TechSommet virtual summit to focus on agentic AI and human oversight

TechSommet will host a free virtual summit Tuesday on how customer experience teams can deploy AI agents that take action without removing human accountability. The event comes as Gartner data show most customers still want a human fallback, even as they use AI for more service tasks.

Why it matters: - Customer service leaders are moving from simple chatbots to AI agents that can complete tasks, but customer expectations still favor a human escape hatch. - Gartner found 87% of customers say companies using generative AI for customer service must provide access to a human agent. - The summit is aimed at teams trying to balance automation, service quality, governance and trust.

What happened: - TechSommet will host “Transforming Customer Conversations with Agentic AI” as a free virtual summit on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET. - The event is supported by Dialpad. - The summit will run for 100 minutes. - Registrants will receive the recording after the event. - Registration is available at the event page.

The details: - Gartner found 58% of customers who use generative AI have used it to complete a task on their behalf. - That figure rises to 74% in B2B settings. - Gartner found 50% of customers say interactions are easier when companies use AI. - Gartner also found 87% still expect a route to a person. - Gartner’s analyst said customers who are forced through several unsuccessful AI interactions before reaching a person are less likely to use the tool again. - The Thales Digital Trust Index 2026 reports only 23% of consumers trust companies to use AI responsibly with their data. - The same report says 77% would not trust a company more simply because it uses generative AI. - TechSommet says the discussion will cover the move from scripted chatbots to AI agents that act across customer-facing workflows. - The summit will also examine “bounded autonomy,” or letting agents work within defined permissions, policies and escalation rules. - Human review is expected for complex billing disputes, sensitive data requests and other high-impact decisions. - Governance topics include access controls, monitoring, audit trails and rules for when an agent must stop and hand off. - The event will look at how contact-centre teams and AI agents can work side by side, including implications for roles, training and service standards.

Between the lines: - The event reflects a shift in the AI conversation from whether companies should automate customer service to where automation should stop. - Trust and oversight are emerging as the main constraints on agentic AI, not just the quality of the underlying model. - Companies that cannot explain handoff rules, data use and review processes may struggle to win adoption even if AI improves speed.

What's next: - Neal Topf, CEO of Callzilla, will moderate the summit. - Featured speakers include Rizwan Sherif of Credit Repair Cloud, Calvin Hohener of Dialpad, Anne Cantera of elementylintelligence.ai and a stealth AI startup, and Brian Jeppesen of Fertitta Entertainment. - TechSommet is positioning the event for CX, customer service and contact-centre leaders evaluating or deploying agentic AI. - Dialpad is described as an AI-powered communications and customer intelligence platform. - TechSommet says it organizes virtual executive briefings, specialist panels and industry summits for business and technology leaders.