State of Integration & AI 2026

Date: May 27th, 4:00 - 7:00 PM CEST
Address: Johan Cruijff Boulevard 1, 1101 AX Amsterdam
Venue: Rome ’96

AI is everywhere. Results are not.

While investment in AI continues to surge, most organizations are still struggling to turn ambition into impact. The missing piece? Integration.

Join Frends for an exclusive in-person session bringing the findings of the State of Integration & AI 2026 to life - Europe’s most comprehensive benchmark based on insights from 600+ IT decision-makers.

This event is designed for technology leaders who want to move beyond AI hype and understand what actually drives results in real-world organizations.

Expect an afternoon of sharp insights, peer discussion, and practical takeaways, followed by networking with industry peers.

The program will cover:

• The "Integration Tax": The hidden cost of manual work and failed AI projects.

• The "Structural Gap": How AI adoption is outpacing the integration maturity required for success.

• The "Integration-first" strategy: Why modernizing the integration layer is the key to realizing the true potential of AI.

• Netherlands-specific insights: Go beyond the global report with a regional lens. How do Dutch organizations compare? Where are the biggest gaps—and opportunities?

More speakers to be announced soon.

State of Integration & AI 2026 is a new European benchmark report exploring the critical link between integration, automation, and AI. Based on insights from 600+ IT and business leaders, the report explores why many organizations are not seeing the expected returns from their technology investments.

Our central hypothesis is that while AI adoption is accelerating, the underlying integration and automation maturity have not kept pace. This creates an "Integration Tax"; a hidden cost paid in wasted hours as employees manually bridge disconnected systems, and a barrier that prevents AI from delivering on its promise. The report will aim to quantify this gap and explore how a modern, integration-first approach to automation is the key to realizing the true value of AI.