Identity, AI/ML

Ping YOUniverse 2026: Four livestreams to watch

Illustration for the Ping YOUniverse 2026 conference in Austin, Texas.

For decades, identity security has focused on authenticating users, provisioning accounts and protecting access. At Ping YOUniverse in Austin, Texas, next month, that model will be reconstituted for today's new environment, in which AI agents can operate and make decisions on their own far faster than humans can keep pace.

Across four livestreamed sessions on Sept. 1 and 2, Ping Identity executives and guests will examine why and how identity must change from a login-centric function into a broader trust layer for human and machine activities alike.

The livestreams will be especially relevant to identity-security practitioners trying to answer today's most pressing questions:

  • How should organizations authorize autonomous AI actions?
  • What does it mean to extend trust controls to AI agents?
  • And how can identity infrastructure support faster AI adoption without sacrificing governance?

Day One (Sept. 1) keynote: The future of identity: Powering trust in the AI era

Ping Identity CEO Andre Durand will open the livestream program by looking at identity's evolution over the past three decades. His central premise is that the traditional question posed by identity systems — "Who are you?" — is no longer sufficient in an agentic environment.

Because AI can act continuously and autonomously, identity systems must determine whether a particular action should be approved at a particular moment. Durand will discuss what that shift means for organizations trying to operate at AI speed without allowing innovation to create risk, and his keynote will include announcements intended to support that transition.

Day One (Sept. 1) fireside chat: Advancing trust in the AI era

Durand will then be joined by Johnny Deutsch of LPL Financial for a discussion of how identity strategy looks from an enterprise perspective. Rather than concentrating only on technology architecture, the conversation will explore the evolving role of identity in digital business and how LPL Financial is using identity to support AI innovation safely.

The session should offer useful real-world context for organizations deciding how identity platforms can enable new AI initiatives while maintaining appropriate trust boundaries.

Click here to register for the Day One Ping YOUniverse livestreams.

Day Two (Sept. 2) keynote: Building the future of trust in the AI era

Ping Identity Chief Product Officer Peter Barker will turn the discussion toward architecture and product strategy.

His keynote will start with the challenge that AI poses to security, acting at speeds and scales that controls built for a human-paced enterprise cannot easily manage. Barker will outline a vision in which identity becomes a single trust control plane for every human and agent action, along with the roadmap and technologies Ping sees as necessary to make that model practical.

Day Two (Sept. 2) fireside chat: AI-first headless identity lets you build with AI

The final livestream, led by Kate Atkinson, VP of Product Management at Ping Identity, will focus on the development and operational side of identity.

Atkinson will demonstrate how an AI-first, headless identity model can replace manual "click-ops" with a more intent-driven approach. The goal is to speed implementation and simplify environment operations without abandoning governance — a balance that should resonate with identity teams being asked to support rapidly expanding AI-development efforts.

Click here to register for the Day Two Ping YOUniverse livestreams.

Together, the four livestreams trace a progression from strategy to implementation. For identity-security professionals, the common theme is clear: As AI becomes an active participant in enterprise systems, identity will increasingly be asked not merely to authenticate actors, but to govern what those actors are permitted to do.

Click here to register for all four Ping YOUniverse livestreams.

Paul Wagenseil

Paul Wagenseil is a custom content strategist for CyberRisk Alliance, leading creation of content developed from CRA research and aligned to the most critical topics of interest for the cybersecurity community. He previously held editor roles focused on the security market at Tom’s Guide, Laptop Magazine, TechNewsDaily.com and SecurityNewsDaily.com.

You can skip this ad in 5 seconds