Our team is back in the office after TribalNet 2026, which brought together over 700 people from tribes across the U.S. to discuss Native American government, gaming, and health technology.
At Capmation, we're attending more events like these, because believe it or not, custom software is a heavily relationship-based business. There's just no substitute for connecting with real people about the challenges they're facing. But if you weren't able to attend this year, I wanted to bring back some of the themes, discussions, and common issues that were on everyone's minds, starting with one of the biggest.
The conversation has moved from "Should we use AI?" to "How do we use AI without losing control of our data?"
That's exactly what I wish more business leaders were thinking about! Many attendees we talked to were open and interested in exploring advanced technologies, including AI, but were concerned about using it in a way that still felt safe and actually delivered value.
Tribal organizations want AI's benefits, but they're hesitant to send tribe, member, or patient data to outside models without clear answers on where it goes and who owns it.
More specifically, attendees expressed concerns about:
AI is not just an IT department issue, and we were especially glad to see this common misconception set straight.
AI is a cross-department initiative that affects every department, and it needs to be handled that way. That's why, when we work with our clients, it's not just about making a product or getting systems to talk to each other. We always start by talking to the people who work with the tools every day, so that what we design will include the features they need and solve the problems that need to be solved.
In one session, an infographic was shared about the pros and cons, risks and challenges associated with deciding who owns an application — IT, the business, or both. Here's my team's version:
Takeaway: Ownership shouldn’t always default to IT.
It should be decided application by application, based on risk and how broadly a tool is used — which frees IT to focus on the work that actually needs their expertise.
I can understand exactly why so many gaming organizations rushed to adopt AI. It promised faster decisions, leaner operations, and a sharper read on what players and members actually want — without having to overhaul the systems already in place.
But investing in AI before the underlying data is ready can get messy, fast.
There's not a casino in the world that doesn't want to connect player tracking, food and beverage preferences, hotel booking information, and other marketing data. But when that information sits in separate systems and is inconsistently defined, it can produce the one result a hospitality organization can't afford: an erosion of trust.
That doesn't mean I'm advocating tapping the brakes. AI and automation still can deliver exceptional results for hospitality organizations that want to create consistent, elite guest experiences.
Operators that see value from these tools typically start small, with data integration and governance, then apply AI to specific, measurable use cases.
The IT talent shortage isn't new, but it's creating a perfect storm for tribal organizations that are running government, gaming, hospitality, and health operations with lean IT teams while using systems that don't talk to each other.
IT teams are stretched thin, which creates an additional challenge when business leaders have conflicting priorities. Tribal leadership, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and CIOs are each focused on a different set of outcomes, and IT is expected to support all of them at once, often without the staff or budget to do it.
Here's a breakdown:
Most of the conversations my team had didn't start with a specific project or even a technology. They started with a specific pain point an attendee was experiencing:
The legacy system no one can maintain
These are solvable problems!
If any of these challenges sound familiar, here's some of the advice I offered:
Adoption and implementation need to be part of the discussion early on. It's almost impossible to overthink either one.
If you've ever wanted to pick a software engineer's brain about navigating a modernization, integrating systems, getting your data ready for AI or automation, or anything else for that matter, you don't need to wait for an event like this.
My team and I are happy to schedule a complimentary consultation with you to discuss potential solutions. Click the link below to learn more about our free Whiteboard Sessions.