How to hire an AI speaker, a guide for event organisers.
“The best AI speakers don't show off the technology. They change what the room decides to do next.”
There has never been more demand for AI keynote speakers, and never more variation in quality. The market is full of commentators, influencers and consultants who can describe AI fluently, but have never carried responsibility for a decision shaped by it.
Event organisers are left with a hard job: separating signal from noise, and choosing a speaker whose talk will still matter a month after the lanyards come off. This guide is a short, practical framework for doing exactly that.
- 01
Real-world expertise, not just a podcast voice
An AI speaker should have run something. Built something. Advised boards. There is a generation of AI commentators who can talk fluently about the technology without ever having been responsible for a decision. Look for operating experience: a CEO, founder, chairman or practitioner who has shipped, scaled and made the trade-offs.
- 02
Relevance to your audience, not a stock keynote
A great AI speaker tailors. They speak to your sector, your maturity level and your specific questions, whether that's hospitality, education, financial services or the boardroom. Ask for examples of how the talk will change for your audience. If it doesn't change, it isn't tailored.
- 03
Engagement, not a slide deck of LLM screenshots
AI is fascinating. AI keynotes are often dull. The difference is delivery: storytelling, pace, humour, and the ability to read a room. Watch a recent talk in full, not a sizzle reel, and ask yourself whether you'd still be listening at minute thirty.
- 04
A balanced view of risk and opportunity
Hype merchants oversell. Doom merchants paralyse. Your audience needs someone who can hold both the opportunity and the risk in the same hand: where AI creates value, where it creates exposure, and what to actually do on Monday morning. Cybersecurity literacy is now part of the job.
- 05
Practical takeaways your audience can use
The test of a keynote is what happens after. Will delegates email a colleague? Open a tool? Change a policy? A strong AI speaker leaves the room with a small number of clear, usable ideas, not a list of buzzwords.
- 06
Easy to work with, ahead of the day
The best speakers are responsive, prepared and generous with their time. They'll get on a briefing call, ask intelligent questions about your audience, and adapt. If a speaker (or their agent) feels difficult before the contract is signed, it rarely improves.
- Q1What have you actually built or led, beyond speaking about AI?
- Q2How will you tailor this talk to our sector and audience?
- Q3Can we see a full recent keynote, not a highlights reel?
- Q4How do you handle the risk and cybersecurity side of AI?
- Q5What do you want our audience to do differently on Monday morning?
- Q6Will you join a briefing call with us before the event?
Rob May, a working benchmark for an AI keynote.
Rob is a keynote speaker, author and Chairman of ramsac, a UK technology business he founded in 1992. He has spent more than thirty years inside the realities of AI, cybersecurity and business transformation, and is a UK Member of the Global Council for Responsible AI, IoD UK Ambassador for Cybersecurity and Technology, and a TEDx speaker and licence holder.
He helps leaders and boards understand AI, strengthen cyber resilience and make confident decisions in a rapidly changing world. If you are weighing up an AI speaker, use the criteria above on Rob as you would on any other shortlist candidate.