Opening Sessions: Setting the Direction. Attendees check in, enjoy a fresh cup of coffee and explore visual installations and early‑stage demos that frame the global AI landscape.
A clear overview of the Summit’s mission and what attendees can expect over two days.
Kris Krüg kicks off the Summit with a bold, visually rich exploration of how AI is reshaping creativity, culture, and human identity. Blending art, storytelling, and real‑world insight, he challenges attendees to rethink what it means to stay authentically human in an increasingly synthetic world.
This session explores what trustworthy enterprise AI truly means for highly regulated sectors such as finance, insurance, critical infrastructure, and public services. As organizations accelerate AI adoption, the stakes rise — and so does the need for rigorous governance, safety, and compliance frameworks.
Daniel will moderate a panel featuring senior title AI leaders and founders from regulated industries alongside a senior AI policymaker, guiding a discussion on how to deploy AI responsibly when the margin for error is effectively zero.
Host: Daniel Escott, LLM, JD, BBA — CEO, Formic AI; Ontario‑licensed lawyer; Research Fellow at the Artificial Intelligence Risk & Regulation Lab; leading voice in Canadian AI law and regulation.
A deep dive into compute, efficiency, and the systems behind modern AI
For Fortune 500 leaders, the conversation has moved far beyond automation. The mandate now is AI that drives measurable business value, strengthens competitive positioning, and integrates seamlessly across complex, global organizations. In this executive‑level session, Dr. Nargess Heydari Beni outlines how bespoke AI systems are architected to meet the realities of enterprise scale — from legacy infrastructure and fragmented data ecosystems to governance, risk, and long‑term ROI.
Key insights for enterprise leaders:
✅ How to identify high‑leverage AI opportunities that align with corporate strategy, not just operational efficiency
✅ Why custom AI models outperform generic solutions in regulated, high‑stakes, or data‑sensitive environments
✅ The R&D frameworks Lemay.ai uses to design systems that integrate with existing workflows, governance structures, and security requirements
✅ How to evaluate AI investments through the lens of risk reduction, resilience, and measurable business outcomes
✅ Real‑world examples of tailored AI driving transformation across large, complex organizations
This session is built for decision‑makers who need AI that is not only technically sophisticated — but strategically essential.
Buffet Lunch + Demo Pods. Attendees meet startups, research labs, and solution providers showcasing live prototypes.
“Workforce 4.0 & The Future of Work” — Sol Rashidi,
MBA— the World’s 1st Chief AI Officer for Enterprise, LinkedIn’s 2026 Top
Voice of the Year, and a Sr. Fellow at Harvard with 9 patents, Sol is a former
AWS and Fortune 100 C-Suite exec who helped IBM launch Watson in
2011. Having led over 200+ deployments, Sol brings rare execution
experience and thought leadership to organizations and their workforces
through the safe use of AI.
A high‑energy session where experts challenge assumptions and explore tradeoffs.
Attendees leave with templates and tools they can apply in their own organizations.
Most companies talk about AI transformation. Very few actually pull it off. This keynote cuts through the noise and exposes the real mechanics behind enterprise‑scale AI deployment — the messy middle that never makes it into case studies or conference slides.
You’ll get a front‑row look at how leading organizations move beyond pilots and prototypes to build AI systems that actually ship, scale, and deliver measurable business impact. Expect candid insights on data readiness, governance, cross‑functional alignment, workforce transformation, and the organizational rewiring required to make AI stick.
If you want the unfiltered truth about what separates AI‑driven enterprises from everyone else, this is the session you don’t want to miss.
Closing the Day - A conversation on labour, education, and community resilience in an AI‑driven world.
Join us for an exclusive evening reception inside one of Vancouver’s most iconic venues. Set among softly lit galleries and vibrant marine exhibits, the Aquarium offers a stunning backdrop for premium networking and cross‑sector connection. This is a high‑prestige, high‑intent environment designed to spark meaningful conversations between enterprise leaders, founders, academics, policymakers, and investors.
