AI in Production: The Agent Economy and High-Stakes AI Decisions

​When AI Agents Start Spending: Trust, Identity, and the Agent Economy

​AI agents are becoming economic actors. They will negotiate, purchase, and settle transactions on our behalf. Before an agent can spend money, businesses must answer three questions: Who is it? Who authorized it? What is it allowed to do?

​This evening brings together two practical perspectives on using AI when trust matters.

​Keynote: Raghu Bala CEO and Founder, Synergetics.ai MIT Sloan instructor and four-time exit founder

​Raghu will explain the trust layer behind agentic commerce: agent identity, delegated authority, verifiable registries, and payments. Drawing on Synergetics’ AgentTalk protocol and enterprise deployments, he will show how these pieces can support trusted transactions between autonomous agents.

​Lightning talk: Jeffrey Wen Founder, WenInDoubt

​Jeffrey will share how he uses AI for high-stakes decisions, where a wrong answer is costly. He will discuss when to trust AI output, when to challenge it, and where human judgment must remain in control.

​Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of:

• ​The identity and authorization problems behind agentic commerce

• ​How AI systems can be evaluated in consequential decisions

• ​What builders should consider before allowing agents to act or spend independently

​Meet Orange County engineers, founders, and product leaders working on AI in production. Light refreshments and soft drinks will be provided.

​Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 PM Las Lomas Community Center, Irvine

​Early bird registration closes July 21. Reserve your spot below.

​This event is a private reservation and is not endorsed or sponsored by the City of Irvine.