EMPIRE NIGHTS: AI at the Helm: The Next Horizon of Strategy, Competition, and Agency

We are living through what is arguably the largest innovation in human history. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a productivity tool; it is everyday infrastructure. It is embedded in the operating system of business, governance, and daily life. But, what comes next?On May 12, 2026, The Empire Club of Canada hosted renowned U.S.-based AI engineer and educator Harper Carroll alongside technology visionary and Trent University Chancellor Emeritus Don Tapscott to unpack the next phase of the AI revolution and what it means for competitive strategy, global markets, and civic power. The conversation moved beyond generative AI toward something far more transformative: the emerging frontier of agentic AI and the notion of “Identic” AI: highly personalized digital counterparts that can extend our cognitive capacity and learn, decide, and act on our behalf. Together, they explored how emerging AI innovations will reshape business models, customer trust, and citizen agency, and identity.Oriented toward leaders navigating an era of rapid technological change, this conversation explored the strategic, economic, and human implications of the next generation of AI and what they should prioritize to stay ahead of both opportunity and risk. This event also served as the 2026 Tapscott Lopes Business and Society Lecture – a Trent University lecture series focused on the intersection of business, technology, and society, generously supported by Ana Lopes and Don Tapscott.