BYDAS at Portugal Digital Summit 2026: two days to explore the future of the digital economy

On 21 and 22 October 2026, Lisbon will once again host the Portugal Digital Summit, one of the leading meeting points for Portugal's digital ecosystem. BYDAS will be there to follow the ideas, technologies and strategies reshaping businesses, organisations and markets, as well as to meet partners, clients and other professionals who share our interest in the evolution of the digital economy.

With the 2026 edition focused on the Age of AI Agents, the event comes at a particularly relevant moment. Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to isolated experiments or occasional support tools. It is progressively becoming part of processes, platforms, business models and decision-making, requiring organisations to rethink how they combine technology, data, people, communication and strategy.

For an agency such as BYDAS, whose work brings together digital strategy, marketing, technology development, data and digital experience, taking part in this conversation means being present where many of the decisions about the near future are beginning to take shape.

AI Agents: from experimentation to real business impact

The central theme of Portugal Digital Summit 2026 reflects an important shift. Following a period dominated by the discovery of generative AI capabilities, attention is increasingly turning to systems capable of performing tasks, collaborating with people, accessing information, making decisions within predefined parameters and participating in more complex business processes.

AI Agents could significantly transform areas as varied as customer service, content production, e-commerce, data analysis, internal operations, sales and knowledge management. However, the real challenge is not simply adopting technology. It is understanding where technology creates value, which processes should be redesigned, what data is required and how control, security and quality can be maintained.

This connection between technology and business objectives is precisely what makes the discussion so relevant for BYDAS. An effective digital strategy does not begin by choosing a tool. It begins by understanding the business, its users, existing processes and the opportunities that can be turned into measurable results. This is also the approach behind our work in digital transformation.

From the future of work to digital trust

The two-day programme also demonstrates that discussing artificial intelligence means discussing far more than artificial intelligence itself. On 21 October, the different stages will explore topics including leadership and the future of work, public services, digital sovereignty, intelligent cities, skills, European regulation, marketing, sales, health and disruptive technologies.

On 22 October, the conversation extends to data strategies for AI Agents, digital trust and cybersecurity, financial services, energy and sustainability, digital infrastructure, deep tech, and the transformation of brands and media in the age of AI.

This diversity is particularly significant because it highlights the cross-functional nature of digital transformation. An organisation may want to automate a process, improve personalisation or introduce artificial intelligence into a platform, but it will quickly need to consider system integration, infrastructure, data quality, security, team capabilities, user experience and the impact on its brand.

In this context, events such as Portugal Digital Summit help replace a fragmented view of technology with a broader discussion about how to build organisations that are more digitally prepared, competitive and resilient.

Knowledge shared from different perspectives

Portugal Digital Summit will bring together executives, academics, regulators, technology leaders and business decision-makers, creating an opportunity to examine the same challenges from different perspectives.

The announced keynote speakers include Steve Cadigan, talent strategist and former Chief HR Officer at LinkedIn, Zoltan Istvan, futurist and author focused on emerging technologies and transhumanism, and Harry Singh, Head of Corporate Development at NTT DATA AIVista, who will explore enterprise adoption of AI Agents in environments where trust and governance are essential.

The programme also includes professionals connected to organisations and institutions such as Google DeepMind, Google Cloud Portugal, NVIDIA, Amazon, NTT DATA, Sonae MC, Unilever Portugal, IST and INESC, alongside experts with experience in public administration, regulation, economics and digital transformation.

The combination of business, technological, academic and institutional perspectives is particularly valuable at a time when many AI-related questions cannot be answered from a purely technical standpoint. Deciding how to use an AI Agent, for example, may simultaneously involve technology architecture, security, data governance, legislation, user experience, operating models and organisational culture.

An opportunity to turn trends into practical decisions

At BYDAS, we continuously follow the evolution of platforms, digital behaviours and technologies that could affect our clients' businesses. However, following trends does not mean adopting every new development that appears on the market.

One of the most important challenges for any organisation is distinguishing a genuine opportunity from noise. The use of artificial intelligence should be assessed against specific problems: can repetitive tasks be reduced? Can the quality of an interaction be improved? Can information be analysed more quickly? Can more relevant experiences be created? Can systems that currently operate in isolation be connected? Can teams increase their capacity without compromising control or trust?

These questions require experimentation, but they also require method. Before scaling a solution, organisations need to understand their processes, identify dependencies, assess the available data, define meaningful indicators and determine how the technology fits within the wider digital operation.

This is why BYDAS's presence at the Summit will also be an opportunity to gather different perspectives and compare them with the practical challenges we encounter every day across consulting, marketing and development projects.

AI, marketing and digital experience

Among the topics we will be following particularly closely is the impact of AI on communication, marketing and the relationship between brands and consumers.

Automation and personalisation have been part of digital marketing for many years, but AI Agents could change both the scale and complexity of these operations. In the near future, we may see more dynamic digital journeys, agent-mediated search, new recommendation models, content production and adaptation at greater scale, and increasingly conversational e-commerce experiences.

These opportunities also introduce new responsibilities. Greater automation does not necessarily result in better communication. Brands will continue to need positioning, consistency, creativity, reliable data and a deep understanding of the people they communicate with. Technology should strengthen that strategy rather than replace it.

This is an evolution we are also following through our digital marketing services, where technology, content, data, media and experience need to work together to deliver sustainable results.

The value of networking in a changing ecosystem

Not every valuable insight at an event happens on stage. A significant part of the value of gatherings such as Portugal Digital Summit lies in conversations between sessions, unexpected meetings and the opportunity to bring together professionals with different challenges, experiences and areas of expertise.

At an event that brings together decision-makers and specialists from multiple fields, networking provides an opportunity to understand how different sectors are approaching similar problems, identify potential synergies and discuss ideas that might never emerge within the boundaries of a single organisation.

For BYDAS, these moments are especially important. Working in digital transformation means maintaining a continuous relationship with the wider ecosystem - clients, technology partners, specialists, platforms and businesses experimenting with new approaches. Often, an informal conversation is enough to reveal a different perspective on a challenge or begin a collaboration with longer-term potential.

See you in Lisbon?

On 21 and 22 October, the BYDAS team will be at Portugal Digital Summit to learn, exchange experiences and discuss the challenges defining this new stage of the digital economy.

If you are also attending and would like to exchange ideas about artificial intelligence, digital strategy, marketing, e-commerce, web platforms, data or technology transformation, we would be very pleased to meet you.

And if Portugal Digital Summit raises new questions about what your organisation should do next, we can help turn those ideas into a practical plan. From strategic definition to the design and implementation of digital solutions, we always aim to find the right balance between technology, business and experience.

Will you be at Portugal Digital Summit 2026? Speak to us during the event or get to know BYDAS and discover how we can support the next steps in your digital strategy.

On 21 and 22 October, we will be in Lisbon to discuss the future. More importantly, to explore how to start building it.