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Keynote
Dr. Danica Damljanovic is a keynote speaker who helps leaders understand what AI actually is and how to integrate it safely into their day-to-day. She grew up in Serbia, moved to Sheffield for a PhD in Natural Language Processing, and ended up at SRI International, the research institute that built Siri, working on how machines understand language years before most boardrooms had heard the phrase "artificial intelligence."
In the years since, she's split her time between Silicon Valley, London and Jersey, bridging cutting-edge AI research with practical applications. With 20 years in academia and industry, over 50 published papers cited more than 2,000 times, and years building one of the world's most advanced emotional AI engines at Sentient Machines, she teaches the foundations and ethics of AI and how to identify its ROI, translating research into practice through her own AI Alphabet™ framework.
Today she helps leaders move from anxiety to confidence, from buzzwords to genuine understanding, and from passive observers to people who can govern AI responsibly.
The AI Alphabet: A Framework for Senior Leaders
Most senior leaders know AI matters, but walk away from briefings more confused than when they started. The conversation is full of jargon, vendor promises, and conflicting advice. Without a shared language, organisations either stall or sprint in the wrong direction.
This keynote introduces the AI Alphabet Framework: four building blocks every leader must understand to make sound AI decisions: Data, Algorithms, Applications, and Risk. No technical background required.
What You'll Leave With
- A shared language for AI: A framework your entire leadership team can use to lead AI strategy confidently
- Confidence to lead AI decisions: from investment priorities to vendor conversations, you'll know the right questions to ask
- A risk-aware mindset: Understanding where AI creates value and where it creates exposure, so your organisation moves boldly and responsibly
"Her energy and engagement were spot on"
AI for the Board of Directors
Boards are being asked to govern something they were never trained to govern. AI is reshaping risk, strategy, and competitive advantage. Yet most board members lack the vocabulary, let alone the frameworks, to exercise meaningful oversight.
This keynote gives board directors the knowledge and tools to fulfil their governance responsibilities in an AI-driven world. From understanding AI risk to asking the right questions of management, this is the session that closes the gap between what boards are expected to do and what they're equipped to do.
What You'll Leave With
- A governance lens for AI: How to assess AI risk, accountability, and ethics at the board level without getting lost in the technical detail
- The five questions every board should be asking: Practical prompts that surface the information directors need to provide real oversight
- A framework for AI strategy oversight: How to evaluate whether your organisation's AI investments are aligned with long-term value creation and risk appetite
AI for Your Industry: Opportunity, Risk, and Where to Start
AI is not a generic solution and generic AI strategies fail. Every industry faces a specific set of challenges, constraints, and competitive pressures that shape what AI can and can't do. Leaders who treat AI as a universal tool end up with pilots that don't scale and investments that don't land.
This keynote maps the AI opportunity and the AI risk specific to your sector. Through real examples, honest assessments, and a practical starting framework, leaders leave knowing exactly where AI can create value in their context and how to take the first meaningful step.
What You'll Leave With
- An industry-specific AI opportunity map: The use cases most likely to deliver value in your sector, and the ones to approach with caution
- The barriers that actually matter. Data readiness, talent gaps, regulatory constraints, and how leading organisations in your field are navigating them
- A clear starting point. A simple prioritisation approach to move from AI curiosity to AI action, without betting everything on the wrong initiative