How to Choose an AI Keynote Speaker for Your Event
How to choose an AI keynote speaker: set the goal, test for hands-on AI use, watch a full talk, ask how they tailor it, and plan the step after the stage.
To choose an AI keynote speaker, start with what the audience should do differently after the event, then look for someone who uses AI in real work and can show it on stage. Watch a full recording of a recent talk, ask how they will adapt it to your room, check that the demos are current, and agree on format, length, language and price in writing. Plan what happens after the keynote too, or the energy fades by Monday.
I speak on AI and automation at work, among other topics: which tasks a team can hand to AI today, and how to start without a big budget, with real examples from my own companies. I also run AI training for teams. So I write this checklist from the speaker's side, to help you ask the right questions of anyone you consider, me included.
Start with the goal, then pick the AI keynote speaker
"AI" covers too much ground to book a speaker on the topic alone. Narrow it first:
- What should people do differently afterwards? Try one AI tool on their own work, rethink a process, stop fearing for their job, approve a budget.
- Who sits in the room? Executives need decisions and trade-offs. Specialists need workflows. A mixed company audience needs concrete examples from jobs like theirs.
- Where does the talk sit in the programme? An opener sets the tone for the day. A closer sends people home with one thing to try.
Those three answers cut a long list of AI speakers down to a few names.
Seven checks before you book
1. Hands-on use
Ask what they built or changed with AI in the last six months. A speaker who uses the tools every day shows you their own screen and their own results. One who only follows the news shows you headlines.
2. A full recording
Ask for the whole talk with a live audience, not a highlight reel. Two minutes of cuts make anyone look good. Forty minutes show whether they hold a room.
3. Current material
AI tools change from month to month. Ask when the speaker last updated the demos and whether they will refresh them for your date. Old screenshots on a big screen undermine the whole message.
4. Balance
OpenAI's own help centre says ChatGPT can produce answers that are "not factually accurate" and "may express high confidence even in incorrect answers". A speaker who only promises miracles leaves your people unprepared for that. One who only warns leaves them afraid to start. You want both sides, and a first step.
5. Audience translation
Ask the speaker to explain one AI concept as they would to your audience. If the answer is full of jargon, the talk will be too. A good speaker asks you about the room before answering.
6. Tailoring
Ask how the talk will change for you. A strong answer starts with questions about your industry, your people and your goal. "My talk works for every audience" means nobody's examples will be yours.
7. Language and format
For an international audience, check that the speaker talks fluently in the event language. Check it on a recording, not on a CV. And ask which formats they offer: keynote, workshop, panel or fireside chat.
AI keynote, workshop or both
| Format | What it does | When to book it |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | Sets direction for the whole room | Conference opener or closer, all-hands, kick-off |
| Workshop | Changes how people work, on their own tasks | When teams should use AI the next day |
| Panel | Shows several views on one question | When the topic is contested and you have experts in the room |
| Fireside chat | A live conversation with one guest | When the speaker's story matters more than slides |
For company events, a keynote followed by a workshop for the teams that will use the tools does more than either alone. My own format follows the same logic: a seminar of 2 to 3 hours for a wider audience, and team workshops of half a day or a full day where people leave with prompts and workflows they use the next day.
Red flags
- No full recording, only a trailer.
- The same talk for every room. If they never ask about your audience, they will not adapt to it.
- No hands-on examples. Predictions about 2035 with nothing from their own work this year.
- Hype or doom only. Either one leaves the room without a next step.
- Unclear price. After the call you should know what the fee covers: preparation call, tailoring, travel, slides, recording rights.
The brief to send
A short first email gets you a precise answer. Include:
- date and city
- event type and goal
- who sits in the room, and how many
- time slot and length
- language
- whether the talk is filmed or streamed
- budget, or a request for a quote
I ask for the same: the date, the city and who sits in the room. I reply to event requests within two working days.
After the keynote
A keynote sets the direction. People change how they work when they try the tools on their own tasks. If your company operates in the EU, there is a second reason to plan that step: Article 4 of the EU AI Act requires companies that use AI systems to take measures to support their staff's AI literacy, and the European Commission notes that handing staff the instructions "might be ineffective". I explain the duty in AI Act Article 4 and lay out a one-day format in AI training for employees.
My talk topics, formats and stages are on the speaking page. If you are planning an event, send me the date, the city and who sits in the room.
Questions and answers
What makes a good AI keynote speaker?
Someone who uses AI in real work and can show it, explains it in the language of your audience, and gives a balanced picture of what the tools do well and where they fail. The best test is a full recording of a recent talk, plus a conversation about how they would adapt it to your room.
Should an AI keynote be technical?
Only if your audience is technical. A room of managers, salespeople or HR staff needs concrete examples from work like theirs and a clear first step. Ask the speaker to describe the audience they spoke to last time and what changed in the talk for them.
How current does an AI talk need to be?
Current to the month. AI tools change fast, so a talk built a year ago may show outdated features. Ask when the speaker last updated the demos and examples, and whether they will refresh them for your date.
Keynote or workshop: which one for AI?
A keynote sets the direction for the whole room and works as an event opener or closer. A workshop changes how people work, because they practise on their own tasks. You can book both: a keynote for everyone, then a workshop for the teams that will use the tools.
What should I send an AI speaker before booking?
The date, the city, the audience and its size, the event goal, the time slot, the language, whether the talk is recorded, and your budget or a request for a quote.