The 2026 Innovation Summit brings together standards, technology, industry, and policy leaders for forward-looking sessions on transformative technologies and the future of standardization amid rapid change.
The 2026 U.S. – Korea Standards Forum* will be co-located with the Innovation Summit on Friday, July 31.
12 – 2:15 PM MDT
Opens with networking lunch 12 – 1 PM
Standards are the backbone of innovation—but can the standards community keep pace with the technologies it supports? The U.S. Standards Strategy 2025 calls on the community to make standards development more efficient by embracing innovation and training the next generation—recognizing that development processes must evolve alongside the technologies they address.
In this fireside chat, ANSI president and CEO Dr. Laurie E. Locascio sits down with CEOs of leading standards developing organizations for a candid conversation about what it will take to answer that call. Together they’ll explore how flexible, iterative, and adaptive approaches can ensure standards remain relevant and effective—and how the ingenuity for which the U.S. standards system is known can drive development models that are timely, efficient, and responsive to rapid societal and technological change.
Speakers:
2:30 – 5 PM MDT
Closes with networking reception 4 – 5 PM
The U.S. standards community is pioneering new approaches to accelerate consensus-based processes while maintaining rigor. This interactive session explores how standards developing organizations and consortia are using AI, collaboration tools, agile review mechanisms, and fast-track pathways to transform standards development—particularly for rapidly evolving technologies. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for modernizing their own development processes.
Speakers:
9 AM – 3 PM MDT
A networking breakfast will be available at 8 AM MDT
Standards are critical infrastructure of the digital economy. This day explores how they can accelerate—not just govern—the adoption of AI-enabled solutions today and prepare for the quantum transition ahead.
MORNING SESSION: AI-Enabled Digital Solutions—Standards for What's Happening Now
AI has moved from possibility to deployment—and with it, urgent questions about trust, security, data integrity, and appropriate use. This session examines the standards landscape for AI-enabled solutions with a focus on what's working, what's missing, and how standards gaps interact with broader barriers shaping the pace of adoption. Manufacturing use cases ground the conversation in real stakes and real timelines.
AFTERNOON SESSION: Quantum and the Digital Economy—Standards for What's Coming
Quantum computing is poised to transform logistics, materials science, cryptography, and machine learning — and industry investment is already accelerating that trajectory. This session looks at the quantum horizon with a bias toward action, from the urgency of post-quantum cryptography migration to near-term applications in manufacturing. The central question: are we developing standards in time to shape the market rather than chase it?
Reception 5:30 – 6:30 PM MDT
Dinner and ceremony 6:30 – 9 PM MDT
Join ANSI as we honor the standardization stars of 2026.
This forum will explore how AI is transforming standards licensing, and the challenges SDOs face in protecting their intellectual property while adapting to new commercial realities. A three-part discussion will cover: 1) what approaches SDOs are taking to digitizing their standards and enabling AI use; 2) what companies, system integrators and enterprise users are building by incorporating digitized standards into AI-enabled platforms/products; and 3) how SDOs can protect their IP in AI licensing agreements.
ANSI Board Chair Chris Dubay will present financial information, followed by closing remarks from ANSI President and CEO Dr. Laurie E. Locascio.
9:30 AM – 4 PM MDT
Now in its sixth year, the U.S. – Korea Standards Forum brings together U.S. and Korean government and industry leaders to share expertise and shape collaboration on some of today's most consequential technologies. This year’s forum features high-level dialogues and expert panels on priority areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, future mobility, and biotechnology.
ANSI has arranged for a room block at the Grand Hyatt Denver for July 27-31, 2026; hotel reservations can be made at a discounted rate of $279 per night. The deadline to make reservations is Monday, July 6; the availability of rooms and the discounted rate is not guaranteed after this date. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Carroll at scarroll@ansi.org.
Separate from the ANSI Innovation Summit, the U.S. Celebration of WSD is hosted by a committee of standardization community partners. ANSI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) co-chair the WSD planning committee, and NEMA is the administrating organization for the 2026 U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day. Additional details about the 2026 WSD event are forthcoming; please visit the U.S. Celebration of WSD webpage for updates as they become available.
