IBM held its Think 2026 event in Madrid, an event that in this edition coincides with the company’s centenary in Spain. The meeting served to present its latest innovations aimed at scaling artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate environments and reinforcing data security and governance.
The opening day included the participation of Horacio Morell, president of IBM for Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, and Ana Paula Assis, Senior Vice President and Chair of IBM EMEA and APAC. Morell reviewed the company’s history in the country and highlighted the paradigm shift that AI represents in the business fabric. The head of the company in our country wanted to make it clear during his presentation that “AI has stopped being a support and has become the business model itself. Our objective is to accompany organizations to integrate it in a safe, sovereign and results-oriented way.”
The new AI operating model
One of the axes of the event was the presentation of IBM’s new AI operating model, designed to facilitate the transition from pilot initiatives to large-scale deployments. The proposal focuses on the orchestration of AI agents and their effective integration within business processes, with special emphasis on governance, security and data control.
In this context of the new AI operating model, Ana Paula Assis highlighted that the competitive advantage no longer lies in access to technology, but in its level of operational integration. “The organizations that lead enterprise AI will be those capable of deploying it at scale under solid governance principles, especially in demanding regulatory environments such as Europe,” he noted.
As part of this approach, IBM announced IBM Bob, a new agentic development partner aimed at transforming the software lifecycle. The solution allows you to accelerate the modernization of legacy systems, automate tests and strengthen security without compromising the speed of delivery.
Ana Gobernado, general director of IBM Consulting for the region, focused on the organizational impact of these advances: “AI introduces an ‘expanded team’ of digital agents that multiplies the capabilities of human talent. This forces us to redesign processes and adopt a governance model that guarantees tangible results.”
Digital sovereignty as a strategic priority
The fashion theme could not be missing from the event. And data sovereignty was another of the big topics addressed at Think Madrid. According to a global study by IBM, 88% of Spanish CEOs consider sovereign AI a key factor for their competitiveness and data protection. To respond to this challenge, the company announced the general availability of IBM Sovereign Core, a platform that integrates infrastructure policies and allows adapting governance to regulatory changes, while prioritizing the portability of workloads in hybrid environments.
Spanish banking: benchmark in technological adoption
The event also served to show real use cases in the financial sector, which is positioned as one of the most advanced in the adoption of AI and quantum computing in Spain.
- BBVA: Its Global CIO, Carlos Casas, addressed the bank’s strategy in quantum computing and the role of AI in its technological transformation, as well as new architecture and customer relationship models.
- CaixaBank: Luis Javier Blas, COO of the entity, analyzed the AI strategy and his experience with the IBM Cloud Region in Spain, highlighting its role in data sovereignty.
- Banco Santander: David Cebrián (Head of AI Governance) and José Palacios (Data & AI Officer) delved into the challenges of governing AI at scale within large organizations.
The day was completed with the Think Forum space, where attendees were able to interact with live technological demonstrations and learn about innovation initiatives from companies such as Telefónica, Grupo Carreras and Nestlé.
