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Speakers
The people who show up year-round.
Track leads are confirmed. Keynotes and session speakers announced on a rolling basis.
22 confirmed speakers across 9 tracksHover a node to identify · click to jump to profile
AO
Anthonia Ogundele
Founder
Ethos Lab
Education Day lead. Builds space for Black youth in tech through Robot Club and vibecoding workshops.
SH
Simon Haworth
CEO
Intellomx
Life Sciences Day lead. 2024 Industry Builder Squatchy. AI-accelerated drug discovery.
AR
Andrew Reid
Founder & CEO
Rival Technologies
Data Storytelling Hackathon lead. Data storytelling pioneer. Previously founded Vision Critical.
GH
Gordon Hamilton
Chapter Lead
Data for Good Vancouver
Data Nerds Day lead. Runs the Data for Good Vancouver chapter — 1,600 volunteer data professionals connecting nonprofits with data talent.
Sarah Downey
Governance Lead
AI Ethical Futures Lab
Ethics Day speaker. Governance talk on responsible AI frameworks in practice. Parker Street Studios.
LJ
Loki Jorgenson
MAC Day Lead
Mind, AI & Consciousness SIG
Philosopher of mind. Runs the monthly MAC gatherings. Pursuing high-profile keynote for 2026.
JC
Jesi Carson
Founder
AI Ethical Futures Lab
Ethics Day lead. Runs AEFL out of Parker Street Studios. Design-jam format evangelist.
Kevin Friel
Festival Director
Nera Studios · BC + AI Film Club
Film Festival Director. Founded the Film Club in 2025. Ran the first festival with 180+ attendees.
PP
Philippe Pasquier
Professor
SFU Metacreation Lab
DEFRAG co-lead. Canada Arts Council-funded. Creative AI researcher and performer.
Kris Krüg
Founder & ED
BC + AI Ecosystem Association
Festival director. Runs the Vancouver AI Meetup (28+ months). RAP Workshop lead instructor.
ML
Martin Lopatka
AI Ethics Practitioner
Independent
RAP co-instructor. Known for "physical community is the armor against virtual collapse."
LM
Luke Minaker
Chief Amazement Officer
Tiny Ghost Studios · Nera Studios
30+ years in animation. Screened two films at the 2025 BC + AI Film Festival including 'Midnight Garden' on a $100 budget. Launched a training school for displaced animation workers. Advocates for hybrid AI + human craft.
MT
Michael Tippett
Founder
Generation Studios
2025 Squatchy winner (Storytelling Futures, with Kate Armstrong). Builds AI-native film infrastructure. Creator of tippa.org (700+ AI film directory) and adoo.ai. Panelist at the 2025 Film Festival.
KA
Kate Armstrong
Curator & Editor
AI Futures Substack
2025 Squatchy winner (Storytelling Futures, with Michael Tippett). 20+ years at the intersection of art and technology. Editor of AI Futures. Bridges film, contemporary art, and cultural critique.
SG
Suzanne Gildert
CEO
Nirvanic Consciousness Technologies
Serial AI entrepreneur (Kindred AI, Sanctuary AI). Quantum-computing veteran with PhD from D-Wave Systems. MAC Night speaker at Meetup #26. At the intersection of AI, robotics, and consciousness.
TS
Tanya Slingsby
Strategic Advisor
BC + AI Ecosystem
Leads BC + AI's Theory of Change process. MAC Night speaker at Meetup #26. Developing 'Love and AI' — a philosophical exploration. Background in philanthropy, family foundations, and governance.
EL
Erica Lapadat-Janzen
New Media Artist
Ministry of Next · SFU Metacreation Lab
Vancouver-based new media artist and creative strategist. Collaborated with Metacreation Lab on 'Dreamscape' using Autolume for artist-led model training. Meetup #25 speaker.
MB
Maya Bruck
Product Designer
Independent
UX/product design practitioner focused on rapid prototyping with AI tools. Meetup #25 speaker. Known line: 'Until you have validated that this is working with real human beings, it is only a prototype.'
UK
Udbhav Kansal
Chief of Staff
BC + AI Ecosystem
2025 Squatchy winner (Applied Innovation). 9 hackathon podiums in 2025 including NASA Space Apps Challenge. Coordinates Bridge2AI production scheduling and international partnerships.
AS
Arshia Sobhan Sarbandi
PhD Researcher
SFU Metacreation Lab
2025 Squatchy winner (Generative Culture). Research on generative AI for calligraphic Arabic script, supervised by Philippe Pasquier. Major contributor to the open-source AutoLoom project. Workshops worldwide on ethical model training.
GB
Gokhan Basaran
Government Innovation Advisor
Independent
2025 Squatchy winner (Public Bridge). Built FundCompass — a GPT helping entrepreneurs navigate federal funding programs. Brings corporate partnerships and institutional relationships into the BC + AI ecosystem.
SG
Sev Geraskin
Hall of Fame Hackathon Builder
Independent
Rival Hackathon Hall of Fame. Winner of Round 1 runner-up (HotDogma), Round 2 winner (Wisdom Lantern with April AI), Round 3 Hall of Fame (The Orchestrator). Meetup #28 speaker. 'We're not building tools anymore. We're building thinking partners.'
More speakers coming