PeopleReign names second class of AI heroes

PeopleReign has named a new group of employees from Tucows, Optimum and Vantage Data Centers for using AI responsibly to improve work and employee service. The awards spotlight the people behind safe AI deployment as companies push more automation into IT and HR.

Why it matters: - PeopleReign is trying to elevate the workers who make AI useful, safe and trusted inside large organizations. - The awards focus on people who evaluate AI use cases, monitor accuracy, configure integrations and maintain guardrails. - The program is meant to recognize unsung employees and encourage others to adopt responsible AI practices.

What happened: - PeopleReign announced its second class of 2026 AI heroes on June 30, 2026. - The winners are Milica “Milly” Swanepoel of Tucows, Alessandro “Alex” D’Errico of Vantage Data Centers and Rodney Cardenas of Optimum. - PeopleReign also invited nominations by email at heroes@peoplereign.io with the subject line “AI Hero nomination”.

The details: - Swanepoel is director of knowledge management and quality operations at Tucows Domains, the largest wholesale domain registrar in the world. - Swanepoel supports customer service by helping team members use AI to automate repetitive tasks so they can focus on more complex work. - Swanepoel said the team has a strong shared commitment to doing the right thing for customers. - Swanepoel also said the collaborative environment helps the team turn curiosity and expertise into meaningful innovation. - Cardenas is director of technology operations at Optimum, the fourth-largest broadband and cable provider in the United States. - Cardenas led Optimum’s implementation of OLII, an agentic AI platform powered by PeopleReign. - Cardenas helped integrate OLII with Confluence, the company intranet, ServiceNow and other systems. - Cardenas also helped deploy ticket creation, ticket status retrieval and broadcast messaging. - Cardenas said removing friction from employees’ day creates more meaningful work. - Cardenas said the team’s improvements can help thousands of employees become more productive and successful. - D’Errico is senior technical project manager at Vantage Data Centers, a global developer and operator of data center campuses. - D’Errico leads the global HR program and oversees AI use aimed at reducing risk, increasing productivity and improving the employee experience. - D’Errico leads implementation of VDC IntelliAgent, a PeopleReign virtual agent integrated with ServiceNow, Workday and Microsoft Teams. - VDC IntelliAgent automates processes including contingent worker onboarding. - D’Errico said secure, trustworthy AI with a human-first approach can turn complex processes into simple experiences. - D’Errico said he is motivated by learning new technologies, experimenting with new ideas and navigating different cultures.

Between the lines: - The honorees reflect a shift in how companies are measuring AI success: not just by launch volume, but by risk control, workflow design and employee impact. - PeopleReign is positioning responsible AI operators as a core part of its brand, not just the software itself. - The mix of IT, HR and customer support roles shows how agentic AI is spreading across internal business functions.

What's next: - PeopleReign is likely to keep expanding the AI Heroes program as more companies deploy agentic AI in daily operations. - The company is also using the award to funnel attention toward its platform and broader mission around automated IT and HR service requests. - PeopleReign says its platform integrates with more than 100 enterprise systems and can resolve common requests across technology support, onboarding, payroll, benefits and security compliance. - The company says customers see 65% lower call volume and 90% lower cost per ticket.