Amit Verma’s Post

What would winning technology innovation look like in 2026? I was honored to be on the panel of judges for the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲® 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, specifically 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲. One of the big takeaways for me this year was how many entries focused on 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗔𝗜). It's clear that organizations are recognizing the value proposition of embedding 𝗔𝗜 into their strategies, operating procedures, cyber defenses, customer experiences, and more. At the same time, our judging experience served as a much needed reminder that simply applying AI is not innovative. The winning entries this year showcased solutions that solved real world business and customer challenges, delivered substantive results, had responsible governance, security, and risk management practices, were designed to scale (not piloted in one area and left there), and struck the right balance between technology and humanity. It was inspiring to see the commitment from the entries to thoughtfully bring their boldest ideas to life. Thanks to the Stevie Awards team for the opportunity to contribute to such a prestigious international initiative, and big congratulations to all the nominees for sharing their innovations with the world! As we see an influx of entries that apply 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗔𝗜), what will it take to truly 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 vs. just "𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘅" of including 𝗔𝗜? Let us know your thoughts below! #StevieAwards #TechnologyExcellence #ArtificialIntelligence #AIInnovation #TechnologyLeadership #DigitalTransformation #Cybersecurity #ResponsibleAI #BusinessTransformation #InnovationLeadership #CyberSecurityAwards #InformationSecurity #RiskManagement #Leadership #Innovation #Judging #CyberDefense #CyberSolve #IdentityFirstSecurity #IAM #ZeroTrust #ConsiderItSolved