2025: AI is going back to the future…

This year’s theme? Back by popular demand.

2025: AI is going back to the future…

The last year has gone by in the blink of an AI. At our 2024 session, we explored the hype, hope, and hands-on examples of AI in action. But as the dust settles, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: AI can’t deliver on its promise without strong data foundations.

Enter 2025, and organisations are starting to feel the strain: AI projects are stalling, models are drifting, and demonstrating value is becoming increasingly challenging. Why? Because we’ve rushed headlong into the future without checking, we packed the essentials. Good data. Shared language. Trusted processes. Skilled people.

It’s time to rewind – not to stall progress, but to fuel it properly.

Join The Data Crowd for an unmissable afternoon of exploration, challenge, and connection as we dive into the opportunities (and hard truths) of data and AI in practice.

Whether you’re a data-curious graduate, a data team leader, or a Chief Data Officer shaping strategy at scale, this event will inspire new thinking, offer real-world lessons, and challenge assumptions.

Together, we’ll ask: Are we building AI that’s useful, responsible, and truly human-centric?

This is THE AI event you can’t miss.

Agenda:

Welcome to The Data Crowd Does Leeds Digital Festival 2024

Session 1: Back to Basics: Don’t Make AI Another Failed Experiment

• The opening session will set the tone for the day: clear-eyed, human-focused, and grounded in reality. We’ll revisit the principles that make data and AI work for people, not just for technology’s sake.

Session 2: Collaborative AI: Building better, together

• A panel of leaders and practitioners share how organisations are putting customers first and designing AI-powered solutions through cross-functional collaboration. Expect tangible examples, lessons learned, and real ROI stories.

Session 3: Garbage In, Garbage Out – Why foundations matter (and what to avoid)

• AI isn’t magic – and it can’t fix bad data. This session explores what not to use AI for, and outlines the key data capabilities you need, whether you’re just starting out or scaling advanced applications.

Panel Discussion: Rethinking Education in the Age of AI

AI is transforming the workplace from entry-level roles upward. How do we prepare for a future where skills, not just jobs, are constantly evolving?

We’ll bring together voices from academia, industry, and policy to explore the role of education, training, and talent strategy in an AI-powered world.

We’ll wrap up with a closing note from our hosts, nibbles & networking 🍾