A Full Day Built Around Your Next Step
Three tracks. Dozens of sessions. One day at the Victoria Conference Centre — Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Pick the Path That Fits Where You Are
Every attendee can move between tracks throughout the day. The descriptions below are a guide to help you plan.
Sessions in progress
The full timetable lands here as sessions are confirmed.
Sign up to be notified when the agenda drops — including session titles, speakers, rooms, and any workshop sign-ups.
main stage
Keynotes & Spotlight
Visionary keynotes, high-impact panels, and featured presentations in the Main Theatre.
TRACK 1
Lead Adoption
Accelerate your own adoption or lead adoption of responsible AI technologies within your organizations.
TRACK 2
Build Deeper
Advanced technical topics for developers and architects. Local LLMs, security, coding practices, and AI infrastructure.
TRACK 3
Work Smarter
AI for business, writing, and creativity. Practical applications for professionals ready to work faster and think bigger.
Full-Day Timetable
A preview of the Thursday, November 5 schedule. Session titles and speakers populate in each cell as they’re confirmed.
Shifting the Conversation with AI: From Hype to Impact
Main Theatre
Diane Gutiw VP, AI Research & Strategic Advisory, CGI
This opening keynote cuts through the noise to explore where artificial intelligence actually stands today: the global and Canadian policy landscape, including the AI for All Strategy and landmark legislation…
Table Saws, Psychological Safety, and Lessons from Building Two Startups and a Farm
Esquimalt Room
Owen Mead-Robins Co-Founder, CEO & CTO, Bluefield Software
Owen didn't start out a believer. After 20 years in the industry, AI looked like the next hype cycle. Two years, two companies, and a berry farm later, some of…
AI for Video Production & Editing: From Trend Mining to Final Delivery
Saanich Room
Anthony Bortolussi Create Video
Abstract AI is now being used across the full video production process, from trend research and concept development to visual generation, editing, audio, translation, and final delivery. In this session,…
Power Back to Communities: AI Alignment for Open Source
Oak Bay Room
Emma Irwin Founder & Principal Consultant, Open Practice Consulting
AI is possible because open communities have collaborated and shared openly licensed code and content. AI depends on thousands of open source projects to function and on countless open resources…
AI Advancements in Antibody-Based Drug Development: From Target to Clinical Candidate
Main Theatre
Sid Srinivasan Founder, Crux Intelligence
Abstract Why can we develop a COVID-19 vaccine in under a year, but cancer drugs still take a decade and billions of dollars? This talk takes you through the full…
Start with People Not Prompts: Designing AI Adoption that Lasts
Esquimalt Room
Davis Neable Design Operations Leadership
AI adoption is often treated as a training problem: choose a tool, teach people how to use it, and hope productivity follows. But anyone leading AI initiatives quickly discovers a…
The 3-Person Company That Shouldn’t Exist: Building an AI-Enhanced Enterprise from the Ground Up
Saanich Room
Rob Parker CEO, PrimeHealth
Abstract Three people. One complex, regulated, enterprise-grade platform. Live deployments in BC health authorities. This isn't a thought experiment — it's what PrimeHealth built. PrimeHealth is a secure SaaS platform…
Field Notes From the Rooms Where AI Gets Real
Main Theatre
Kris Krüg BC + AI Ecosystem Association
Abstract AI gets real in rooms, not headlines. This fast-paced talk brings short stories from the field: boardrooms, classrooms, community halls, startups, creative studios, newsrooms, and public-sector conversations where AI…
Build. Transform. Scale.
Main Theatre
Anu Jolliffe Director of Community Relations, Victoria Data Society Jeremy Moseley GitHub David Leangen Director of Software, Data & AI, Miraterra Technologies Dominique Simoneau-Ritchie CTO, Inspiren
AI is rapidly changing software development, from code generation and agentic workflows to entirely new ways of creating products. But the biggest shift may not be in the code itself.…
The Future of the Business Operating System
Esquimalt Room
Rachel Krayenhoff Ingenuity Labs
Abstract Ninety-three percent of Canadian business leaders use or pilot AI. Only two percent report measurable returns. The tools are not the problem. Most businesses are stuck in the same…
AI Contracts & Due Diligence: What Operators, Founders, and Investors Need to Know
Saanich Room
Jacques Du Plessis Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Houtan Mashinchi Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Abstract Whether you're signing an AI vendor agreement or raising your first round, the commercial and legal groundwork matters more than most people realize. This panel tackles two sides of…
Your Workflows Are Not Enterprise AI: Building AI-Ready Gold/Semantic
Oak Bay Room
Miles Garvey Brabble Gabriel Gaultier Missing Link Analytics
Abstract: Your workflows are NOT Enterprise AI by default. AI needs governed, trusted, and context-rich data to deliver reliable outcomes at scale. This session explores how the Gold and Semantic…
How to Build AI Startups and Multi-Agent Platforms to Exit
Main Theatre
Dr. Suhayya (Sue) Abu-Hakima Alstari
Deciding to build an AI startup is the first step on an exciting and very challenging journey. Dr. Abu-Hakima took the plunge more than two decades ago, stepping out of…
Reclaiming Control: The Rise of Sovereign AI
Esquimalt Room
Andrea Shillington CEO & Co-Founder, Comfrey AI Bibi Brahim CTO & Co-Founder, Comfrey AI
Abstract For three years the industry optimized one variable: accuracy. That race is ending. When open models match and beat the closed frontier, accuracy stops being a moat and becomes…
Why AI Fails at Small Businesses (And How the Winners Get It Right)
Saanich Room
Arsh Singh What Works Marketing & PlusROI Online Marketing Sheila Wynne Fung AI Implementation Consultant Ian Slipp Rubric Marketing Owen Mead-Robins Co-Founder, CEO & CTO, Bluefield Software
Abstract Most small businesses that adopt AI don't get the results they were promised. The tools usually work fine. The business underneath them often doesn't. This panel is about what…
The Attacker’s Lens: Threat Modeling for AI and Agentic Systems
Oak Bay Room
Tom Myer Cybersecurity Principal
Abstract Most teams building with AI are using security playbooks written before AI existed. That's a problem. Modern AI systems don't just answer questions — they browse the web, run…
Growing Your Career and Business with AI: Surviving and Thriving in an AI Era
Main Theatre
Robert Cooper PlusROI Online Marketing Peter Scott Centre for AI in Canadian Learning Christine Tatham Chief People Officer, Redbrick Eric McLachlan Revela Jennifer Hufnagel AI Educator and Trainer
Abstract AI is creating winners and losers in careers and businesses. The shift is already underway. This panel is about staying on the right side of it. Rob Cooper, Victoria…