What to expect

There really is something for everyone at AI for the rest of us. During the morning session we stick together, providing everyone with a common grounding in the subjects that matter. Whether that be how to write a prompt, a crash course in new terminology or a glimpse into the future of work. Then, in the afternoon we break into three tracks so you can go deeper into the topics most relevant to you. 

Overview

Back to Basics: AI Fundamentals for Beginners

AI in Action: Real World Stories 
and Lessons Learnt

Developer Experience: How AI is Changing Software Engineering

Responsible AI: Transparency, Safety, Guardrails and Governance

Business Strategy & AI: Embracing Change and Unlocking Opportunity

AI in the Workplace: Productivity Game Changers

Back to Basics: AI Fundamentals for Beginners

This track is for the curious. How do these seemingly "magical" applications actually work? Can't someone please explain it in plain language without all the algebra?! You're in the right place.  

It's not magic, honest!

How do Large Language Models (LLMs) seem to "know" and "understand" almost everything? How can such a breadth of knowledge be condensed down to file that can fit on a memory card? Andy breaks it down for us, in what promises to be one of the best LLM explainers the world has ever seen! (No pressure Andy!)

Andy Burgin

Principal Engineer and DevOps Nuisance

There's more to life than LLMs

As an O'Reilly educator Lisa Becker is known for her ability to explain complicated concepts like Natural Language Processing in accessible, simple terms. As a Machine Learning engineer Lisa knows which tools are right for the job, and (shockingly!) it's not always a Large Language Model. 

Lisa Becker

Machine Learning Engineer, Pure App

Show me the Money Data!

Thiago is an expert in Data and AI architecture, but we'll be keeping it simple in this talk where Thiago will provide an overview of all things data. Data Curation, Data Science, Data Engineering, Analytics and Data Governance.  Why is Data so important when we build AI solutions?

Thiago De Faria

Data & AI Architect

Translating Handwriting

Using a simple relatable example like handwriting transalation Anand will provide an introduction to Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Neural Networks - introducing these different techniques with an easy to understand mental model for the math behind Artificial Intelligence. 

Anand Bhaskaran

Senior Software Engineer, Beekeeper

Everyone's talking about RAG

RAG stands for Retrieval Augmented Generation and it's pretty awesome. RAG lets you incorporate your own custom data into generic Large Langage Models (LLMs) which is super useful if you don't want to feed your data into a public model. Walter will takes us from 0-100km/h with RAG!

Walter Heck

Senior Software Engineer, Beekeeper

Is AI a bit mediocre?

Sure, Artificial Intelligence relies of statistics to give you the "probably most correct answer" and when you put it like that it doesn't sound half as exciting. We're looking forward to hearing why Frances doesn't think that's 100% true and learn from her experience about how to test your AI code!

Frances Buontempo

Consultant and Author, BCL

AI in Action: Real World Stories 
and Lessons Learnt

Time to get inspired! Hear how AI is being used to solve real problems for real people. Fuel your imagination and get ready for some lightbulb moments where we shine a light on some of the exciting things we can do today, that felt impossible just a couple of years ago! 

Rewriting History

When Ian was at university he tackled his assignments with the tools available. Books. Ian shares the story of how he tacked one of these assignments again, with the tools available today! What did he learn through this process? What has changed and what really hasn't?

Ian Miell

Partner, Container Solutions

Want to run an AI Hackathon?

We'll hear how Waitrose harnessed the innovation and creativity of cross functional teams to run an AI Hackathon. The team went from concept to event in just 8 Weeks and they'll be sharing how they did it, what they learned and importantly, what the hackers achieved! 

Matt Osbord, Archie Webb & Nathan Cashmore

The Waitrose AI Hackathon Organising Team

From "if only" to "HELL YEAH!"

When asked to explain how you came to a conclusion or recommendation to a client you probably want a better come back then "The LLM told me so!" Matt Gibbs, Managing Director of Bayes Price, shares how they recently overcame that challenge whilst incorporating AI responsibly and transparently into their process.

Matt Gibbs

Managing Director, Bayes Price

Developer Experience: How AI is Changing Software Engineering

One community that has already felt the benefit of AI tools is software engineering. With 92% of developers using AI coding tools, this new way of working has swiftly become the new normal. What new challenges is this creating? And what other opportunities are there to uncover in the world of code?

Quantifying the Impact

To understand the true impact GenAI has had on software developement we need to look beyond just writing code. Matthias Zieger kicks off the Developer Experience Track with an overview of how AI tools are being incorporated into all stages of the software development lifecycle... and shares the metrics that matter!

