AI Con USA 2025 - C-Level

Customize your AI Con USA 2025 experience with sessions covering C-level topics.

Wednesday, June 11

erica_greene_headshot
Yahoo News
K1

Best Practices for Using AI for Structured Data Extraction

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 8:30am to 9:30am

Structured data extraction, or data tagging, is one of the easiest and impactful applications of modern AI. Before the wide availability of pre-trained AI models, the process of “understanding” unstructured data either required constructing complex heuristic logic or investing in a machine learning team who could train models in-house. Now, cheap and powerful tagging machines are an API call away, redefining what is possible for how we can understand our data. In this talk, I'll share how we’ve used AI at Yahoo News to improve our content understanding pipelines. Yahoo was a pioneer in...

sida_peng_headshot
Microsoft
K2

The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 9:35am to 10:20am

Generative AI tools hold promise to increase human productivity.  In the world of software development, GitHub Copilot was one of the first practical applications of the use of generative AI to support developer productivity.  However, measuring software productivity is non-trivial.  For example, developer productivity gains is more than just producing code faster. If these artifacts don’t meet quality standards or themselves bring cost efficiency challenges then there may not be much overall improvement. To truly understand the benefits and challenges of AI-powered copilots requires real-...

Peter Wang
Anaconda
W6

Securing the Foundations of AI: Addressing the Past to Safeguard the Future

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 11:50am to 12:35pm

AI’s future hinges on an ecosystem built on decades of technical debt, fragmented tools, and opaque processes; creating vulnerabilities that threaten the reliability and security of modern applications. In this talk, Peter will examine how the legacy of open-source numerical computing and software supply chains is influencing AI’s trajectory. Drawing from over a decade of leadership in the Python and scientific computing communities, Peter will share strategies for tackling these challenges: improving transparency in data and dependencies, building curated software stacks, addressing...

Bob Rapp
GM (General Motors)
W8

Moving from Reproducible Data Science to the World of LLM, GPT, RAG, and Hallucination

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 1:35pm to 2:20pm

We are moving from the world of reproducible data science (machine learning, area under the curve, a/b testing, model selection, model testing, model fitting and model drift to find the best way to run a data science organization) to being faced with the "Easy Button." This "Easy Button" is often wrong, has poor data protocols, and tries to please; without factual basis. Join Bob to explore ways to make the world better in the bridge from science to the new world of utterances. This session will include examples and experiences from IBM Watson, AI at GE Healthcare, AI at Microsoft, and...

Mary Thorn
S&P Global Ratings
K3

Operationalizing Disruptive Technologies: A Strategic Framework for Harnessing the Power of GenAI

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 3:50pm to 4:35pm

The advent of disruptive technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence, has ushered in a new era of possibilities and challenges. This talk proposes a comprehensive framework for operationalizing disruptive technologies, specifically focusing on the transformative potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). As organizations grapple with integrating GenAI into their operations, there is a pressing need for a structured approach that addresses technical, ethical, and organizational considerations. Mary will delve into a strategic framework designed to guide businesses in...

Dona Sarkar
Microsoft
K4

AI for Real People—Panel

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - 4:40pm to 5:40pm

We have heard a LOT of hype about AI and AGI and ASI and all of the nonsense. But in year 3 of Generative AI, people are actually moving beyond talking and finding real value in AI. Come and hear from REAL AI implementers about how AI is having an impact on businesses across the board including small businesses, non-profits, big companies, and more.

Thursday, June 12

andreas_bohman
University of Washington
K6

AI at Scale: Balancing innovation, governance, and risk in large organizations

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 9:35am to 10:20am

As AI reshapes industries, large organizations must scale innovation while upholding governance, security, and ethical responsibility. Deploying AI at scale isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a strategic balancing act between agility and compliance, risk and reward. Andreas Bohman, CIO at the University of Washington, will discuss strategies to drive AI-powered innovation without compromising regulatory obligations, operational effectiveness, or public trust. He will share governance strategies that enable innovation rather than restrict it. He’ll also talk about addressing critical...

