Philip Lakin

Most companies do not have an AI strategy problem. They have an adoption problem. Phil shares the practical systems behind AI transformation at work: how to build confidence, train teams, find the real use cases, create internal champions, and move employees from "I tried ChatGPT once" to "this is now part of how I work." Built from more than 1,000 hours in the field with enterprise AI leaders navigating this exact challenge, the session sends leaders home with a diagnostic they can run on their own organization Monday morning. Best for leaders who want AI adoption that shows up in behavior, not just dashboards.

Teams are rushing to add AI to work that may not need AI at all. Phil breaks down the difference between deterministic automation and inference-driven AI in plain English, then shows how to decide which tool fits which job. Audiences leave with a decision framework they can apply to their next ten workflow requests without calling a meeting. Great for operations, IT, enablement, revenue, and transformation teams trying to make sharper AI and automation calls.

Every company has people who quietly connect broken systems, translate messy processes, and make the work actually work. AI is making those people more valuable, not less. Based on Phil's forthcoming book Figure It Out People, this talk gives language to the operators, admins, and unofficial problem-solvers who have held companies together for years. It introduces the PATCH framework (Presume, Assemble, Test, Chase, Harden) for turning messy work into durable systems, and helps leaders identify, support, and promote the people already driving transformation from inside the business. It lands with mixed audiences because nearly everyone in the room either is this person or depends on one.

Phil shares the founder story behind NoCodeOps, the enterprise no-code community and platform Zapier acquired in 2024. This is a candid look at building from a sharp wedge, growing a community around an overlooked category, selling into a market before it had clean language, and what an acquisition actually feels like from the inside. Best for founder, startup, and entrepreneurship audiences who want the unpolished version of what building and selling a company really looks like.