BSides SF 2026: Looking At Security Beyond The Next Big Bet

San Francisco has always had a talent for turning risk into infrastructure, such as when Charles Fey invented the slot machine there during the Gold Rush . Today, we have another nondeterministic device for fortune seekers willing to pull a lever and see what comes back. We call it AI. BSides San Francisco 2026 felt built for a more modern version of that wager. The stakes today are identities, tokens, agents, permissions, and the growing gap between what systems are supposed to do and what they actually do in production. Happening the weekend before RSA Conference, this is one of the largest of the BSides events globally. This year, 2,965 participants attended 92 talks, 8 workshops, 11 interactive sessions, a CTF, and many, many other activities. This year's event was made possible by the help of 235 volunteers and a truly tireless organizing team. People were there to share notes on how to keep control when software delivery speeds up, AI changes how code and infrastructure are produ