It's 2026, and Digital Asset Management is heading into a defining year. In this episode of the Santa Cruz Software Labs Podcast, an international panel breaks down what’s changing for DAM in 2026—from deeper integrations and evolving standards to AI-powered workflows and rising expectations around authenticity and provenance.

AI is part of the story, but the real differentiator will be fundamentals: metadata, governance, and DAM as the source of truth for creative tools and automation.

Speakers:

• Frédéric Sanuy – CEO & Co-Founder, Activo
• John Horodyski – Managing Director, AVP
• Ralph Windsor – Publisher, DAM News
• Mark Hilton – CEO & Co-Founder, Santa Cruz Software

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Integrations, interoperability, and connected workflows
• Metadata standards and controlled vocabularies (including IPTC)
• Provenance, authenticity, and emerging regulation
• Practical AI use cases: tagging, localization, agentic assistants
• The “AI gap,” governance, and operational readiness

Listen to the full conversation to understand what’s coming in 2026—and what your team can do now to stay ahead.