

Women Building AI: What Holds Up in 2026 - A Roundtable Discussion (side event of World Summit AI during World AI Week 2026)
About the event:
AI systems are moving quickly from experimentation into everyday technical work.
Models ship. Agents run. Code is written and reviewed with AI in the loop. Frameworks change fast, and skills that felt specialised a year ago are becoming part of how teams work.
So the question for 2026 is:
What holds up in practice?
This second edition of Women Building AI is a curated, invite-only gathering for people building, deploying, and operating AI systems. It is designed as a focused working room during World Summit AI week: less stage, more table.
Expect one keynote, five guided roundtables, and practical exchange with peers working through similar decisions.
Who this is for
Engineers, ML researchers, product builders, founders, architects, technical PMs, AI infrastructure teams, semiconductor specialists, and people working at the intersection of AI technology, product, and deployment.
Whether you are building AI systems or building technical products with AI, this is a space to compare real decisions, ask sharper questions, and meet peers working hands-on with AI.
Roundtable themes
Engineering Judgment
How AI-generated code changes the role of senior technical judgment.
Architecture of Agency
When to use agents, skills, workflows, or something more constrained.
Agents in Production
Failure modes, oversight, state, tooling, and operational patterns.
Measuring After Launch
Evals, observability, drift, and feedback loops after deployment.
The Silicon Layer
How chips, memory, latency, and energy shape AI system design.
Final framing and moderators announced closer to the event.
AGENDA:
15mins: Arrival & check-in
15 mins: Welcome by Women in AI Benelux and Sponsors
30 mins: Spark Talks - 5 short talks, 5 minutes each, setting up the five roundtable themes.
10 mins: Roundtable briefing & table setup
50 mins: Roundtable discussion - Small-group discussion at assigned tables.
15 - 20 mins - Topic group synthesis - Tables under the same topic come together and agree on key takeaways.
15 mins - Break
30 mins - Cross-table sharing - Each topic shares back to the full room, around 5 minutes per topic.
45 mins - Networking & drinks
Total: ~ 4hrs
In town for World Summit AI?
Many attendees join us while in Amsterdam for World Summit AI 2026.
If you’re already in town, this is a smaller, more focused setting to:
Meet peers earlier in the week
Connect with women working hands-on with AI in Benelux
Start conversations that carry into the summit
We also host informal community moments around the event:
Women in AI lunch networking
A casual setting to meet others from the communityWomen in AI stranger dinner
Join solo, meet others, and build connections during WSAI week
Details will be shared on LinkedIn and in the World Summit AI app.
Not attending World Summit AI?
This is still one of the best ways to meet international AI professionals within your workday.
About Women in AI Benelux
Women in AI Benelux is part of a global nonprofit do-tank organisation Women in AI, working to increase female representation and participation in AI through community, events, and partnerships across the Benelux region and beyond.
We create rooms that are intentional, relevant, and grounded in practice, bringing together people who are not just discussing AI, but actively shaping how it is built and applied.
To join
Spaces are limited. Click Request to Join and complete the short form to register your interest. We'll then confirm your spot.
Follow Women in AI Benelux on Linkedin here.