Pizza & Pull Requests: September 2026 Meetup

⌖ 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

⌖ Frankfurt · The Squaire

AI Week Frankfurt is a five-day applied AI conference in Frankfurt (The Squaire) running Oct 26–30, 2026, featuring Finance, Life Science, and Cross-Industry AI days. It brings together 5,000 visitors, 200+ speakers, and leaders from industry, policy, and technology to explore real-world AI applications, partnerships, and market-ready solutions. The event is designed for decision-makers, builders, and practitioners looking to translate AI strategy into tangible outcomes, with a strong emphasis on practical case studies and actionable insights. What to expect - A global stage hosting AI leaders, policymakers, and engineers focused on delivering measurable business impact - Industry-specific days (Finance, Life Science, Cross-Industry) to surface domain-relevant use cases and ROI - Keynotes, panels, and talks that translate research into practice, plus real-world demonstrations and live AI showcases - Hands-on workshops and training sessions to deepen skills in data, AI deployment, and governance - Substantial networking opportunities to form partnerships, explore pilots, and connect with potential vendors and customers Format and experience - Five days of programming at The Squaire, focused on practical outcomes, collaboration, and market-building strategies - A mix of keynote sessions, breakout tracks, and interactive exchanges designed for executives, product leaders, and technical practitioners - Ample time allocated for partnership discussions, demos, and peer learning across finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and beyond Who should attend - C-suite, VPs, and directors driving AI strategy and adoption - Data scientists, ML engineers, and AI product managers seeking real-world use cases - Government/regulatory professionals and researchers interested in AI policy and industry impact Logistics - Location: The Squaire, Frankfurt - Dates: October 26–30, 2026 - Registration: Site indicates a waitlist and ongoing updates; visit the official site for the latest details and registration information Why this matters AI Week Frankfurt aims to accelerate practical AI adoption by showcasing tangible outcomes, fostering partnerships, and highlighting scalable technologies. It’s a must for teams evaluating AI initiatives, vendors seeking pilots, and leaders wanting to stay ahead of industry shifts. Registration and full program details are available at the event site: https://ai-week-frankfurt.com

⌖ Bangkok

Hosted by The International Conference on Behavioural and Social Computing

BESC 2026 brings AI, NLP and computational social science researchers to Bangkok for a three-day conference on 26–28 October 2026. The International Conference on Behavioural and Social Computing is an interdisciplinary forum for exploring how technology can help researchers understand human behaviour, social interaction and large-scale societal dynamics. Building on editions held annually since 2014, the 2026 conference will connect academic researchers and industry practitioners working across artificial intelligence, natural language processing, computational social science, business, marketing, behavioural psychology and related fields. Research themes The programme will focus on foundational research and emerging approaches within behavioural and social computing. Topics invited by the organisers include: - AI and large language models in social and behavioural computing - LLM-driven agents for social interaction and communication - Agent-based modelling of human behaviour and social dynamics - Generative AI for synthetic behavioural and social data - Multimodal behavioural sensing and analytics - Social network analysis, collective intelligence and social recommendation - Sentiment analysis, argument mining and social media analytics - Online credibility, privacy, security, trust and research ethics - Crowd dynamics, virtual communities and digital humanities - Behaviour change, technology and wellbeing Across three days, attendees can expect research presentations and opportunities to exchange ideas, compare methods and identify future research directions. The conference is particularly relevant to researchers, scientists, scholars, engineers, university practitioners and industry specialists. Its broad scope should suit both established experts and postgraduate researchers seeking exposure to current interdisciplinary work. For prospective authors… Register for this event

⌖ Paris

Hosted by United Research Forum

The 6th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning takes place October 26-27, 2026 in Paris, France, bringing together researchers, industry professionals, and students to explore the theme "Shaping the Next Era of AI Innovation, Responsibility & Real-World Impact." This academic conference, organised by United Research Forum, creates a vital platform for sharing cutting-edge research and innovative applications at the intersection of deep learning, neural networks, and ethical AI. What Makes This Conference Stand Out This Machine Learning Conference France 2026 bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical industrial implementation, covering the full spectrum from natural language processing to computer vision. Attendees will explore pressing topics including Generative AI, Reinforcement Learning, and the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence deployment. Who Should Attend The International AI Conference 2026 welcomes delegates from across the academic and professional spectrum. Whether you're a researcher advancing the frontiers of machine learning theory, an industry practitioner implementing AI solutions, or a student eager to connect with pioneers in the field, this conference provides exceptional value through its density of knowledge and expertise concentrated in one place. Conference Format & Benefits Over two intensive days in Paris, participants will: - Present Research: Submit your work through the abstract submission portal for peer review, with publication opportunities for accepted papers - Earn CPD Credits: Gain professional development recognition for your attendance - Network Globally: Connect with delegates from over 40 countries at this truly international gathering - Access Expertise: Engage with keynote speakers who are at the cutting edge of AI and ML innovation - See Live Demonstrations: Experience hands-on showcases of the latest tools and methodologies The conference addresses crucial challenges in artificial intelligence through curated scientific sessions covering deep learning architectures, neural network optimization, computer vision applications, natural language processing breakthroughs, and the ethical frameworks necessary for responsible AI deployment. Academic & Professional Development This summit serves as both an academic forum an