North East Databricks Meetup - April

⌖ Newcastle · Northern Design Centre

Hosted by Digital Pathfinders

Learn how to adopt AI without exposing your organisation to avoidable intellectual property, data or financial risks at this practical Gateshead workshop. Taking place on Wednesday 28 October 2026, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, AI: Myths, Risks & Benefits offers a clear-eyed introduction to the potential downsides of artificial intelligence,and the practical measures small organisations can take to protect themselves. The three-hour, in-person session will be held at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead, within the wider Newcastle area. What the workshop covers AI can create genuine benefits, but organisations may adopt it without fully understanding what happens to their information, content or budget. Rather than relying on hype or technical jargon, this workshop examines common ways AI use can go wrong and what those mistakes could cost. Topics include: - Intellectual property: how businesses can unintentionally hand over valuable ideas or material through everyday use of free AI tools, including services that train on information submitted by users. - Personal information and data exposure: how sensitive information may be revealed, and what that could mean both for your organisation and for the people whose data you hold. - Cost management: why unchecked AI usage can lead to runaway costs and why organisations need to keep an eye on consumption. - Reducing exposure: practical steps that help teams use AI more sensibly while limiting avoidable risks. The emphasis is on helping attendees understand what to watch for before problems arise. By the end of the session, you should have a more grounded view of AI’s risks and benefits, alongside practical ways to approach adoption with greater care. Who should attend? This workshop is designed specifically for small businesses and charities that want to start using AI,or improve how they already use it,without being caught out by hidden consequences. No prior technical knowledge is required, making it suitable for leaders, staff and decision-makers who need an accessible overview rather than a highly technical session. The event is organised by Digital Pathfinders and takes place at Northern Design Centre, Abbott’s Hill, Gateshead NE8 3DF. Register for AI: Myths, Risks & Benefits

⌖ Newcastle

AiX Conference brings AI and product design leaders to Newcastle on 21 April 2027 for a focused day of talks, ideas and networking. Designing with AI starts here This one-day AI × Design conference explores how artificial intelligence is changing the way digital products are designed, built and experienced. Rather than spreading the programme across competing sessions, AiX uses one stage and one track, giving everyone a shared journey through the most important questions facing modern design and product teams. Attendees will hear how practitioners are applying AI in real working environments, discover emerging tools and examine examples of design innovation. The programme centres on two closely connected themes: - Designing AI products: how teams create AI-powered experiences that people can trust and enjoy using - Building with AI: how designers and product teams use AI to move from early ideas towards production more quickly The event is particularly relevant to product designers, design leaders and members of digital product teams who want to understand AI’s practical impact on their craft. It will also appeal to professionals responsible for shaping product experiences, evaluating emerging workflows or helping teams adopt AI thoughtfully. No specific experience level is stated; the emphasis is on industry insight, real-world practice and the changing relationship between AI, design and product development. Speakers announced for 2027 The developing line-up brings together designers and design leaders working across banking, employee benefits, sustainability software and technology products: - Jay Clark, Senior Design Manager at Monzo Bank - Miriam Khenissi, Senior Product Designer at Perkbox - Tom Hiskey, Senior Product Designer at EcoOnline - Stephen Patterson, Principal Product Designer at Deck - Paavan Buddhdev, Product Designer at Granola Further speakers are due to be announced as the 2027 programme is refined. Alongside the talks, the conference offers opportunities to connect with the people exploring and shaping AI-led product design. Its single-track format creates common ground for conversations throughout the day, making it easier to compare approaches, discuss lessons from the stage and build relationships with peers facing similar design challenges.… Register for this event

⌖ Newcastle · The Catalyst

Hosted by Jumping Rivers

AI in Production 2027 brings practitioners to The Catalyst in Newcastle on 10–11 June to share real-world lessons from deployed AI and machine learning systems. The conference opens with workshops on Thursday, followed by a full Friday programme of standard talks and lightning talks. Its focus is firmly on AI systems used beyond the people who built them, not speculative predictions, standalone benchmarks or polished product pitches. Call for speakers Jumping Rivers is accepting abstracts until 29 January 2027. Proposed talks can explore: - Deployment, serving, rollouts and rollbacks - Monitoring, observability, drift and feedback loops - Evaluation, human review, red-teaming and guardrails - RAG pipelines, agents and assistants in production - Cost, latency, caching and model-selection trade-offs - Production incidents and the lessons that followed - Responsible AI, regulation, governance and liability - Ownership and collaboration across technical teams Strong abstracts should describe a specific system, a consequential decision or turning point, what went wrong, and one clear takeaway supported by evidence where possible. Work in progress, internal tools, small-scale systems and discontinued projects are all welcome, and first-time speakers are explicitly encouraged. Standard sessions run for approximately 25 minutes, including five minutes for questions. Lightning talks last six minutes, use slides that advance automatically every 20 seconds and conclude with one question. Standard-talk speakers receive a free conference ticket. Submit a title and an abstract of up to 300 words through the speaker submission form. Applicants should hear back within two months of the deadline, and likely sooner. View conference details and registration information

