Tech Show London 2026: Key Takeaways on Cyber Resilience, AI, and Geopolitics

I don’t know about anyone else, but Excel London is starting to feel a bit like a second home to me. A cavernous, Costa-ridden, 69,000 capacity second home. Every year, I find myself going there more and more for trade shows and client events.

And while I would probably prefer my second home to be somewhere in the Bahamas or the Amalfi coast, if we’re compromising, it never gets old seeing the immense work that goes into putting on an event like Tech Show London. 

The packed showroom floor with exhibitor stands, pop-up theatres, free coffee (thank you, CBS!), and mainstages certainly puts the durability of one’s shoes to the test. But walking around, seeing old colleagues, and meeting with representatives of impressive cyber and tech companies always makes the 20k+ steps worth it.

My colleague, George Nellany, tag-teamed the event this year with me. And while we may be a couple of weeks behind schedule getting this out, here is our rundown of the trends shaping the B2B tech landscape.

🤖 TL;DR: Tech Show London 2026 at a Glance

• Geopolitics is the new normal: Businesses are shifting from panic to proactivity, focusing on building cyber resilience strategies to navigate geopolitical uncertainty.

• The "Autopilot Problem" in Cyber: AI offers real-world value, but blind trust creates "identity debt" and new attack vectors that security vendors must address.

• Inclusive AI Design is a business engine: Preventing AI bias in hiring and operations requires human-in-the-loop governance, not just automated checkboxes.

• Ethical AI Deployment: Companies like Mumsnet are proving that custom LLMs can enhance, rather than replace, empathetic human decision-making and community trust.

Geopolitics and Cyber Resilience: Navigating Global Uncertainty

And the winner for most heard word on the showroom floor this year goes to… ‘geopolitics’. 

The “G” word was everywhere. Across keynotes, talks and panels, the geopolitical instability of today was on everyone’s lips, often alongside conversations around national cyber security and digital sovereignty. 

How to navigate the current global uncertainty, and the inevitable economic ripples that come with it, was clearly front of many minds at Tech Show London - on both the buyer and vendor sides of the aisle. 

But what stood out was the sense of practicality and proactivity. The subtext of all discussions seemed to be: this is not our first rodeo. The importance of investing in technology, skills and processes cut through as the way to build resilience in the face of this uncertainty. 

Expert Insight: In a standout talk delivered by Melanie Garson, Associate Professor at UCL, this message struck a chord with everyone in the room: Through embracing the very nature of uncertainty, not resisting it, businesses can learn to ride the waves, build resilience, and actually thrive.

The "Autopilot Problem" in Cyber: Deploying AI with Guardrails

Of course, it wouldn’t be a tech show in the post-GPT era without AI playing a major role. And, true to form, it did. 

From agents and co-pilots to LLMs and automation, the attitude in the room towards the technology was palpable: AI has true, real-world value to offer. But deploying it in the right way and with the right guardrails is the only way to access this value safely. 

Speaking of safety, discussions around AI in cyber stood out - from boosting defences by complementing human intelligence, to the worrying implications of AI in the hands of attackers. 

Expert Insight: Richard Heysmond, Senior Instructor at Firebrand, discussed identity debt in the era of AI agents, highlighting the “autopilot problem.” This occurs when employees trust AI to the point of not checking outputs, significantly increasing the risk of critical security misses. 

The general consensus? While AI is an excellent productivity tool, it is equally useful for attackers, making it another critical attack vector we must protect against.

Preventing AI Bias: The Push for Inclusive AI Design

This year, there was a Women in Tech takeover of the mainstage. And the talks marked a shift from diversity as a checkbox to becoming a business engine.

One session explored how AI is changing the way organisations hire and grow talent, as it becomes increasingly embedded in workplace decision-making. The all-female panel - including representatives from GoFibre, Microsoft and NHS - discussed the dangers of assumptions and bias being unwittingly baked into AI. Left unchecked, this could have serious implications on hiring, progression and performance assessments. 

The core message on inclusive AI design guidelines was clear: AI must be inclusive by design, with strict governance in place, humans always in the loop, and teams equipped with the skills to work with AI responsibly.

Ethical AI Deployment: Mumsnet's Community-Driven LLM

Elsewhere in the Women in Tech takeover, there were impressive examples of how AI can be used for good, both within businesses and also in wider communities. 

Sue Macmillian, CEO of Mumsnet, discussed how the company is adapting to the AI era. The heart of Mumsnet is its trusted community, which facilitates authentic discussion and connection. AI could not alter this dynamic. 

Using its custom LLM, MumsGPT, Mumsnet crunched billions of words to generate insights that are being used to support human, empathetic decision-making at the company. 

The insights are also being used to influence policymakers' decision-making, and at a time when the pressure on parents and working mums has reached a breaking point, this is a testament to the value AI can have for communities when applied in the right way. 

Wrapping Up: B2B Tech Communications in 2026

As we hung up our lanyards and made the long trek back from the Excel, we shared the same reflection. This year’s Tech Show London felt like a pivot towards maturity, particularly when it came to pragmatic discussions around geopolitics and artificial intelligence.

Conversations in the B2B tech space are no longer just asking, ‘what is possible?’, but rather, ‘what is responsible, ethical, and crucially—what is human?’ Positioning a tech brand today means answering those exact questions.

To those we saw at the event, it was a pleasure! We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

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This article was co-authored with George Nellany.