How Decentralization Will Shape The Future of Money, Governance & the Law

⌖ Brighton

Hosted by AI in Media Institute

FLIRT 2026 brings a practical blueprint for responsible, AI-native organisations to Brighton on 2–3 November, spanning media, marketing and operations. Taking over West Street and satellite venues across Brighton, this two-day, in-person festival-conference examines how organisations can implement AI in the real world,not simply discuss its potential. The programme explores how to operationalise AI across teams, prepare people for changing roles and workflows, and build systems that can last. Organised by the AI in Media Institute, FLIRT expands on the sold-out 2025 AIMI Conference, which brought together 600 attendees and 40 speakers across two stages. Its 2026 edition widens the focus beyond creative AI to cover the complete structure of an AI-native organisation: culture, creativity, infrastructure, governance, talent and execution. What to expect FLIRT combines conference content with practical exploration and city-wide experiences: - The Main Stage hosts keynotes, major ideas and perspectives intended to shape the industry agenda. - The Future Stage tackles the workforce conversation, including what is changing, what is breaking and how organisations are responding. - The Startup Village presents early-stage AI companies through live pitches, investor access and direct industry exposure. - Specialist satellite zones feature live demonstrations of frontier technology, including robotics and real-time generative AI. - Hands-on workshops, immersive experiences and debates create space to test ideas rather than passively consume them. - Flirt After-hours extends the programme into Brighton and makes networking and conversation part of the wider festival experience. Who should attend? The event is designed for anyone whose work is being reshaped by AI. That includes founders, CEOs, CMOs, brand and agency leaders, creative directors, producers, publishers, journalists, broadcasters, musicians, artists, content creators and game developers. Product leaders, engineers, XR builders, startup founders and CTOs will be represented alongside operations, finance, legal, IP, risk, governance, HR, People and L&D professionals.… Register for this event

⌖ Brighton · Brighton Dome

UX Brighton 2026 is a one-day conference on emerging UX methods, taking place at Brighton Dome in Brighton on Friday 6 November 2026. The fundamentals remain familiar,understand what people need, design solutions, test them and build them,but the methods available to UX teams are rapidly multiplying. This conference is designed to help attendees separate genuinely useful developments from noise, understand which techniques translate effectively into UX practice and identify established approaches that new technology has finally made practical. What to expect The programme brings together practitioners working at the edges of UX research, design and product development. Rather than focusing on novelty for its own sake, the day will explore what is actually working across new research techniques, design tools, testing methods and ways of working. Confirmed speakers include: - Vivek Gopinath, Lead User Researcher at IBM, whose mixed-method practice spans qualitative and quantitative research, machine learning, heuristic analysis, eye tracking, behavioural studies, cognitive psychology and predictive UX. His work examines how AI-driven personalisation can anticipate user needs while maintaining a deep, empathetic understanding of behaviour. - Prama Ayalasomayajula, a research leader at HubSpot with experience in service design, small-business products, Zalando sellers and Meta Shops. Her work investigates why discovery breaks down, how scalable UX processes hold together and what service blueprints can reveal beyond standalone insights. - Chiara Scarabotti, UX Lead at Springer Nature, specialising in complex publishing flows and multi-persona journeys. She focuses on problem framing, information architecture and turning messy systems into transparent, actionable practices for cross-disciplinary teams. - Kathy Neuss, Head of Research at Mercator Digital, with more than 25 years of experience across government, corporate and agency settings. She combines qualitative depth with quantitative rigour and has influenced major HMRC services through research, behavioural groupings, mental models and journey mapping. - Max Borodin, Senior Product Manager at Simple, who explores behavioural design, gamification, conversational coaching and AI in products intended to support long-term behaviour change. He also experiments with using AI to accelerate… Register for this event

⌖ Brighton · Platf9rm

Hosted by Silicon Brighton

Build your data intelligence knowledge and meet Brighton’s R, Python and Shiny community at this friendly evening of talks, practical learning and networking. Taking place on Thursday 12 November 2026, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm GMT, the Brighton Data Intelligence Network meetup brings data professionals, technologists and curious newcomers together at Platf9rm Brighton in Brighton. It is designed as an inclusive space to exchange ideas, share real-world experiences and form useful connections across the local data community. What to expect The event is hosted by Datacove, a Brighton-based team of award-winning R, Python and Shiny experts. Each meetup combines community networking with inspiring talks, hands-on sessions and open knowledge sharing. The specific talk programme for this November edition is still to be confirmed, but attendees can expect fresh perspectives, lively discussion and practical ideas to take back to their own projects or workplace. The evening is suitable for all experience levels. People taking their first steps into data intelligence can meet experienced practitioners and discover new approaches, while established data professionals can compare methods, discuss challenges and expand their local network. The emphasis is on accessible conversation rather than a narrowly defined technical level. The planned format is: - 6:00pm: Arrival, drinks, nibbles and informal networking - 6:30–6:45pm: Talks and organised content begin - 8:00pm: Main event concludes - Afterwards: Conversation continues at a local pub A wider data community This meetup is part of a programme of six Brighton events held throughout the year. The network is anchored by the annual EARL Data Intelligence Conference, its flagship gathering held in Brighton each October. The series is supported by Silicon Brighton, Barclays Eagle Labs and Platf9rm Brighton.… Register for this event

Sponsors: Silicon Brighton · Barclays Eagle Labs +1

⌖ Brighton · Plat9rm Brighton (venue to be confirmed)

