Announcing New World-Class Speakers for All Things AI 2026

Hello AI Enthusiasts,

We're thrilled to announce that round two of the 2026 All Things AI schedule is now live! Last week, we announced the first round of AI speakers. Here’s our next round of speakers!

And they will make up two days of world-class programming, including a day dedicated to extended workshops and programs (Monday) and a day of traditional conference programming with keynote and session talks across 8 tracks (Tuesday). 

Plan now to register and attend the conference taking place Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24. 

Multiple ticket options are available, including three (3) paid workshops on Monday (workshop registration includes Tuesday programming) and Tuesday keynote, Lightning Talks (we call them Deep Thoughts, an homage to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the AI that had the answer to everything), and track session programming. 

Content is the #1 reason people attend conferences — and Round 2 of our All Things AI 2026 lineup does not disappoint.

We're thrilled to highlight Igor Jablokov, Chairman and Founder of Pryon. Named an "Industry Luminary" by Speech Technology Magazine, Igor founded Yap — the world's first high-accuracy, fully automated cloud-based voice recognition platform. After deploying across dozens of enterprises, Yap became Amazon's first AI-related acquisition, and its inventions became the foundation for Alexa, Echo, and Fire TV. Before that, as a Program Director at IBM, Igor led the team that designed the precursor to Watson and developed the world's first multimodal web browser.

We're proud to announce William "whurley" Hurley as a keynote. The founder and CEO of Strangeworks, whurley is a veteran of Apple and IBM (Master Inventor), and founded Chaotic Moon Studios (acquired by Accenture) and Honest Dollar (acquired by Goldman Sachs). An Eisenhower Fellow and Chair of the IEEE Quantum Computing Working Group, he's leading the charge to make quantum computing accessible to everyone — and wrote the book(s) on it, literally: Quantum Computing for Dummies and Quantum Computing for Babies. He's also the guy who outfitted a drone with a Taser at SXSW and rolled offstage at his TEDx Talk on a mind-controlled skateboard. You won't want to miss this one.

Our third keynote is Luis Lastras, Director of Language and Multimodal Technologies at IBM Research. A Distinguished Research Staff Member, IBM Master Inventor, and member of the IBM Academy of Technology, Luis leads the team behind IBM's Granite language models and pioneering work in RAG and conversational AI. He's one of the minds shaping how enterprise AI actually works under the hood.

Joining them in Round 2:

From Pryon to Meta, IBM to Mistral AI, Duke to Intuit and Truist — this lineup brings real-world experience building, deploying, and scaling AI across industries. More announcements coming soon.

👉 See the full speaker lineup

In this Lunch & Learn session, we’ll take a practical, non-technical look at agentic systems: how AI moves from simply responding to prompts to planning, acting, and collaborating to complete real tasks. Using a real-world example, we’ll explore what an “agent” is, how agent teams work together, and why this approach is powering the next generation of AI tools. The session will conclude with a brief demonstration and time for questions. No prior AI or technical background is required

📆 RSVP via Webinar Jam

Everyone’s talking about AI “agents”, but most people mean very different things. In this first session, we slow the hype down to unpack what assistants, agents, and orchestration actually are, why DevOps teams are suddenly prime territory for experimentation, and where things go sideways when speed outruns review, security, and operational reality. Thoughts from the best-selling DevOps Handbook Author, John Willis.

📆 RSVP via Webinar Jam

So you vibe-coded a front-end app—now what? Building a sleek interface is only half the battle. The real magic happens when your data starts moving.

In this session, we'll turn static interfaces into powerful automated tools by connecting front-end platforms like Softr and Zoho Forms to Make.com. You'll learn how to capture data instantly with webhooks, map information so it lands exactly where it needs to be, and build multi-step workflows that trigger emails, update CRMs, or generate documents the moment a form is submitted.

📆 RSVP on Webinar Jam

Tired of vendor pitches and rehearsed talking points? Join us for something different. We're bringing together experienced AI practitioners from Google, Make.com, and other leading organizations for a wide-open AMA session. No slides. No sales decks. Just direct access to people who build, deploy, and advise on AI systems every day. Live at the Loading Dock in Raleigh!

📆 RSVP on Meetup.com

We're just six weeks out from All Things AI 2026, and the momentum is building fast. With Round 2 speakers now announced, the March 23–24 lineup reads like a who's who of people actually shaping the AI landscape.

But what excites us most isn't just the names — it's the range. Enterprise AI architects sitting alongside open source advocates. Practitioners from fintech, healthcare, higher ed, human resources, learning and development pros, and developer platforms. Free hands-on workshops where you'll actually build something. This isn't just a spectator event.

Whether you're a founder trying to figure out where AI fits in your product, a developer exploring what's possible with agents and automation, or a leader trying to separate signal from noise, this is two days designed to move you forward.

Tickets are moving. Grab yours, bring your team, and come ready to dig in.

We'll see you in Durham.