Matthias Zieger

Field CTO, DigitalAI

Pushing AI to Production

We love a real world story, complete with the challenges, set-backs and lessons learnt along the way! We can't wait to hear from Ana Filipa de Almeida as she walks us through her experiences delivering AI solutions into production from Infra to Code. There are sure to be some lessons we can all benefit from! 

Ana Filipa de Almeida

Front End Lead, Inngest

Avoiding Dead-ends

When you start working with a new technology you don't know what you don't know. LLMs are no exception. Learn from Nathan Marrs who has been working through these challenges at Grafana. He'll be sharing his advice on how to practically use LLMs in your solution, and share the dead-ends that aren't worth your time too!

Nathan Marrs

Tech Lead of DataViz, Grafana

Responsible AI: Transparency, Safety, Guardrails & Governance

It would be irresponsible of us to ignore the risks, limitations and problems with Artificial Intelligence today. We are navigating this change together and must do so with good intentions. We'll be discussing the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI in this critical track. 

Transparency, Law and Policy

We couldn't confine this discussion to a breakout room. It is too important. Amanda Brock CEO of OpenUK brings together a panel of world leaders in Responsible AI for a live discussion on the evolving landscape of legislation, best practice and the importance of transparency. 

Amanda Brock

CEO, OpenUK

Preventing Cognitive Bias

Every day we hear more stories of how machine learning algorithms are causing real world harm. Codifying the worst parts of the human experience on a global scale: Systemic inequality, bias, sexism and racism. We hear from Mo McElaney who believes we can and must do better. 

Mo McElaney

Open Source Developer Advocate, IBM

Erosion of Trust

Lucia is the Founder of Have a Nice Future, helping companies navigate the opportunities and complexities of AI. Lucia will talk us through the benefits and risks that AI presents in the media industry sharing her insights on synthetic media, ethical considerations and ultimately our wellbeing as consumers. 

Lucia Komljen

Founder and Advisor, Have a Nice Future

Business Strategy Meets AI: Embrace Change and Unlock Opportunity

There's a lot of FOMO about Artificial Intelligence. Everyone seems to be rushing to implement AI enabled features and experiences. Crafting a practical and pragmatic AI strategy is non-negotiable. Whether that be for employee experience, customer experience or new ventures. This track is for you if you want to cut through the hype and get the advice you need to build a concrete plan.

98% of CEOs will invest in GenAI

In partnership with Adobe, Caroline Fletcher and the team at EY Seren have conducted extensive research on the topic of GenAI. Join this session and take advantage of their research to inform your own investments.

Caroline Fletcher

Qualitative & Design Research Lead, EY Seren

Surviving the Hype Cycle

How do you build a strategy in the midst of so much hype? How can we evaluate opportunities and place the right bets? How do we incorporate innovation into our work? Martina Hodges-Schell see's the AI hype cycle like any other technology change and will share tools that can help your survive and win in the midst of change!

Martina Hodges-Schell

Founder, Northshore Studio 

Product Strategy

Things that were impossible are now possible. User problems that felt "too big" to tackle need to be revisited in the age of AI. What do Product Leaders need to know about AI to reset their expectations on what is desirable, feasible and viable? And how will that reset your product strategy?

Danny Ivatt

Product Director, Mesh-AI

Productivity Game Changers

One of the easiest ways to understand the benefits of AI tools is in terms of productivity. Let's dive into the game changing tools that you need to know about to help you get shit done, at work and at home!

Information Apocalypse

Deepfakes are a thing. Bot armies are a thing. Hallucinations are a thing. We live in an age of misinformation, disinformation, malinformation and noninformation. Jeff Watkins takes us on a rollercoaster of the surreal and ridiculous, as we navigate the information apocalypse. 

Jeff Watkins

CTO, CreateFuture

The Future of Marketing

Discover how AI and Automation are transforming marketing into a powerhouse of efficiency, deep personalisation, and boundless creativity, delivering consistently top marketing results. 

Suhail Lakha

Founder, AI Gripped

How to Avoid Productivity Loss

Did you know that GenAI tools can actually hurt productivity? How can we prevent this? In this talk Sasha will cover some of the common causes of productivity loss via naive adoption of genAI tools and how to take human factors into account to maximize genAI-powered productivity gains.

Sasha Czarkowski (Rosenbaum) 

VP of Technology, Ergonautic

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