Georgia Tech is preparing to host Avant South, a technology conference returning to the university's Tech Square campus in Atlanta on October 12 and 13, 2026. Organizers built this year's program around the theme "AI in Action," shifting the discussion away from speculation about artificial intelligence's future potential and toward how organizations are already applying the technology in day-to-day operations.
The event will bring together startup founders, corporate executives, policymakers, investors, researchers, and students to examine how AI is reshaping industries ranging from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and the arts. Sessions will include panel discussions, keynote addresses, and fireside chats, alongside hands-on AI demonstrations and a student founder pitch competition.
Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera said the conference gives the university community a chance to connect research and classroom work with the industries currently being transformed by AI, adding that the direction the technology takes depends on the choices made by the people building and deploying it now.
Faculty members are expected to hear directly from industry leaders about the operational problems companies are trying to solve using AI, while students will get exposure to how the technology is reshaping the career fields they are training for. University staff and other professionals will also have opportunities to explore how AI is changing their own departments.
Registration is open through Eventbrite, with Georgia Tech community members eligible for a discounted rate. The conference reflects a broader pattern among Georgia institutions of treating AI implementation as an operational and workforce question rather than a purely technical one.