This week, the team at Virbela had the opportunity to attend and present at Future in Review Conference 2026, an event bringing together leaders across AI, healthcare, climate tech, security, chips, the industrial metaverse, and emerging technologies to discuss where technology (and the world) is heading next.
For Virbela, this year’s event carried special significance.
More than a decade ago, Virbela’s roots began at University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute with a vision that felt ahead of its time: creating a safe environment where people could practice the hardest human conversations before the stakes were real.
At the time, the technology needed to fully realize that vision simply didn’t exist yet.
Today, AI has finally caught up.
At FiRe 2026, Virbela shared how that original vision has evolved into AI-powered behavioral simulations that help organizations develop leadership, communication, and decision-making skills through immersive practice, not just theory.
Why Human Skills Matter More Than Ever
One of the biggest themes throughout the conference was the growing importance of deeply human skills in an AI-driven world.
As AI continues to automate more technical and analytical work, organizations are increasingly focused on capabilities like:
- Leading people through uncertainty
- Navigating conflict
- Building trust
- Communicating under pressure
- Making thoughtful decisions in high-stakes situations
Yet despite how critical these skills are, most organizations still lack scalable infrastructure to truly develop them.
Traditional approaches often rely on:
- Self-assessments
- Surveys
- Static training content
- Occasional roleplay exercises
But these methods rarely capture how someone actually performs in a difficult moment.
That’s where Virbela’s approach differs.
Moving Beyond Theory to Practice
During conversations at FiRe, Virbela demonstrated how AI-powered behavioral simulations allow people to practice difficult workplace conversations in realistic environments while receiving immediate coaching and feedback.
Rather than measuring confidence or theoretical understanding, organizations can begin observing actual behavior:
- How leaders respond under pressure
- How they communicate during conflict
- How they navigate difficult decisions
- How effectively they build trust and alignment
The goal is to create measurable behavioral data tied to validated competency models, helping organizations move beyond assumptions and toward observable leadership capability.
As discussions around AI continue evolving, one idea became increasingly clear throughout FiRe 2026:
Behavioral intelligence may become one of the defining categories of the AI era.
A Meaningful Moment for Virbela
Being selected as one of the conference’s Firestarter presenters was an exciting milestone, but even more meaningful was returning to the community where many of these ideas first began.
FiRe 2026 created space for important conversations about the future of work, leadership development, and how organizations can better prepare people for increasingly complex human challenges.
We’re grateful to everyone who attended, connected with our team, and shared ideas throughout the event, and we’re excited about what comes next.
