Rio de Janeiro once again became a global hub for technology and innovation. It was here that Web Summit Rio 2026 took place — one of the largest international conferences dedicated to technology, marketing, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship.
The event brought together thousands of participants from around the world, including startup founders, investors, executives of major companies, marketers, IT professionals, and digital transformation experts. Over several days, dozens of stages hosted discussions on the future of business, the development of artificial intelligence, and new opportunities for companies in the digital era.
A Ukrainian Voice on the Global Stage
Particular attention was drawn to the participation of SendPulse, a Ukrainian company that was represented not only in the exhibition area of the conference but also among the speakers of one of the forum’s most relevant tracks.
Natalia Yarovinska, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of SendPulse, took part in the panel discussion:
“The Agentic Marketing Playbook in 2026”
Together with representatives from HubSpot and Renner, she discussed one of the hottest topics in modern marketing — the use of AI agents in business.
For SendPulse, this was a special milestone, as the company participated in Web Summit in this format for the first time, speaking on an international stage alongside global industry leaders.
One of the central questions of the discussion was:
Are AI agents truly capable of transforming marketing, or is there excessive hype surrounding them?
Today, more and more companies are implementing artificial intelligence to automate processes. AI helps analyze customer behavior, create personalized content, launch advertising campaigns, and even communicate with potential customers.
However, the panel participants emphasized that despite the rapid advancement of technology, artificial intelligence is not yet capable of completely replacing humans.
Particular attention was given to Natalia Yarovinska’s perspective:
“People often want to delegate absolutely everything to AI agents. But today, it is people who should manage the agents — not the other way around.”
This statement became one of the key takeaways of the entire discussion.
Despite the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, its effectiveness depends directly on the people who manage it. Humans define strategies, oversee the quality of AI agents’ work, and make the final decisions.
During the discussion, experts explored real-world use cases for AI agents, including:
- automation of marketing campaigns;
- personalization of customer communications;
- content creation;
- automated chatbots;
- data analysis and user behavior insights;
- sales performance enhancement;
- customer service optimization.
The main advantage of AI is not replacing specialists but enabling people to work faster and more efficiently.
Web Summit Rio 2026 demonstrated that artificial intelligence is no longer a technology of the future — it is already being actively used by companies worldwide.
At the same time, the conference once again confirmed that even in an AI-driven world, people remain at the center. Human expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to build trust continue to play a crucial role.
That is why the most successful companies will not simply be those that adopt artificial intelligence, but those that learn how to effectively combine technology with human experience.
Web Summit Rio 2026 became a vivid example of how innovation, business, and human potential can come together to shape the future of the digital world.
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Author: Olena Zhukova
Photo: Olena Zhukova