Evening Flow:
⏱️7:00pm — Arrival & Welcome Drinks
Guests are welcomed with refreshments and invited to explore select galleries, creating early, organic opportunities for sponsors and attendees to connect as they move through the space.
⏱️7:30pm–9:30pm — Networking & Micro‑Tours
Free‑flow networking continues throughout the Aquarium’s immersive exhibits. Optional micro‑tours led by Aquarium staff help facilitate high‑value introductions and deeper conversations across sectors.
⏱️9:30pm–10:00pm — Closing Conversations
The evening winds down in the central gallery, offering a relaxed final touchpoint for sponsors and attendees to strengthen new relationships.
A Sponsor‑Aligned Experience
This reception is intentionally designed to maximize engagement. The layout encourages natural movement, the atmosphere is calm and visually striking, and coastal‑inspired hors d’oeuvres with roaming service keep conversations flowing. It’s a signature moment of the Summit — a shared experience that reinforces our commitment to responsible, future‑focused innovation.
Morning: Innovation and Research Frontiers. A research‑heavy look at where model capabilities are heading.
How AI can be deployed responsibly to address society’s biggest challenges.
Canadian Lab & Startup Showcase, Fast‑paced lightning demos highlighting emerging technologies and founders:
1. 10:35am - 10:40am:
2. 10:45am - 10:50am:
3. 10:55am - 11:00am:
4. 11:05am - 11:10am:
5. 11:15am - 11:20am:
6. 11:25am - 11:30am:
7. 11:35am - 11:40am:
8. 11:45am - 11:50am:
Closing remarks and poll results.
Buffet Lunch + Demo Pods. Attendees meet startups, research labs, and solution providers showcasing live prototypes.
The CEO of ORKA AI introduces a practical framework for embedding digital employees into real operations and designing hybrid human + AI teams. Attendees gain clear steps for workflow redesign, adoption readiness, and unlocking measurable productivity gains.
AI regulation is accelerating worldwide — and the rules are changing faster than most organizations can track. This keynote breaks down the global policy shifts reshaping how AI is built, deployed, governed, and audited across industries. From the EU AI Act and U.S. executive actions to Canada’s evolving framework and emerging international standards, this session clarifies what leaders need to know right now.
Attendees will learn how regulatory momentum is converging, where it’s diverging, and what this means for enterprise risk, compliance, innovation velocity, and competitive advantage. If your organization is scaling AI, this is your roadmap to staying ahead of the policy curve rather than reacting to it.
Attendees learn how to structure cross‑functional teams for safety and impact.
Practical insights from experts who test and secure AI systems.
Closing Sessions: Defining the Path Forward
A provocative, multi‑stakeholder discussion on power, governance, and global responsibility.
Artificial intelligence isn’t just improving work—it’s redefining how work gets done. Most companies are adding AI tools. The smartest ones are rebuilding their organizations around AI. A new class of AI-first companies is emerging, where agents and robots run workflows at machine speed while people focus on creativity, judgment, and leadership. These organizations amplify human impact, collapse constraints, and outperform larger rivals with a fraction of the resources.
In this keynote, Steve Brown shows leaders how to move beyond pilots and make AI the core engine of performance—redesigning work so technology handles execution and people do what humans do best.
By attending this talk, you will:
• Distinguish between adding AI tools and becoming truly AI-first
• See how agents and robots can own workflows while amplifying human talent
• Identify where AI can collapse cost, time, and capacity constraints
• Explore AI-enhanced, AI-first, and AI-native organizations
• Leave with a clear roadmap to reinvent work and build lasting competitive advantage
A look at what’s next for TruNorth and the global AI community.
Unwind and enjoy a beverage on us.
This is your final chance to mingle, forge new relationships, and talk shop in a relaxed, peer‑to‑peer setting. Settle in with a live pianist, passed hors d’oeuvres, and beautifully curated charcuterie boards as we close out the day in style.