beyond the conference floor
After a full day of ideas and innovation, attendees stepped away from the conference floor for networking activities across San Antonio.
From exploring the city’s food scene and taking in the Alamo and River Walk to a pickleball showdown, Texas BBQ tour, golf at TPC San Antonio and more, attendees had the opportunity to continue conversations, meet new people and build connections with peers, industry leaders and Experian experts.
The afternoon offered a chance to turn conversations started inside the conference into connections that extend well beyond it — a defining part of the Vision experience
Celebrating innovation at Vision after dark
The connections continue tonight at Vision after dark, beginning with recognition of the 2026 Vision Award winners.
The Vision Awards celebrate organizations accelerating action and driving meaningful change, spotlighting the people and organizations putting innovation into practice. Then, renowned mentalist and magician Asi Wind takes the stage for an unforgettable performance filled with mystery, audience participation and unexpected moments.
It’s a fitting way to close a day centered on new ideas, unexpected perspectives and meaningful connections.
Up next: Day two
Day one may be over, but there’s plenty more ahead. Get ready for another day of big ideas, practical insights and memorable connections at Vision 2026.
