ISE has secured an international AI thought leader as its keynote speaker for 2026.
It's been confirmed that Sol Rashidi, pictured, will take the stage on February 4 to present ‘The AI Reality Check: What It Takes to Scale and the Future of Leadership’.
Her keynote will take a deep dive into AI to explore what’s happening in the marketplace, inclduing a look at frameworks, models and the essential role of AI governance and cybersecurity in scaling.
Rashidi said: “The challenge isn’t adopting AI, it’s leading with it.
“I look forward to ISE 2026 to show how separating hype from fact, implementing strong governance and integrating cybersecurity makes all the difference.”
Rashidi’s career has spanned four high-ranking leadership roles across Fortune 500 companies; as the world’s first chief AI officer for enterprise in 2016, she led AI and data initiatives at Sony Music, Merck and Estee Lauder before moving to Amazon as the company’s tech executive.
She holds ten patents and is the author of ‘Your AI Survival Guide’, which is listed as one of the ‘Top 50 AI’ books.
To date, Rashidi has participated in three TEDx speaker sessions with over 1m views and was voted Forbes’ ‘AI Maverick & Visionary of the 21st Century’.
Mike Blackman, managing director of ISE, added: “We are honoured to host Rashidi and we can’t wait to hear her Keynote.
"Her visionary approach, extensive experience and deep understanding of the evolving business landscape will undoubtedly inspire and empower our attendees to push beyond the general realms of AI.”
Alongside her pioneering career, Rashidi has developed ‘The Human Amplification Index’ which measures ROI to determine how well companies are strengthening their business and workforce through AI.
She also offers ‘Intellectual Atrophy’ education to ensure companies and organisations outsource tasks – and not critical thinking – in the age of AI.