Who makes the decisions now? Agentic AI and the future of control

When AI agents can analyse, decide, and act without human intervention, traditional models of control begin to break down. Who is accountable when an AI makes a business decision? Where should humans remain in the loop? And how do organisations govern systems that increasingly govern themselves?

This session brings together senior telecom leaders to explore the future of decision-making in AI-native enterprises.

Explore who is responsible when autonomous systems make decisions, take actions, and influence business outcomes across customer, network, and enterprise operations
Learn how leading organisations are establishing guardrails, risk controls, and assurance frameworks that enable innovation without sacrificing trust, compliance, or oversight
Understand where humans should remain in the loop, where they can move out of the loop, and how to balance speed, efficiency, and control in AI-native operating models

Chair: Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst, Appledore Research

15:45 - 15:55
Presentation
Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst, Appledore Research

15:55 - 16:05
Presentation: Agentic AI and the future of control - Indosat's Journey Towards a Trustworthy, AI-Native Future
Indosat outlines its journey to becoming an AI-native telco, embedding agentic AI across networks and operations to enable real-time, autonomous decision-making
Demonstrates how traceability, escalation and a safe-by-design platform, combined with the right talent and culture, enable responsible, at-scale adoption of agentic AI

Desmond Cheung, CTO, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

16:05 - 16:10
Fireside chat
Desmond Cheung, CTO, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison
Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst, Appledore Research

16:10 - 16:15
Presentation: Making AI launch, fly & land
As the industry hits an inflection point, AI is positioned not just as efficiency tooling, but as a driver of new value, better customer experiences and faster innovation
Success depends on getting the fundamentals right—strong data and architecture, built-in governance and security, and the ability to scale AI safely across complex environments
Building AI-native organisations requires enterprise-wide AI fluency, empowered teams and the right operating environment to turn experimentation into real business outcomes

Peter Leukert, Chief Digital Officer, BT Group

16:15 - 16:25
Fireside chat
Peter Leukert, Chief Digital Officer, BT Group
Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst, Appledore Research

16:25 - 16: 40
Presentation: Beyond the buzzwords – What AI-native really means for a telco CEO: How competition, geopolitics, and resilience shape telco strategy and decision-making today
Embedding AI across networks, customer care, and development to deliver faster results and real business impact
How AI and agile operations create opportunities for faster product cycles, differentiated services, and new revenue streams
Explore the potential of Autonomous Networks, 6G, and emerging technologies to drive innovation safely and strategically

Jussi Tolvanen, CEO, DNA 

16:40 - 16:55
Fireside chat: From automation to agency: Why "Self-X" is the new frontier for AI-RAN
Dr. Alex Jinsung Choi, Fellow, Research Institute of Advanced Tech, SoftBank and Chairman, AI RAN ALLIANCE
Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst, Appledore Research

17:00 Closing remarks