9 insights from ‘Private Tech Trailblazers’: Vertical AI becomes the growth engine

At the 2026 Bank of America Private Tech Trailblazers Conference, experts highlighted the rise of vertical AI, focusing on specialized AI built with proprietary data and industry-specific workflows across sectors like robotics, healthcare, and finance. Bear Robotics reported rapid growth with 16,000 deployed robots and integration of humanoid robots using Nvidia's Jetson Thor hardware. The shift toward domain-specific data and vertical integration is seen as key to competitive advantage in AI.