Standing in the sunshine outside the Marriott Marquis on San Diego Marina, with palm trees swaying and thousands of attendees weaving through the conference center in search of their next big session, one thing became clear at this year’s WebexOne: AI isn’t just helping anymore; it’s starting to think for itself.
Welcome to the age of Connected Intelligence — Cisco’s big idea for 2025 and beyond. Here’s what we learned during a week of announcements.
1. Agentic AI Has Entered the Chat
Remember when AI assistants needed you to tell them what to do? Those days are over. Cisco’s new Notetaker Agent, Task Agent, and Scheduler Agent don’t just wait for instructions — they act on your behalf.
They take notes, assign actions, and schedule follow-ups, all while you pretend to “drive alignment” in your next meeting.
Read more: WebexOne 2025: Cisco Bets Big on Agentic Collaboration
2. The AI Canvas is Cisco’s Masterplan
Cisco unveiled AI Canvas, a framework that’s basically a blueprint for scaling AI safely across an organisation. It’s equal parts “strategy” and “therapy” for IT leaders who still have nightmares about ChatGPT leaks.
Interview: Amit Barave on How Cisco’s AI Canvas Redefines Collaboration
3. RoomOS 26: Smart Rooms, Smarter Conversations
With AI at the edge, RoomOS 26 makes your meeting room feel like it’s listening — and understanding. Think cinematic framing, audio zoning, and noise suppression so clever it could drown out your colleague’s lunch.
Related read: Cisco, Microsoft, and NVIDIA Just Changed the Game for Meeting Rooms
4. Webex + Microsoft + NVIDIA = Power Trio
Cisco, Microsoft, and NVIDIA shared a stage — and the harmony between platforms was almost poetic. Their partnership is redefining interoperability for the modern workplace, ensuring your Teams call, Webex device, and AI assistant can all play nicely.
Feature: WebexOne 2025: Connected Intelligence Takes Centre Stage
5. Compliance Got Sexy (Sort Of)
With the new Webex Compliance Hub, Cisco’s making sure your every message, call, and emoji stays within the lines. It’s compliance, but make it collaborative — and yes, Theta Lake helped make it happen.
Interview: Anthony Cresci Talks Cisco’s New Webex Compliance Hub
6. Openness is the New CX Mantra
Webex’s integrations with Salesforce, Amazon Connect, and Epic prove that the future of CX is open. Or, as one exec put it, “We’re not building boxes — we’re building bridges.”
Watch: Vinod Muthukrishnan and Matt Kravitz on the Webex–Salesforce Partnership
7. The Vibe: Less PowerPoint, More People
From Ryan Reynolds’ comedic keynote to the impromptu balcony rock session with Craig Durr, WebexOne 2025 felt alive. Less about features, more about feeling. Collaboration, creativity, connection — and a gentle reminder that AI is only as human as the people shaping it.
Watch: Craig Durr – WebexOne Rocks Interoperability!
Read: Ryan Reynolds on Storytelling, AI and the Art of Empathy
Final Thought
If 2023 was about AI hype and 2024 about AI assistants, 2025 is about AI with agency — software that doesn’t just serve you, it represents you.
Cisco calls it Connected Intelligence. We call it a fascinating new frontier!
