NestGen 2026 Summit to Showcase Scaling Drone AI

The NestGen 2026 virtual summit will convene on September 29 to demonstrate how autonomous drones are scaling from pilot projects to core business tools. Over 50 speakers from more than 70 countries will share operational insights from sectors including oil and gas, transportation, mining, and security.

According to the event organizers, this year's focus is on practical lessons from established programs, not future concepts. The summit aims to address common industry challenges such as securing return on investment, obtaining beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) approvals, and using AI to enable single operators to manage multiple drones.

Industry Case Studies

Major corporations will present detailed case studies of their autonomous drone deployments. Shell plans to explain how it built a drone program for a floating offshore facility, focusing on inspections in remote, high-risk environments. Texas Instruments will detail its pairing of autonomous drones with robotic dogs to enhance security around semiconductor plants.

In transportation, representatives from LA Metro and Dutch Railways will share how they use drones to monitor rail corridors and improve perimeter security across extensive networks. The mining sector will be represented by SQM, discussing how autonomous drones helped increase iodine production in Chile's Atacama Desert by linking aerial data to production outcomes.

Port and Ecosystem Insights

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, alongside infrastructure provider Skyports, will outline lessons from deploying autonomous drones in busy port settings. These varied applications highlight a shared accumulation of practical knowledge within the drone industry.

FlytBase Founder and CEO Nitin Gupta states the ecosystem now holds significant operational expertise. "We've reached a point where there is an incredible amount of operating knowledge within this ecosystem," Gupta says. "People have experiences to share, decisions they've made, and things they've learned the hard way."

Global Virtual Access

NestGen 2026 will be held entirely online, with sessions scheduled for audiences across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. This format is designed to give drone professionals worldwide access to insights on transitioning autonomous operations from experimentation to daily use. The event is billed as the world's largest online summit dedicated to drone autonomy.