Named to the Thinkers50 2025 ranking and creator of the 10,000 Boardrooms → 1 Billion People mission, she helps leaders make data- and AI-driven decisions that strengthen human outcomes at scale.

Kate O’Neill’s Speech Topics:

1. What Matters Next: Human-Friendly Tech Decisions in a Fast-Moving World

Based on the Thinkers50-recognized book.

Leaders face a constant stream of technology decisions—AI adoption, digital transformation, data strategy—often without clear frameworks for evaluating impact. This keynote provides a practical approach to making tech decisions that balance innovation with human outcomes, helping organizations move forward confidently in an uncertain, fast-changing world.

Ideal for: Executive audiences, all-hands, leadership summits

Key themes:

– AI & data strategy

– Meaningful innovation

– Human-centered transformation

– Strategic foresight

– Responsible tech governance

2. Strategic Optimism for Smart Cities

As delivered at Smart City Expo Barcelona.

Smart city initiatives often prioritize technology over people. This keynote reframes “smart” around human outcomes—livability, equity, sustainability, and community resilience. Drawing on work with cities like Amsterdam and Austin, Kate shows how to build urban innovation strategies that put residents first and use technology as a tool, not a goal.

Key themes:

– Human outcomes as the core of “smart”

– Tech + community design

– Inclusive digital futures

– AI for public good

– Urban innovation frameworks

3. The Tech Humanist Future: Creating Meaningful Experiences at Scale

As AI and algorithms increasingly shape customer interactions, organizations risk losing the human connection that builds loyalty and trust. This keynote explores how to design technology-enabled experiences that feel genuinely human—scaling personalization without sacrificing meaning, and leveraging AI while preserving authentic human engagement.

Key themes:

– AI + customer experience

– Human-machine collaboration

– Experience strategy

– Ethical data use

– Organizational culture shifts

4. AI Strategy for Leaders: From Hype to Human-Centered Impact

The gap between AI’s promise and its practical implementation is wide—and getting wider. This keynote cuts through the noise to give leaders a clear framework for AI adoption that prioritizes readiness, governance, and human outcomes. Audiences leave with actionable insights on bridging the “Alignment Gap” between technology delivery and organizational capability.

Key themes:

– Board-level AI literacy

– Risk, readiness, and governance

– Human skills and the future of work

– The Alignment Gap

– How to make better tech decisions

Video:

Bio:

Kate O’Neill is a globally recognized technology and strategy expert known as the “Tech Humanist,” helping leaders build future‑ready organizations where innovation advances human outcomes. As founder and CEO of KO Insights, she advises executive teams and boards on AI transformation, data strategy, governance, and the future of human experience. She is the author of What Matters Next, named to the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books of 2025, and host of The Tech Humanist Show, winner of the Web Excellence Award for Best Tech Podcast. She has been named to the Thinkers50 ranking of global management thinkers.

Kate’s work centers on a bold vision of “10,000 Boardrooms & 1 Billion Lives,” which focuses on empowering the C-suite with guardrails and decision frameworks that drive responsible AI adoption, ultimately delivering measurable human impact at scale.

She has guided leaders at Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Zoom; iconic brands like Coca‑Cola, McDonald’s, and Colgate‑Palmolive; forward‑thinking cities including Amsterdam and Austin; top institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Cambridge; and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations. From high‑impact keynotes and executive roundtables to hands‑on toolkits, her engagements turn strategy into repeatable operating patterns and trustworthy metrics that leaders can act on immediately.

Before founding KO Insights, Kate helped shape category‑defining companies and programs. As one of Netflix’s first 100 employees, she created the company’s first content management role. She also developed Toshiba America’s first intranet and founded the analytics and digital strategy firm [meta]marketer.

Sought after for translating complex technology shifts into executive‑level choices, Kate often delivers keynotes on responsible AI, human‑centered design, and outcome‑based instrumentation for long‑term value, resilience, and reputation. On stage, she combines sharp strategic clarity with pragmatic momentum, making the “so what” unmistakable and the “now what” achievable—equipping leaders to act with confidence and integrity.