AI Agent & Copilot Podcast: Columbus’ Michael Simms on Adoption, Governance, and Staying Ahead of Tech Cycles

In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, John Siefert is joined by Michael Simms, VP, Data and AI, Columbus, who explains what’s required to successfully adopt AI, and what criteria went into selecting the sessions for the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA.

Key Takeaways

• Adoption approach: Successful adoption of AI requires not only technical implementation but also strong data governance, strategic initiatives, and enterprise-level practices, explains Simms. While there is great potential across business solutions, challenges like hallucinations and poor adoption highlight the need for structured approaches and diverse expertise.
• Session selection: As a member of the Programming Committee Board, Simms explained his thinking behind evaluating session submissions. When reviewing session proposals, he looked for submissions that addressed essential issues for the data platform and went beyond technology alone to include governance, change management, and user adoption.
• Adapating with new tech: Technology evolves in 2–3 year cycles, notes Simms, making continuous skill updates essential, but AI highlights underlying data and process issues that can no longer be hidden. Success requires a solid foundation, strategic vision, clear requirements, and fixing data quality at the source to ensure use cases deliver meaningful results.
• Final thoughts: In closing, Simms expresses his excitement for the event and encourages attendees to participate in the Golf Invitational.

---

AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details.