What is AI//FORWARD?
Cognifyd and All Things AI have teamed up to host Charlotte’s largest AI conference: AI//FORWARD is an exclusive two-day AI event for Enterprise & SMB business leaders—focused on real-world AI applications, innovation, and impact.
EXECUTIVE-LEVEL WORKSHOPS
Attend immersive strategy sessions and technical deep dives for business leaders, focused on Al strategy, readiness tools, workforce/change strategy, and peer-driven insights.
EXPERT TALKS & PANELS
Gain insights and expertise from Al thought leaders, engineers, and researchers on cutting-edge topics like open-source AI, LLM deployment, and real-world Al applications.
COMMUNITY & NETWORKING
Network and connect with Al business leaders, change-makers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners in a collaborative environment to share insights and discover opportunities.
PRACTITIONER-ONLY ACCESS
Experience an exclusive event designed for AI practitioners and business leaders. To preserve the depth and focus of the content, attendance is limited to non-sales/marketing roles.
300
Attendees
25
Speakers
20
Sessions
Conference Agenda
Monday, October 27
Day 1 consists of two concurrent workshops. Please register for one of the two parallel courses: AIOS for Executives or AI for DevOps.
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Atrium
Vendor Check-In & Setup
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Atrium
Attendee Check-In & Networking
With coffee & light breakfast refreshments
9:00 PM – 12:00 PM
Auditorium
Mark Hinkle
The Artificially Intelligent Operating System for Executives (AIOS for Executives)
Workshop Session 1: Clarity on AI Strategy That Works
Gain clarity on what makes an enterprise AI strategy succeed—and what pitfalls to avoid. This session helps you prioritize the right investments across infrastructure, talent, governance, and use cases to align AI with real business impact.
Break (15 minutes)
Workshop Session 2: Playbooks for Moving from Pilot to Production
Learn how to move from AI pilots to full-scale deployment by addressing common rollout pitfalls. This session offers practical frameworks to help you integrate LLMs and automation into core workflows—focusing on high-impact use cases like customer support and productivity tools.
Lecture Hall
John Willis
AI for DevOps: From Automation to Intelligence
Workshop Session 1: Generative AI in the Modern SDLC
This session provides foundational knowledge on generative AI and its integration into software development and operational pipelines. Participants will explore the evolution of GenAI, foundational model usage, and the NORMAL framework—a structured method for understanding GenAI lifecycle components.
Break (15 minutes)
Workshop Session 2: Architectures for Augmented Generation
This session focuses on the design and implementation of AI-augmented systems. Attendees will learn how to build, optimize, and scale advanced RAG architectures—including agent orchestration, caching strategies, and graph-enhanced retrieval models.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Atrium, Auditorium & Garden
Lunch Break
With box lunches
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Auditorium
Mark Hinkle
The Artificially Intelligent Operating System for Executives (AIOS for Executives)
Workshop Session 3: Readiness Tools for Executives
Evaluate your organization’s readiness to scale AI with tools tailored for executive decision-makers. This session helps you benchmark AI maturity across architecture, compliance, and culture—so you can confidently decide when to build, buy, or partner.
Break (15 minutes)
Workshop Session 4: Workforce & Change Strategy
Learn how to prepare your workforce for AI adoption through tailored, role-specific training and thoughtful change management. This session focuses on building cross-functional alignment and delivering hands-on education for non-technical teams in sales, HR, operations, and beyond.
Workshop Session 5: Peer-Driven Insight & Executive Benchmarking
Gain firsthand insights from peers leading real-world AI deployments and learn which strategies are driving results—and which aren’t. This closing session helps you benchmark your approach, refine your roadmap, and strengthen alignment with key stakeholders.
Lecture Hall
John Willis
AI for DevOps: From Automation to Intelligence
Workshop Session 3: Observability, Evaluation & Guardrails
This session teaches participants how to evaluate, monitor, and control GenAI behavior in production environments. It covers human and machine evaluation methods, observability tooling, scoring techniques, and visual diagnostics for debugging.
Break (15 minutes)
Workshop Session 4: Labs, Recap, and Knowledge Transfer
In this closing session, participants will optionally engage in instructor-led lab work to build and evaluate a GenAI pipeline. The session concludes with a review of key learnings, final Q&A, and the distribution of resource bundles for continued learning.
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Atrium
Open Networking
With beverage refreshments & hors d'oeuvres
Tuesday, October 28
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Atrium
Vendor Check-In & Setup
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Atrium
Attendee Check-In & Networking
With coffee & light breakfast refreshments
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Auditorium
Speakers Coming Soon
Opening Keynote Session
More details coming soon
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Multiple locations
Speakers Coming Soon
Breakout Sessions
More details coming soon
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Atrium, Auditorium & Garden
Lunch Break
With box lunches
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Multiple locations
Speakers Coming Soon
Breakout Sessions
More details coming soon
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Auditorium
Speakers Coming Soon
Closing Keynote Session
More details coming soon
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Coming Soon
Closing Social & Networking
More details coming soon
Featured Speakers
John Willis
Editor-in-Chief
AI CIO
Mark Hinkle
Co-Founder & Producer
All Things AI
Natali Betancur
Deputy Director
Center for Digital Equity
Joseph Hanna
Founder in Residence
AI Fund
Charlitta Hatch
Deputy Director of
Innovation & Technology
City of Charlotte
David Ellison
Director of AI Engineering
Lenovo
Celestine Pressley
Executive Partner
Gartner
Christopher Scott
Senior Manager of
Data Enablement
Enact Mortgage Insurance
Jason Oglesby
Chief Technology Officer
Rev.io
Aaron Fulkerson
Chief Executive Officer
OPAQUE
SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
ORGANIZING SPONSORS
MEDIA PARTNERS
Conference Organizers
Sakib Kadak
Co-Founder
All Things AI (Charlotte)
Mark Hinkle
Co-Founder & Producer
All Things AI
Todd Lewis
Creator & Chair
All Things Open
Venue Information
The Dubois Center at
UNC Charlotte Center City
LOCATION
PARKING
Several pay-to-park options are available within walking distance. The closest is 422 E 9th Street. Use the ParkMobile app and select Zone #96422.
NOTE: Parking is no longer available at 319 E 9th Street.
For more options, view the downloadable parking map, or visit our FAQ page for full details.
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