Boardwave VIP dinner: AI - hype vs reality

Host:

Phill Robinson: Co-Founder & CEO, Boardwave

Opening Remarks:

Sachin Dev Duggal: Founder & Chief Wizard, Builder.ai

Panelists:

Sachin Dev Duggal: 

Sachin is Founder and “Chief Wizard” of the UKs leading AI Unicorn start-up. Builder.ai

Elisabeth Ling:

 NED, esure Group plc, active Angel Investor. Previously a member of a number of  AI Ethics Committees including the EU Commision. 

Joshua Wohle: 

CEO - Mindstone.ai

Moderator :

Peter Nixey: 

Founder, Intentional.io & AI Coach

Sponsor: Investec Wealth & Investment (UK)

VIP dinner - AI: Hype vs Reality

The explosion of AI will revolutionise the European software industry, offering new areas for competitive advantage that could allow European start-ups and scale-ups to compete with the power and dominance of the US. 

In our soon to be published Whitepaper, we discuss how the UK & Europe can lead the global software industry by 2034. We highlight 10 transversal technologies, which are spreading horizontally across every sector of the economy. Changing the way whole industries work, undermining competitive advantage for those that lag behind in adoption and offering fabulous opportunities for those in the lead. AI is one of them, and expected to have the most profound impact, greater even than the Industrial Revolution, but accelerating at warp speed. We are entering the next technology wave, where AI Soverignty, and our Strategic Autonomy are under the microscope.

How do we separate the hype from reality, and what does the future hold when it comes to advancements in AI? We hear the news headlines and messages of either fear or hope for the future, but practically speaking and ignoring the hype, what should European software leaders do about it - right now? How do companies need to prepare/scale? Which roles will be automated or enhanced, which will remain, and what does this mean for our teams?

We’ll hear opening comments from Sachin Dev Duggal, Founder and “Chief Wizard” of the UKs leading AI Unicorn start-up, Builder.ai. Followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Peter Nixey, Founder of Intentional.io & AI Coach and including Joshua Wohle, Founder of Mindstone.ai  and Elisabeth Ling, NED esure.

Biographies

Sachin Dev Duggal: 

Sachin is Founder and “Chief Wizard” of the UKs leading AI Unicorn start-up. Builder.ai, a software platform that allows anybody to develop and maintain apps with little to no background in programming or coding. Sachin was named EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023. Since founding Builder.ai in 2016, the company has received funding of more than $450 million. A highlight being Builder.ai's Series D investment round in 2023 in which it became a Unicorn with a $250m Series D investment led by QIA. The company has seen rapid expansion from the UK into the US, UAE, Singapore and France, and quadrupled its workforce. 

Elisabeth Ling:

Elisabeth is currently an NED, esure Group plc, and an active Angel Investor. She was previously a member of a number of  AI Ethics Committees including the EU Commision. Elisabeth is also an Advisor and Product Leadership Coach to software Founders, CEOs and their Boards. With a background in applied mathematics, Elisabeth helps esure and other leading organisations leverage data science and digital technology to deliver innovative and customer-centric solutions.

Joshua Wohle: 

Joshua co-founded SuperAwesome in 2013 and, reflecting on his unconventional educational journey, including a remote MBA from the Open University, recognised the need for learner-focused education. This realisation led him to establish Mindstone, an AI coach that turns daily learning into career-shaping opportunities and skills employers recognise.

Peter Nixey: 

Peter is a founder, engineer, designer and writer. He started his career doing AI research at Oxford before going out to San Francisco to take part in the 5th batch of YCombinator. After selling that company he moved back to the UK and continued to build and design product as well as doing work as a VC with Breega and EF as well as angel investing into a number of startups (and three unicorns). Peter is now building Intentional.io which helps you plan your day and get your work done more effectively.