Learning Leadership Summit
2026

The AI-Powered Workforce:

Signals from the Undercurrent

Featuring Brandon Carson and Markus Bernhardt

REGISTER TODAY!

 

When:

Wednesday, August 5th

11:30 am – 3:30 pm

plus 3:30 – 6:00 Happy Hour

We will serve a catered lunch.

Stay after the programming ends for a happy hour including live music!

Where:

The Metropolitan Ballroom

5418 Wayzata Blvd

Golden Valley, MN 55416

YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT.

 

What is the Summit?

Free to attend, the annual Fredrickson Learning Leadership Summit brings together more than 150 learning leaders from more than 100 organizations spanning industries to connect, share ideas, and be inspired.

You’ll enjoy learning from thought leaders, eating a delicious lunch, making powerful connections, and soaking in the amazing energy this free annual event delivers.

In addition to the featured presentation, we present the Jay Kasdan Learning Leader of the Year award to this year’s honoree. Make your nomination by May 29th.

 

Approximate agenda:

11:30 | Networking and lunch

12:30 | Fredrickson program and presentation of the Jay Kasdan Learning Leader of the Year Award

1:45 | Keynote presentation

3:30-6:00 | Optional: free happy hour with live music by The Learning Objectives

 

Presentation Description

The first phase of AI adoption was about tools. The next phase is about architecture.
In this keynote, Brandon Carson and Markus Bernhardt use their CEO’s Roadmap as a foundation to assess the current state of the industry. They will contrast the visible “Surface Wave” of individual adoption with the deeper “Undercurrent” of organizational change, supported by their latest workforce research.

They will discuss the real-world signals they are seeing in the market—how companies are successfully adopting these strategic actions, where they are stalling, and why. This is a pragmatic look at the evolving intersection of leadership, technology, and organizational design.

 

For leaders:

Why most AI activity creates motion without progress, and what distinguishes organizations seeing real returns
The three decisions leadership must make to move from pilots to structural change
Where augmentation is outpacing automation, and what that means for workforce strategy

For practitioners:

How L&D’s operating model must evolve from scalable efficiency to scalable learning
The difference between AI literacy and AI fluency, and why both are required before governance can work
Practical signals to identify where hybrid human-AI roles are forming in your organization

 

Brandon Carson is a globally recognized learning leader and has held prominent leadership roles across technology, retail, and transportation sectors at some of the largest and most complex organizations. Brandon is a sought-after speaker, author of two award-winning books, and is the founder of L&D Cares, a nonprofit that offers no-cost coaching, mentoring, and resources to L&D professionals.

Markus Bernhardt is a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 leaders navigating the complexities of the AI-powered workforce. He is the author of The Endeavor Report, a leading research publication on workforce technology. Known for his evidence-based approach, Markus provides the independent counsel and actionable frameworks organizations need to execute on the future of work.

 

 

Questions? Contact the Fredrickson team using the form on our webpage.

We look forward to seeing you at the Summit!

Sincerely,

The whole Fredrickson team