KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2025 End User Summit Report: Engaging with AI

Pain points Patterns Solutions Conclusion Posted on December 9, 2025 by Arun Gupta & Boris Kurktchiev, CNCF AI Technical Community Group Organizers KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025 hosted an exclusive end-user summit for cloud-native leaders and innovators. This gathering provided a unique opportunity to network with industry experts, exchange ideas, and learn about the latest trends in cloud native technology. This year’s theme, “Engaging with AI,” brought together technology leaders from top enterprises to explore how organizations are adopting and scaling artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively. The afternoon featured fireside chats with executives from End User member companies, followed by focused breakout discussions on vendor selection, scaling AI initiatives, and demonstrating ROI. The conversations revealed both the promise and the complexity of enterprise AI, highlighting the tension between rapid innovation and structured governance. The event underscored a shared theme: AI transformation is much more about organizational agility and culture than it is about technology. Members of the Artificial Intelligence Technical Community Group attended the event and participated in multiple conversations. This blog highlights the pain points, patterns, and solutions that emerged from the discussions. Despite enthusiasm for AI’s potential, most organizations are struggling to reconcile innovation with operational constraints. The summit identified several recurring pain points, including vendor management, governance, ROI measurement, standardization, and driving adoption. These challenges are often interdependent, slowing execution even when leadership support is strong and the budget is available. AI ecosystems evolve quickly.