Hosted by Brighton Data Intelligence Network

A free data and enterprise AI meetup in Brighton on 12 November 2026, with a practitioner talk, networking and refreshments. From AI prototype to production BrightonPy & Brighton R brings together data professionals, developers and curious newcomers to exchange practical knowledge and build relationships across the local data community. This edition’s featured speaker is Jeff Magloire of BridgeLytic Capital, presenting “What Enterprise AI Product Teams Learn After the Demo.” The talk tackles the difficult stage that begins once an enterprise AI prototype works. Rather than offering broad predictions about AI, Jeff will use concrete product examples to explore the decisions teams face when turning a promising demo into a dependable part of everyday work. Topics include choosing suitable use cases, deciding what evidence is sufficient, placing human review, designing access and governance, evaluating results and measuring whether users genuinely change their workflows. Attendees will leave with: - A checklist for moving an AI prototype towards production - A method for balancing quality, risk and speed - An adoption scorecard focused on changed work rather than novelty Who should attend? The session is designed for a practitioner audience and is relevant to AI product teams, data scientists, Python and R users, analysts, technical leaders and anyone involved in deploying data products. The wider meetup welcomes all experience levels, from people taking their first steps in data to seasoned experts looking to compare approaches and learn from peers. This event forms part of the Brighton Data Intelligence Network, a programme of six Brighton meetups each year anchored by the annual EARL Data Intelligence Conference. It is hosted by Datacove, a Brighton-based team specialising in R, Python and Shiny, and supported by Silicon Brighton, Barclays Eagle Labs and Platf9rm Brighton. Format and practical details… Register for this event

Sponsors: Silicon Brighton · Barclays Eagle Labs +1

⌖ Brighton · The Walrus Pub

Hosted by Brighton CTO

Brighton CTO’s November Meetup brings technology leaders together at The Walrus Pub in Brighton on 18 November 2026 to discuss running a tech function. This in-person evening offers a useful forum for people responsible for technology teams and strategy to compare experiences, raise current challenges and learn how peers approach the realities of technology leadership. Organised by Brighton CTO and hosted by Martyn F., the meetup runs from 6:30pm to 9:30pm GMT. What to expect The central theme is deliberately practical: the common challenges involved in running a technology function. Rather than focusing on a particular product, framework or technical discipline, the event creates space for an open conversation about technology leadership. Attendees can bring the issues they are currently navigating, hear perspectives from others in comparable roles and contribute lessons from their own organisations. The meetup format is suited to peer discussion and professional connection. There is no published line-up of formal speakers or fixed session topics, so expect the conversation to be shaped by the technology leaders in the room. That makes this especially relevant if you value candid, experience-led discussion over a presentation-heavy programme. You may find the evening useful if you are: - A CTO or senior technology leader responsible for a technology function - Working in engineering leadership and looking to exchange practical experience - Moving towards a senior leadership role and seeking insight into its challenges - Interested in meeting other members of the local technology community Venue and timings The meetup takes place on Wednesday 18 November 2026, from 6:30pm until 9:30pm GMT, at The Walrus Pub, 10 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD. The pub setting supports an informal, conversational evening where participants can discuss leadership challenges face to face. With three hours scheduled, there should be time to explore different viewpoints and build useful connections with peers who understand the demands of leading technology. If you run, lead or help shape a technology function and want a grounded conversation with others facing similar responsibilities, this Brighton CTO meetup provides a focused local setting for that exchange.… Register for this event

⌖ Brighton · The Walrus

Hosted by BRIGHTHINK

Explore the history of brain-machine technology with author Mike Jay at The Walrus in Brighton on 19 November 2026. From speculative fiction to Neuralink As humanity and technology become increasingly interwoven, WIREHEADS: An Unnatural History of Technology in the Brain examines the most intimate frontier of all: attempts to connect machines directly with the human mind. Acclaimed Psychonauts author Mike Jay will trace the tangled history of the electronic devices, magnetic signals, implants and computer interfaces designed, or imagined, to enhance, control and rewire the brain. His account brings together mavericks and scientists, crackpots and artistic visionaries, showing how ideas once confined to speculative fiction have informed real experiments and contemporary technology. The talk will move across subjects including: - The brain technologies imagined by H. G. Wells and Philip K. Dick - Simulated realities represented in The Matrix - The CIA’s Cold War experiments and covert military operations - Psychedelic art, moral philosophy and cybernetic theory - Elon Musk’s Neuralink and the pursuit of neural enhancement - Questions of artificial bliss, behavioural control and connection to higher intelligence At its heart, the evening asks whether brain-machine interfaces might eventually direct our thoughts and behaviour, or whether technology is already doing so. It will also consider what these efforts to understand and modify the brain reveal about being human in a potentially post-human age. Talk format and audience Q&A Presented by BRIGHTHINK as part of its In Conversation series, this is a 90-minute, in-person event combining a live talk with an audience Q&A. It should appeal to anyone interested in AI, neuroscience, cybernetics, technology history, speculative fiction, psychedelia, philosophy or the social consequences of human-machine integration. Doors open at 7pm, the event begins at 7:30pm, and the audience Q&A is scheduled for 8:30pm. The venue is The Walrus, 10 Ship Street, Brighton and Hove, BN1 1AD. Attendees under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Refunds are available up to five days before the event. Get tickets for WIREHEADS