The Future of AI According to Gates, Altman, Hoffman, and Your Peers
This event is reserved for members of Outthinker Networks, but we have a few guest spots available—apply to join! We review all applications manually and add guests that fit the experience profile of our network's members.
Where is AI headed — and what should companies be doing right now?
Our guest, Adam Brotman, interviewed the people who have thought most deeply about this and possess the expertise and authority to give us clues, including Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Reid Hoffman, Ethan Mollick, Jaime Teevan, and Mustafa Suleyman. These are voices that aren’t just theorizing — they have the historical context to compare the AI revolution to past revolutions, and they are building, investing in, and leading the AI future.
Adam Brotman, former Chief Digital Officer at Starbucks, co-CEO of J.Crew, and co-author of AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand (HBS Press, 2025), will draw out insights from his conversations with leaders shaping the future of AI. He will engage us in a lively, intimate discussion and help us learn how to cut through misconceptions, skepticism, cost concerns, and hype – and drive real impact.
This is the next best thing to sitting down with Altman, Gates, and Hoffman to glean insights from their collective views, predictions, and recommendations.
Discussion topics will include:
What is at stake if your organization doesn’t move from planning your AI stratgy to becoming “AI First?”
How “AI First” parallels and differs from “Digital First” and “Mobile First” eras?
How can we move beyond using AI as an efficiency booster to enabling our organizations to make better, faster decisions?
What role do executives play in driving AI adoption, shaping culture, and embedding AI as a core competency?
What practical steps can our organizations take to evolve into an AI-first organization?
How can CSOs reframe conversations about ROI, risk, and investment to get buy-in (from boards, leadership, teams)?
This closed-door roundtable is designed to give you firsthand access to the current and possible future state of AI, from leading thinkers and your peers. It will help you reach greater clarity on your current AI readiness and what you should focus on now.