What data challenges must companies fix to unlock real progress?

Most industrial AI initiatives stall long before they reach production - not because of models, but because the data isn’t ready. Fragmented systems, inconsistent context, legacy integrations, and unclear ownership all slow progress.

In this panel conversation, leaders from Inductive Automation, HighByte, and HiveMQ unpack new findings from our 2026 Industrial Data & AI Readiness Survey and share what they’re seeing inside real customer architectures. Expect a pragmatic discussion about what “AI-ready data” actually requires, where organizations get stuck, and how unified data strategies like UNS over MQTT help teams move from pilots to production AI.

You’ll learn:

The top data barriers holding back AI in industrial operations
How UNS + MQTT creates a unified data backbone for scalable AI/ML
Practical patterns from panelists that help teams progress from monitoring → optimization → automation
How you might shape your 2026 data and AI roadmap

This is a no-pitch, trend-forward session for leaders in manufacturing, energy, data center, and other asset-intensive industries who need to turn data into real AI outcomes - safely, reliably, and at scale.

John Harrington

John Harrington is the Chief Product Officer of HighByte, focused on defining the company’s business and product strategy. His areas of responsibility include product management, customer success, partner success, and go-to-market strategy. John is passionate about delivering technology that improves productivity and safety in manufacturing and industrial environments.

Travis Cox

Travis Cox started with Inductive Automation in 2004 and previously served in leadership roles in various divisions including Co-Director of Sales Engineering. In his current role as Chief Technology Evangelist, Travis builds relationships with industrial professionals to foster innovation and raise awareness of industry trends, modern technologies, open standards, and the many possibilities of the Ignition platform. Travis shares the company’s vision far and wide to increase the growth and reach of the global Ignition community.

Magnus McCune

Magnus is a VP, Product Strategy & Incubation at HiveMQ. He is a passionate technologist with a proven background solving complex business and technical challenges through the design, implementation and operationalization of cloud and edge technologies. His expertise extends to network, cloud, & infrastructure architecture, cloud-native solutions design and large-scale automation projects.