Industry Watch - 2026 AIIM Industry Watch: Work, Skills, and Identity of the Information Professional

Insight Series Webinar

Recorded: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Download the 2026 State of the Information Management Industry, Part 1

Who Is the Information Professional Now?

The job of the information professional is changing faster than ever, and more people now see why it matters.

AI is reshaping how organizations manage information, automate work, govern content and assess risk. Leaders are finally connecting the dots: trusted AI requires trusted information. That gives information professionals their biggest opening in years to lead, if they can speak the business's language and show value beyond compliance.

AIIM's 2026 Industry Watch drew the highest participation in the history of the research. It found a profession that feels optimistic about its future but is still caught in tension: gaining recognition but undervalued, personally ready for AI but working in organizations that aren't, and essential to AI governance but rarely owning it.

Why Watch

This is more than a review of survey results. It's an honest, often funny conversation about where the profession stands and how to position yourself for what's next.

You'll discover:

Why "information" and "data" are now nearly tied as the words professionals use for what they manage, and why the best practitioners are bilingual
How to push back on being written off as "just compliance," even though compliance and risk are once again the top reason organizations invest in IM
Why only 21% say their organization is ready for AI, and why feeling ready isn't the same as being able to govern it
Why the skills AI can't replace, like change management, communication and negotiation, may matter most of all
Practical first steps you can take today, from building IG one department at a time to finding an active executive sponsor

Whether you work in information governance, records management, content services, knowledge management, data management or digital transformation, you'll come away with ideas you can use right away.

What You’ll Learn

The Identity Question: The profession is "gaining recognition but still undervalued." Learn how to turn that into influence.
Who Owns AI Governance? IG owns it in only 6.5% of organizations. Hear why AI governance can't succeed without information governance.
Careers, Titles & the Skills That Matter Next: The job market, the rise of "data" in job titles, and whether certifications or degrees are worth more.
Dark Data, ROT & the Records Reality: About half of stored information is dark. Find out why organizations keep hoarding it and how AI can finally put it to use.
The Agentic AI Buying Cycle: Agentic AI tops the list of planned purchases. Learn why trust and security now matter more than accuracy.

Speakers:


Tori Miller Liu, CIP President & CEO AIIM	Susheel John Chief Marketing Officer ibml

John Daly, CIP Manager, Global Records and Information Governance Bunge	Jesse Wilkins,CIP Senior Advisor, Records & Information Governance Opensity Solutions

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