In this episode, Robbie & Roger go on the scene in Denver, Colorado to gather intel from Anna Rogert (Acquia), Jamie Abrahams (FreelyGive), Paul Roetzer (Marketing AI Institute), and Dries Buytaert (Acquia / Drupal) about the Acquia AI Initiative, the new Source and Source CMS products, AI governance and security, and what AI means for agencies, the next generation of workers, and the future of the open web. Discover why this Drupal-led conversation is as much about business strategy and community collaboration as it is about technology.
Key Topics:
- Why 90% of enterprise AI projects fail, and how to be in the 10%
- The Acquia AI Initiative: what open, sovereign AI looks like for Drupal
- Source and Source CMS as Acquia’s AI-powered site builder play
- Reframing AI as “giving humans back time,” not replacing them
- Why governance, security, and the right experts in the room matter when shipping AI to production
- The shift from technical deep-dives to business-level AI adoption conversations
- Marketing AI Institute’s framing that we’re only halfway through the AI shift
- AI’s impact on employees, customers, and the next generation of students
- Breaking down the walls between WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and other CMS communities
- Why owning your own website still matters when AI training data is the new currency
- Where agency marketing budgets, energy, and strategy are heading next
Timestamps:
00:00 – Cold open: AI is the topic, not just a topic
00:44 – Setting the scene: Acquia Engage Denver 2026
01:04 – Anna Rogert (Acquia) on her first Engage and the production value
01:21 – Dries Buytaert on the shift from one big Engage a year to a smaller traveling roadshow
01:43 – Jamie Abrahams on why 90% of enterprise AI projects fail
02:15 – Paul Roetzer (Marketing AI Institute) on a smart, challenging audience
02:53 – Robbie on AI being woven into every single talk
03:14 – Jamie Abrahams inside the Acquia AI Initiative: open, sovereign, community-driven
03:47 – Paul Roetzer on having the right experts in the room for AI governance
04:24 – Anna Rogert on AI giving humans back time, not replacing them
04:43 – Dries Buytaert: “My agents are very busy back in my hotel room”
04:56 – Business front-and-center: practicality over technical weeds
05:53 – Anna Rogert on Source, Source CMS, and why GEO/AIO is the agency hot topic
06:24 – Clearing up the “out of budget” misconception about Acquia
06:41 – Dries Buytaert on how Source lowers the barrier to running a Drupal site
07:14 – Paul Roetzer on Acquia’s security-first approach to AI
07:43 – Jamie Abrahams: AI is no longer a proof of concept, it’s shipping real value
08:45 – Why Paul Roetzer’s keynote and Marketing AI Institute course matter
09:54 – The one question Paul Roetzer wishes executives would ask sooner
10:47 – The conversation we’re not having: AI’s impact on the next generation
11:26 – AI is breaking down the walls between WordPress, Drupal, and other CMS communities
12:18 – Own your website: where do you think AI training data comes from?
13:24 – The marketing through-line from PressConf to Engage
14:02 – Closing optimism: find your energy and start collaborating
Resources & Links:
- Acquia Engage (https://www.acquia.com/about-us/events/acquia-engage)
- Drupal (https://www.drupal.org/)