AI Con USA 2025 - General Management
Customize your AI Con USA 2025 experience with sessions covering general project management.
Monday, June 9
Getting Started with AI and Machine Learning
Are you a software professional who would like to learn to use AI and machine learning (ML), but don't know how to get started? One of the best ways to get into ML is by designing and completing small projects. Although you will ultimately need to understand the fundamentals of AI/ML, there's no reason why you can't learn foundational terms, concepts and principles as you put them into practice. Join Dionny Santiago as he introduces you to the world of applied machine learning. Dionny will guide you through a series of ML projects end-to-end, enabling you to gain experience with creating...
Leveraging Generative AI for Software Productivity
Executive leaders across the globe have been asking a relatively simple yet profound question: Can we leverage generative AI to transform our business, enterprise, or industry? For software-based companies, focus has either been on differentiating their product and service offerings using this new technology. But how about leveraging generative AI to improve team productivity and efficiency? This may be possible but how do you measure its success? What are some of the key use cases within business analysis, development, and testing that software teams can use? Are there any pitfalls...
Become an AI Power User
NewImpostering a bit in the AI-verse? Overwhelmed by daily AI announcements? Unsure you're using AI most effectively? Tiny bit of FOMO? We've got you covered! In this workshop, we'll help you become an AI Power User. Become a boss at your job, whatever your role or industry! We'll show you where AI shines and where you'll want to be careful, plus toss you lots of hands-on practice. In our time together, we'll help you pinpoint YOUR niche, build a custom AI assistant, and develop a comms strategy to show off your new skills. You'll walk out with cutting-edge knowledge, a prompt library...
Introduction to RAG Applications: Building Conversational AI for Domain-specific Search
NewThis beginner-friendly workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications. Using a pre-configured Docker environment featuring Python, Elasticsearch for vector storage, and OpenAI as the LLM, attendees will learn how to build a RAG-powered conversational portal. Throughout the session, participants will create a RAG application to consume and query a sample dataset of Washington State regulation documents. Replace these sample documents with your own PDF files, and you’ll interact with your data in no time! By the end, attendees will...
Tuesday, June 10
Prompt Engineering for Software Practitioners
With the sudden rise of ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs), practitioners are using these tools for all aspects of engineering. This includes leveraging LLMs for creating software artifacts such as requirements documents, source code, and tests; reviewing them for issues and making corrective suggestions, and analyzing or summarizing results or outcomes. However, if LLM's are not fed good prompts describing the task that the AI is supposed to perform, their responses can be inaccurate and unreliable. Join Tariq King as he teaches you how to craft high-quality AI prompts and...
AI-Assisted Development: Supercharge Your Coding with GitHub Copilot and More
NewThe world of software development is rapidly evolving, and AI-powered tools are leading the charge. Generative AI tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Continue are revolutionizing how we code by offering intelligent code suggestions, complete function generation, and other advanced features that streamline the development process, improve code quality, and significantly boost developer productivity. In this hands-on workshop, Jeffery Payne will guide you through leveraging these powerful tools to accelerate your coding, reduce errors, and unlock new levels of creativity. Learn how to...
This Is Our Agent, We Make the Call
NewAgents! Finally, a term that might be even more over-hyped than AI! But what exactly are Agents, and more importantly, how do you use them? Where do Agents fit within the overall AI toolkit? What capabilities do they add, and what tasks can they help us perform? Dona and Jeremiah will help you gain a solid understanding of Agents and the fundamental components of an Agent-based AI system. You’ll learn key design principles for Agents, as well as when to leverage them and scenarios where they may not be the best choice. We'll cover how to identify business problems that are well-suited for...
Wednesday, June 11
Best Practices for Using AI for Structured Data Extraction
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...
The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity
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-...
Mastering Prompt Engineering: Unlocking the Power of Prompt Patterns and Meta-Prompting Technique
As AI becomes increasingly central to professional workflows, the ability to craft effective prompts has emerged as a crucial skill. While many users struggle with trial-and-error approaches, this session introduces a systematic framework for prompt engineering based on proven patterns and and meta-prompting techniques. You'll learn how to apply specific prompt patterns such as persona, meta-language creation, and flipped interaction, and more, to achieve consistently better results. You will then explore meta-prompting - a powerful technique where AI assists in generating, refining, and...
AI at Scale: Balancing Innovation, Governance, and Risk in Large Organizations
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...
AI for Real People—Panel
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
AWS Public Health Modernization: Leveraging GenAI for Government Innovation
Join Venkata Kampana, Senior Solutions Architect from the AWS Health and Human Services team, and Tim Collinson, the CTO of 11:59, an AWS consulting partner, for an insightful discussion on transforming public health systems across federal, state, and local governments. This session will showcase real-world implementations of GenAI and AWS technologies that are revolutionizing public health operations. They will demonstrate innovative solutions, including their IDP implementation utilizing Bedrock's Data Automation (BDA) feature with confidence scoring and bounding box capabilities,...
Five Ways to Operationalize AI at Scale
Enterprises often struggle with how to incorporate AI and machine learning in a repeatable, sustainable manner. In today’s competitive landscape, AI is no longer just a trend but a necessity. Generative AI has quickly become an essential tool for businesses—and with companies expected to explain its usage and justify any lack thereof—organizations are looking for ways to leverage AI at scale. This keynote provides a strategic roadmap to unlock the full potential of AI within organizations, focusing on cultural readiness, enablement, ethical considerations, and addressing biases. Attendees...
The AI-Powered Leader: Creating Alignment and Redefining Leadership in an Autonomous Era
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,...
Navigating Compliance with the EU AI Act: Strategies for Responsible AI Development and Governance
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...
The Future of AI Agents
The future of AI agents is rapidly evolving, with increasing importance across diverse sectors. AI agents, defined by their current capabilities, are poised for significant transformation. Several key trends are shaping this future. Advancements in models are enhancing AI agent communication. Agent frameworks are evolving to make AI Agents easier to create and manage. Personalization and adaptability are driving the development of AI agents that learn user preferences and adapt accordingly. Simultaneously, ethical guidelines and responsible AI development are gaining prominence....
Reception and Summit Kickoff: As a Leader, What Is Keeping You Up at Night?
Kickoff the AI Leadership Summit with a reception and some networking.
Friday, June 13
Summit Welcome - Opening Remarks
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.
AI Leadership Unplugged: Balancing Innovation and Execution
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...
Leadership Secrets from the Room
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...
Think Tank Discussion Part I: Problem Definitions
Join with your peers in an engaging and highly interactive session to discuss the issues that affect you most. Using answers to the question “As a Leader, What is Keeping You Up at Night?” posed at Thursday’s evening reception, participants will form small groups to work on finding solutions to pressing leadership & management issues. Discussions will review identified issues, barriers to change, and focus on innovative strategies and practical next steps. At the end of the think tank, all feedback will be collected and posted online to encourage further collaboration.
Think Tank Discussion Part II: Leadership Solutions
Based upon the problem definitions developed during Part I of the Think Tank, small groups will brainstorm on how to best solve these challenges, leveraging the collective wisdom of peers and Summit speakers. Each group will designate a representative to present its results and practice delivery.
Think Tank Discussion Part III: Presentation of Results & Wrap Up
Small group representatives will each be given five minutes to present their leadership solutions. Summit participants will vote on which group produced the best solutions.