Global Tech and Robotics Summit Returns to PIT for Year Three

Pittsburgh continues to reinforce its role as a leader in technology innovation with recent advancements led by universities, medical facilities, businesses and the airport. To capitalize on that progress, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) will host an event uniting innovative leaders from around the world.

The World Innovation Summit – known for the past two years as the Aviation & Robotics Summit – is back in Pittsburgh for another year of discovery and collaboration. Hosted by PIT and organized by Future Travel Experience (FTE), an organization leading change in aviation, this event brings a group of over 200 worldwide aviation leaders to Pittsburgh, the robotics capital of the world.

This year, the summit will take place from May 13-15 with a focus on advancing technology that serves the future of aviation, driving innovation surrounding environmental resiliency and rethinking approaches to airport development and infrastructure.

Over the course of the three-day event, this group of innovators will convene at PIT and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to participate in workshops, listen to pitches from technology start-ups and innovation companies, and visit PIT’s new terminal.

“One of the first things I wanted to make sure of is that we would bake innovation into everything that we do, and innovation would not only be associated with technology,” said PIT CEO Christina Cassotis. “We think of innovation in terms of workforce, energy, accessibility, in terms of construction in terms of how we work, culture and everything we do.”

Collaboration feeds industry-altering results

Last year’s summit has already yielded tangible results.

At that event, Cassotis announced that the Henry H. Hillman Foundation pledged $75,000 to the Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation to advance the work of a summit participant.

Formica ProtoFab, a local firm specializing in hardware-based tech products, was awarded $75,000 to begin commercializing a new mapping tool that was tested on-site at PIT at the start of 2025.

“I love that the airport has been a testing ground for all of this new technology,” said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato during last year’s summit. “Not only is it about getting more flights for more people so that they can go see their friends and family or go on vacation for a budget that suits their needs, but we’ve also taken what it means to be an airport and really expand on that.”

The Formica product is one of many testing on PIT’s campus, thanks to xBridge, PIT’s innovation hub that connects with local start-ups to explore their innovations at the airport. At last year’s summit, attendees saw over 10 xBridge projects in action, from Blueberry Technology’s autonomous wheelchairs to Mapless AI’s tele-operated semi-autonomous vehicles.

“We’ve moved from a robotics summit to a world innovation summit that really captures everything that Pittsburgh’s doing and that the Pittsburgh Airport is doing when it comes to innovation,” said Cole Wolfson, director of xBridge. “There’s so much happening in Pittsburgh, and I think the summit serves as an amazing opportunity for Pittsburgh to share it with the world and the global aviation community.”

A first look at PIT’s new terminal

A transformed PIT will open its doors by end of the year, but this year’s summit attendees will get an inside look at the terminal’s progress through tours and conference sessions. The new terminal is designed to reflect, connect and serve the community, including the region’s flourishing tech scene.

Technology innovation will be present upon arrival at the transformed PIT. From intuitive wayfinding to AI-driven maintenance planning, the new terminal is embedded with innovations designed to make the air travel experience seamless and efficient.

PIT’s new terminal is estimated to have an economic impact of $2.5 billion. The terminal is over 85 percent complete, with its constellation lights, tree columns and wood-like ceilings already prominent in the building. Built for the modern Pittsburgher and made to withstand the evolving future of aviation, PIT’s new terminal is an ideal place for some of the world’s most innovative minds to collaborate.

“Innovation is constant,” said Cassotis. “Innovation has to keep going in order for all of us to stay relevant to stay competitive to meet the needs of our stakeholders. Innovation is a way of being. This industry needs it constantly and consistently and we are proving that its possible.”