Prof. Toby Walsh

Artificial intelligence is moving from novelty to infrastructure. While many organisations use AI tools today, few have developed a coherent strategy for what AI will mean for their workforce, customer relationships, regulatory landscape, and long-term competitiveness.

In this session, Professor Toby Walsh provides a realistic, evidence-based view of:

- How AI capabilities are evolving
- Where automation will deepen
- Where human judgment will become more valuable
- And how leaders can future-proof their organisations in a rapidly changing technological environment

This is a session about understanding the landscape clearly enough to act decisively, and then positioning your organisation to profit from it.

The future of work will not be defined by humans versus machines, but by how effectively they collaborate. As AI becomes embedded in everyday workflows, organisations must design operating models that amplify human capabilities rather than erode trust, skills, or engagement.

In this keynote, Toby Walsh challenges simplistic automation narratives and offers a grounded, research-driven vision for human–AI collaboration. He examines which tasks should be automated, where human judgment remains essential, and how leaders can redesign roles, skills, and decision-making processes for an AI-enabled workforce.

This session provides audiences with a practical roadmap for leveraging AI to enhance productivity and resilience while preserving human agency and organisational culture.

As AI systems evolve from decision-support tools to autonomous agents capable of acting independently, enterprises face a fundamental trust challenge. Autonomous AI introduces new risks around control, accountability, and unintended consequences — risks that cannot be managed with traditional governance approaches alone.

In this keynote, Professor Toby Walsh draws on decades of AI research and global policy engagement to explain what trustworthy AI means in the era of agentic systems. He outlines the technical and organisational principles required to ensure AI agents remain aligned with human intent, corporate values, and regulatory expectations. Executives will gain a clear framework for evaluating when and where autonomous AI should be deployed — and how to do so responsibly at scale.

This session equips audiences with practical guidance to balance innovation speed with risk, ensuring autonomous AI becomes a strategic advantage rather than a liability.