T1

The AI-Powered Leader: Creating Alignment and Redefining Leadership in an Autonomous Era

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 10:50am to 11:35am

Traditional leadership has relied on intuition, manual processes, and fragmented feedback loops. But what if AI could fundamentally reshape how we lead—creating inherent alignment, removing hierarchical bottlenecks, and enabling decentralized decision-making? Imagine an autonomous AI companion that analyzes patterns, prioritizes coaching needs, and adapts in real time to foster self-organization, continuous learning, and leadership at every level. In this session, we’ll explore how AI-driven leadership models can replace rigid hierarchies with dynamic, data-informed decision-making,...

Walmart Global Tech
T9

Amazing Ways Retailers Are Using Generative AI

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 1:25pm to 2:10pm

Generative AI is transforming the retail industry by enabling innovative approaches to customer engagement, personalization, and operational efficiency. Retailers are leveraging AI-driven tools to create personalized shopping experiences, from generating tailored product recommendations to crafting dynamic marketing content. In e-commerce, generative AI enhances virtual try-ons and product design, allowing for more interactive and immersive customer journeys. Additionally, retailers use AI for predictive inventory management, automating supply chain decisions, and optimizing logistics....

Joanna Kennedy
Fullsight
T10

Navigating Compliance with the EU AI Act: Strategies for Responsible AI Development and Governance

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 2:40pm to 3:25pm

As AI systems continue to transform industries, the EU AI Act sets a pivotal regulatory framework to ensure responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence across Europe. This session will provide practical insights into navigating compliance with the EU AI Act, addressing key requirements for high-risk AI systems, transparency, accountability, and data governance. Joanna will explore how organizations can align their AI development processes with the Act's standards while maintaining innovation. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for integrating compliance into existing...

Megs Shah
Parasol Cooperative
T12

Empathy in Code: Balancing Emotional Intelligence with Ethical Boundaries in AI

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 2:40pm to 3:25pm

As AI systems increasingly support the social and emotional well-being of humans, the integration of human-like interactions presents both opportunities and significant risks that necessitate the use of trauma-informed principles in design. This session examines the delicate balance between creating emotionally intelligent AI and maintaining essential ethical boundaries. Join Megs to explore critical decisions in AI development: when emotional support should be provided versus redirected to human professionals, how to establish clear limitations in AI capabilities, and methods for...

Jeff Payne
Coveros
SMT1

Reception and Summit Kickoff: As a Leader, What Is Keeping You Up at Night?

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Kickoff the AI Leadership Summit with a reception and some networking.

Friday, June 13

Jeff Payne
Coveros
SMT2

Summit Welcome - Opening Remarks

Friday, June 13, 2025 - 8:00am to 8:30am

After enjoying the Summit breakfast starting at 8:00 AM, join your moderator Jeff Payne as we kick off the AI Con USA AI Leadership Summit for 2025.

Tariq King
Test IO
SMT3

AI Leadership Unplugged: Balancing Innovation and Execution

Friday, June 13, 2025 - 8:45am to 9:45am

Leadership in AI/ML is as much about managing complexity as it is about fostering innovation. AI leaders must navigate a landscape where data science, engineering, and operational disciplines intersect. They frequently have to bridge the gap between research and production, balancing innovation with scalability, and fostering team collaboration. AI product and platform development is non-trivial and typically requires building prototypes, adapting and evolving them for production, while maintaining agility in an ever-changing field. Join Tariq King as he shares lessons learned from leading...

Jeff Payne
Coveros
SMT4

Leadership Secrets from the Room

Friday, June 13, 2025 - 10:00am to 11:00am

While everyone has their own approach to leadership, we all have our go-to tips and tricks that can help others lead teams, organizations, and ourselves. These may be techniques for motivating staff, growing team skills, managing senior executives, or finding the right people for your organization.

During this collaborative lean coffee session, Jeffery Payne will facilitate a discussion to elicit and discuss those leadership secrets used effectively by Summit participants. Using a lean coffee meeting format, participants will choose which aspects of leadership to discuss, vote on...