⌖ New York

Hosted by Crescendo

Crescendo Live San Francisco 2026 brings together customer experience leaders for a full-day exploration of AI's real-world impact on CX operations. Taking place on May 21, 2026 (9:00 AM – 6:00 PM PST) in the heart of San Francisco's tech ecosystem, this operator-focused conference cuts through AI hype to showcase what's actually working in customer support, automation, and team design. What You'll Gain This isn't another vendor-heavy conference. Crescendo Live delivers practical insights from experienced CX operators who are successfully deploying AI in production environments. You'll get clear on the new CX standard — understanding how speed, consistency, and trust have fundamentally reset customer expectations and where many organizations quietly fall short. The event tackles critical questions facing CX leaders today: how to move AI from experimentation to execution without breaking customer trust, how to pair automation with human expertise for faster decisions, and how to build smarter teams that leverage AI while maintaining the judgment and empathy that define exceptional service. Speaker Lineup Hear from leaders at the forefront of AI-powered customer experience, including James Green (Chief Customer Officer, Squire), Hemant Taneja (CEO, General Catalyst), Morgan Donaldson (Chief Commercial Officer, CNTRL+), Jaqueline Andre (Sr. Director CS Production & Support, BentoBox), Chris Jocson (Chief Operating Officer, Good Eggs), and executives from TaskRabbit, POLYWOOD, and Crescendo itself. These practitioners share real stories, honest challenges, and proven strategies from teams facing the same operational pressures you navigate daily. Event Format The day blends main stage content with interactive breakout sessions and workshops. Morning sessions (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM) dive into foundational shifts in CX, followed by lunch and networking. Afternoon breakouts (1:30 – 2:30 PM) offer hands-on exploration of specific topics, with additional main stage content (2:30 – 4:30 PM) before an awards ceremony and cocktail reception that extends networking into the evening. Who Should Attend This conference is designed for CX leaders, customer support directors, automation strategists, and anyone responsible for delivering scalable, high-quality customer experiences. Whether you're evaluating AI tools, refining automation strategies, or redesigning team structures around AI capabilities, you'

⌖ São Paulo · Distrito Anhembi

AI Brasil Experience 2026 brings two days of practical artificial intelligence, immersive experiences and business networking to São Paulo on 28–29 October. Held at Distrito Anhembi in São Paulo, the conference is designed for people who want to move beyond AI hype and understand how the technology can create real value in business, careers and everyday life. It brings together leaders, companies, specialists, creators, startups and professionals who are actively navigating AI-driven change. What to expect The 2026 programme will combine main-stage content with demonstrations, practical learning and opportunities to meet others working across technology and business. Topics will explore the application of AI in: - Business strategy, leadership and innovation - Marketing, sales and productivity - Education and the future of work - Organisational transformation and competitiveness - Real-world markets and industries across Brazil Alongside talks and case studies, attendees can expect immersive environments created to help them test, experience and understand AI in practice. The event places particular emphasis on applicable knowledge, informed decisions and genuine use cases rather than abstract theory or whichever tool happens to be trending. Who should attend? AI Brasil Experience is aimed at entrepreneurs, executives, technology professionals, marketers, educators, innovation teams, creators and anyone seeking a clearer view of AI’s practical impact. It should also appeal to companies looking to build internal understanding and prepare teams for adoption. Networking is a central part of the format, connecting attendees with business owners, corporate leaders, specialists, startups and professionals undergoing their own AI transformation. The event describes itself not as a generic technology fair or a sequence of disconnected talks, but as a meeting point for content, community, business and transformation. The scale of the previous edition offers a sense of the wider experience: in 2025, the event reported more than 17,000 participants, 300 speakers, 180 talks, 100 exhibition stands and 60 startups. Previous stages have hosted figures from business, technology, education and public life, although those names do not represent confirmed speakers for 2026.… Register for this event

⌖ Barcelona

Mozilla Festival 2026 brings a three-day conference on AI, the open web and digital rights to Barcelona, Spain, from 28–30 October 2026. Why this event matters As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in online products and services, questions about who controls technology, and how it affects the people using it, are increasingly important. Mozilla Festival 2026 places AI, open-web principles and digital rights within the same conversation, making it a relevant event for anyone interested in the future of the internet. The conference’s stated focus spans three closely connected areas: - Artificial intelligence, including its growing role in the digital world - The open web, and the principles that keep the internet accessible and open - Digital rights, covering the relationship between people, technology and online power Bringing these themes together creates space to consider AI as more than a standalone technical development. The festival’s scope points towards the wider implications of intelligent systems for the web and for the rights of those who use it. Who should consider attending? Mozilla Festival 2026 will be particularly relevant to developers, technologists, AI practitioners, open-web advocates and people working in or exploring digital rights. It may also appeal to product builders, researchers, policymakers and community organisers whose work intersects with internet technology. No specific experience level is listed, so prospective attendees should consult the Mozilla Festival website as further programme information becomes available. The scraped listing does not yet provide details of speakers, individual sessions, workshops or networking activities, and a specific Barcelona venue has not been announced there. Event details - Dates: Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October 2026 - Location: Barcelona, Spain - Format: Three-day conference - Core themes: AI, the open web and digital rights… Register for this event