Future-Proofing Automation: Insights from McDonald’s HQ

I recently had the opportunity to attend the C TWO Connect event at McDonald’s Global Headquarters here in Chicago on February 11, 2026. It was an eye-opening session focused on the “Agentic Era” — the next big leap where AI agents, bots, and humans work in a perfectly synced loop. I’m always looking for ways to stay current on market developments and emerging tech trends. Understanding how industry leaders are tackling the next wave of automation is critical to ensuring our own strategies at CIBC remain in future proof.

It was a fantastic experience networking with like-minded folks from across different industries. Discussing the shared challenges and breakthroughs in Automation and AI with such a diverse group really highlighted that while our products differ, our digital transformation goals are very much aligned.

What is an “Agentic Management Platform” (AMP)?

Think of our current automation tools (RPA bots, AI agents, APIs) like talented musicians in a room. They are great individually, but without a conductor, it’s just noise.

C TWO acts as Universal Orchestration Layer. Instead of having five different controllers for five different tools, this layer sits on top as a foundational control layer.

Key Capabilities

While the technology is impressive, the real value lies in the orchestration and governance capabilities

• Universal Orchestration: It runs and coordinates work across RPA, AI agents, and legacy systems from one layer, dynamically routing tasks based on real-time conditions, cost, and SLAs.
• Flipped Licensing/Scheduling Model: This model allows organizations to move away from rigid, fixed schedules toward an SLA-driven approach. Currently, many companies have to purchase a high number of licenses just to account for their “peak capacity” periods, leaving resources idle during slower times. Moving to an SLA-driven model allows for much more intelligence; for instance, if a job is triggered with a 5-minute SLA, the orchestrator will automatically cut it to the front of the queue ahead of a job with a 2-hour SLA, optimizing resources without needing to over-allocate licenses
• Modular Approach: This is a concept we are increasingly calling out as fundamental to everything we design. By breaking complex processes into small, modular steps, we significantly reduce the cognitive load on our teams (such as fraud investigators or governance testers). If one specific “module” hits a snag, the system can auto-recover or reroute that single step without the entire end-to-end process failing.
• Automated Governance & Digital Twin: For a bank, compliance is everything. This platform provides real-time intelligence and a “Digital Twin” of our processes, offering the lineage and telemetry we need for seamless auditing.

A Personal Note on the Chicago Tech Scene

Beyond the tech, being at McDonald’s HQ reminded me why I love attending these Chicago-based events for my own development.

I’ve found that getting out of my “daily bubble” and into these rooms is one of the fastest ways to grow. Networking with peers at events like this gives me a fresh lens to bring back to my work at CIBC. If you’re looking to level up your development, I highly recommend keeping an eye on local tech meetups and summits — the ROI on your time is massive.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: As we move toward “Agentic” AI, are we ready to shift from building bots to managing entire digital workforces?