1682: the business of innovation conference

Start the day networking with peers over coffee and breakfast before diving into the innovation landscape.

Speakers: Keith Scandone (O3), David Williams (A Short Distance Ahead)

Every leap in AI has started with a game — checkers, chess, Go — and now, the game is business itself. Each wave of progress has brought both breakthroughs and setbacks, and the companies that succeed are the ones that learn from those patterns. Through his year-long project A Short Distance Ahead, David Williams has been tracing AI’s 75-year history and uncovering the patterns that repeat themselves again and again. To open the conference and throughout the day, he’ll bring us stories from that history to help frame our conversations — on pilots that succeed or fail, the evolution of customer and employee experiences, and the future of work itself. These stories remind us that while the technology is powerful, the real opportunity lies in how we choose to apply it.

Speaker: Mike Gadsby (O3)

A recent MIT study found that 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing. The same research also shows that the few organizations succeeding are those that treat pilots as learning systems — customizing them to specific processes, integrating them deeply into workflows, and measuring success by business outcomes, not just technical or financial benchmarks.

Everyone talks about AI as the future. But what happens when you stop experimenting and start rebuilding your business around it? In this keynote, Mike Gadsby, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at O3, shares hard-won lessons from years of helping organizations adopt AI — and from O3’s own journey of transformation. You’ll hear how AI reshaped the way we work with clients, the principles we use to guide decisions, and the human factors required to bring an entire company along for the ride. From rapidly piloting new tools that power the O3 customer experience to inventing a brand and marketing campaign in days instead of months to the future of agents within O3’s ecosystem, you’ll see how AI pushes us to think beyond the norm and consider what it really takes to make AI practical, scalable, and valuable.

Panelists: Linsday Hamlin (Best Egg), Hansel Akers (Glean)

Moderator: April Walker (Strategic Advisor)

Pilots are the proving ground for AI success — but what separates those that soar from those that stall?

In this session, Hansel Akers, Head of Solution Engineering — East at Glean, will explore client case studies that outline the anatomy of a successful pilot, from prerequisites and decision criteria to KPIs and lessons learned with generative AI. Building on that foundation, Lindsay Hamlin, Senior Director of Transformation at Best Egg, will share how her team has taken pilots from concept to scale — launching hundreds of GPTs and production-ready AI solutions that are driving real business impact.

The session concludes with a fireside chat moderated by April Walker, who will bring the conversation together and explore what organizations must get right — policies, people, and processes — to ensure pilots don’t just test ideas, but create lasting change.

A showcase of one of the emerging startups shaping the AI space.

Time to recharge and connect with fellow attendees.

Speakers: Emily Yates (SEPTA), Nate Gach (Fingerpaint)

Moderator: Eliza Erickson (Office of Governor Shapiro)

Failure is often the best teacher. When it comes to AI, the lessons are both costly and invaluable. In this candid panel, Emily Yates, Deputy Chief Safety Officer — Safety Innovation and Environment at SEPTA, and Nate Gach, AI Innovation Strategist at Fingerpaint (formerly with Independence Blue Cross), will share stories of major AI initiatives that didn’t go as planned. Together, they’ll break down what happened, the missteps that led to failure, and the key lessons every organization can take away.

Moderated by Eliza Erickson from the Office of Governor Shapiro, this discussion will build on themes introduced earlier in the day while challenging assumptions about how AI should be adopted. Expect a thoughtful debate on how to avoid common pitfalls — and how failure, when understood properly, can become the foundation for future success.

Enjoy lunch with peers and continue the conversation.

Speaker: Andy Hunt (The Hershey Company)

Step outside of AI to explore how augmented reality and other emerging technologies drive creativity. Andy Hunt, Manager of Digital Innovation at The Hershey Company, will give an inside look at how one of America’s most iconic companies is transforming retail execution through augmented reality.

This session will cover Hershey’s emerging technology innovation process — how practical challenges sparked creative solutions and how spatial computing became a strategic enabler across teams. The story of innovation will be told through Hershey’s journey from early AR pilots to scaled deployment , showcasing how spatial computing is driving precision, speed, and collaboration across business partners.

Spotlight on another startup pushing AI innovation forward.

Speakers: Dale Bertrand (Fire&Spark), Lisa Sharapata (Metadata)

Moderator: Jeremy Goldman (EMARKETER)

Marketing is changing faster than ever, and AI is at the center of that transformation. In this session, Dale Bertrand, Founder and CEO of Fire&Spark, will explore the future of search in a world where generative engines (GEO) are reshaping how people discover and navigate information online. Following that, Lisa Sharapata, VP of AI & GTM Strategy at Metadata, will share how AI is revolutionizing go-to-market strategies — enabling rapid experimentation, new approaches to insights, and hyper-personalized experiences that drive measurable outcomes.

The session concludes with a fireside chat moderated by Jeremy Goldman of EMARKETER, who will connect the themes and spark a discussion on what these shifts mean for the future of marketing. Together, they’ll highlight how AI is rewriting the rules of customer engagement, from discovery through decision.

Step away to refresh, connect, and explore the art exhibit.

The Barnes holds the world’s largest single collections of Renoir and Cézanne.

Speaker: Luke Hagstrand (Boomi)

Last year’s closing keynote ended with a bold prediction: AI agents would be the defining theme of 2025. In this panel, we’ll take stock of that claim. Luke Hagstrand, Vice President of AI at Boomi, will join other industry leaders to unpack what agents really are, how they differ from other AI tools, and whether businesses are actually putting them into practice today.

The conversation will balance definition with reality: what’s hype, what’s happening now, and what organizations should keep in mind as they weigh the promise of agents. From practical considerations for adoption to the broader implications for strategy and operations, this discussion will give attendees at every level a clear view of what it means to live — and work — in a world with AI agents.

Final showcase of an emerging AI startup.

David closes the loop on the day’s themes and history of AI, highlighting the patterns that can help frame the future. 

Speaker: Jon Flynn (Google)

Moderator: Mike Gadsby (O3)

AI is shifting from static, one-off interactions to dynamic, agentic workflows that continuously move work forward. This evolution — AI in motion — is transforming how we manage complexity, connect systems, and unlock workforce efficiency.

In this closing keynote, Jon Flynn, Head of AI GTM at Google, will explore how agents are redefining work: moving from task-based assistants to multi-step, collaborative partners that act as force multipliers. He’ll share lessons from building internal agent tools, scaling them into customer-ready solutions, and addressing challenges like agent sprawl, workflow integration, and trust.

The keynote will conclude with a fireside chat and a 10-minute discussion that brings these ideas down to earth: what this agentic future means for leaders, teams, and organizations preparing for a workforce where people and agents work side by side in a unified, intelligent interface.

Celebrating the most promising ventures from the day.

Close the day with a toast, conversation, and community connection.