That's a wrap on API + AI Summit 2026, Kong's biggest in-person event yet.
The event brought together more than 1,000 engineers, architects, and leaders in Los Angeles to discuss running AI systems in production, tackle shared architecture challenges, and swap real-world insights.
Couldn’t attend this year? Check out our [_product news recap_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/ai-summit-2026-launch-recap)_product news recap_ or read on for a rundown of the keynotes, talks, and everything else from the big event. Recordings from this year’s event will be available in the coming weeks.
*Across the two-day event, we were joined on stage by leaders and builders from Accenture, Gartner, NVIDIA, FanDuel, Ericsson, Prudential, Dell, EROAD, Siemens Energy, Poly AI, Santander TSB, and more.*
Some ask if AI is moving too fast. The real question is: **are you ready?**
At [_Summit 2025_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/api-summit-2025-recap)_Summit 2025_, we talked about the rise of agents and how API infrastructure needed to be ready for the agentic era. Today, AI agents are set to create a new $30 trillion economy powered by models and APIs.
*Kong CEO and Co-Founder Augusto Marietti takes the stage at API + AI Summit 2026 in Los Angeles.*
This is the [_age of AI connectivity_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/the-age-of-ai-connectivity)_age of AI connectivity_. Agentic enterprises need AI connectivity, where systems of record become systems of reasoning and execution.
And Kong Konnect is the AI connectivity platform. Our API heritage makes us uniquely qualified to build from the ground up the unified control plane where APIs, models, and agents connect. Managing APIs was the old job, and moving AI is the new one.
Platform teams have a new name today: AI movers.
Kong is the ideal platform for moving AI. And the builders, teams, and organizations using Kong are the right people to do it. With Kong, they can move AI safely, economically, efficiently, and reliably.
On day 1 of Summit, Marco Palladino, Kong CTO and Co-Founder, debuted Volcano. This new product provides the AI stack for building AI agents and applications at scale, including branchable Postgres databases, durable functions, frontend hosting, authentication, file storage, and distributed locks.
You can use Volcano standalone or in combination with Kong Konnect to govern, secure, and discover AI agents (and APIs, MCP tools, and LLMs) at scale.
Stay tuned for more news. Or get started for free at [_https://volcano.dev_](https://volcano.dev)_https://volcano.dev_.
*Kong CTO and Co-Founder Marco Palladino debuts Volcano at API + AI Summit 2026.*
Every agent has a connectivity journey. Kong Konnect now governs all of it.
Our product and engineering teams have created the best AI control tower. And the product news we unveiled at Summit makes that clearer than ever:
For a deeper dive into the product news announced at Summit, check out our [_Summit launch news _](https://konghq.com/blog/news/ai-summit-2026-launch-recap)_Summit launch news _[_overview_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/ai-summit-2026-launch-recap)_overview_.
*Reza Shafii, Kong's Senior Vice President, Product, unveils Kong's product roadmap at API + AI Summit 2026.*
During Summit, we were proud to announce that, for the seventh year in a row, Kong was named a Leader in the 2026 [_Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for API Management_](https://konghq.com/resources/reports/gartner-magic-quadrant-full-lifecycle-api-management)_Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for API Management_. Plus, we're positioned furthest for Completeness of Vision for the third consecutive year.
For teams building AI and agentic architecture, we believe this year's report makes the case plainly: **Kong is built for where that architecture is headed.**
On Sept. 30, we announced the [_2026 Kong Partner Awards _](https://konghq.com/company/press-room/press-release/kong-announces-winners-of-the-2026-partner-awards)_2026 Kong Partner Awards _winners, recognizing the partners across Kong's global ecosystem turning API and AI connectivity into real customer outcomes.
*The week kicked off with the annual Kong Partner Summit. The strategy-focused event focuses on strengthening alliances between Kong and the members of our global partner ecosystem.*
This year's honorees were recognized for achievements spanning joint customer wins, geographic impact, AI-focused pipeline and pursuits, solution innovation and integration, and investment in Kong. The 2026 Partner Award recipients include:
To learn more about Kong's Partner Program, check out [_konghq.com/partners_](http://konghq.com/partners)_konghq.com/partners_.
A couple of weeks ago, we announced [_Kong's rebrand_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/kong-rebrand)_Kong's rebrand_ and rolled out our new mascot, Karl. The little gray guy was all over Summit 2026, from stickers and stuffies to signage and children's books.
*Besides snagging shirts and stickers from the swag store, one of the hottest tickets at API + AI Summit was making custom mechanical keyboards with Kong electric-lime highlights.*
It's been a busy few weeks for Karl. Between just starting at Kong and [_traveling out to LA_](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/konghq_aiconnectivity-aigovernance-agenticai-activity-7510754858430300160-nzi3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAnBI8IBwV535LN1CPXXYvX-tLTuRlWn1BM)_traveling out to LA_ (side note: Bill Murray was on his flight, but Karl played it cool), he still managed to find time to [_show off his flow_](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sonicaghi_cant-promise-well-do-this-live-at-summit-activity-7509286684514091008-wtKN)_show off his flow_ at the start of Summit.
*Kong's new mascot and Head of Ape-erations, Karl, was all over API + AI Summit 2026.*
The InterContinental Los Angeles, the site of Summit 2026, is the tallest building on the West Coast.
With sessions, panels, labs, and networking during the day and parties in the evening atop the 73rd floor, API + AI Summit 2026 offered an epic view of the city — and of what's happening today and coming tomorrow in the agentic era.
*The API + AI Summit 2026 evening party took place across multiple spaces at InterContinental Los Angeles, including Spire 73 on the top floor and poolside with a live band, claw machine game, and more.*
Our annual Kong Innovator Awards celebrate the people actually doing the work — the builders, engineers, and teams using Kong to solve hard problems in ways we didn't expect.
[_Last year_](https://konghq.com/blog/news/2025-kong-innovator-awards-winners)_Last year_, we celebrated teams from United Airlines, BMW, H&M, Siemens, SeatGeek, and more for their achievements in solving real business problems with innovative approaches. This year, we looked for those teams in the trenches, coming up with creative solutions to complex problems.
*The team at Cox Automotive accepts their Kong Innovator Award at API + AI Summit 2026.*
Before the expo floor opened, a group of builders was already hard at work in the Kong Build Sprint, which tasked developers with building something real on Kong in a matter of weeks. This year's winners were announced at Summit.
*Pavan Aripakula, Application Security |Solutions Architect at Harness, speaks after winning first place in this year's Kong Build Sprint.*
That's all for this year! Thanks to everyone who attended and to the crew and staff who helped make this year's event a massive success.
Select Summit sessions and event highlights will be available on [_YouTube_](https://www.youtube.com/@KongInc)_YouTube_ and our site in the coming days.
Want to ensure you don't miss our next in-person event? [_Sign up_](https://konghq.com/events/conferences/api-ai-summit)_Sign up_ to stay connected for what's coming in 2027.
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