2026 Call for Papers (CFP) Now Open!

We’re thrilled to announce the 2026 All Things AI call for papers (CFP) is now open!

Please take a look at the details below and submit a talk for consideration today!

The Event

All Things AI brings together the people building, deploying, and governing artificial intelligence inside modern organizations. It’s not about speculation—it’s about execution.
This is where engineers, builders, and executives learn what’s working right now in real enterprise environments.

Year Two

The 2026 conference will be year #2. The inaugural event was held in March 2025 in downtown Durham, NC and it was a spectacular success. More than 1,600 attended over both days from all over the U.S. and the world. See the 2025 event summary. 

Location/Venue

The conference will take place Monday, March 23 & Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at the Durham Convention Center and the Carolina Theater in downtown Durham, NC. Durham is a tech hub located in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) and is home to Duke University.

Expected Attendance

The second edition of All Things AI is expected to host 2,500+ technologists and decision makers from all over the U.S. and the world. More than 1,600 attended in 2025 over both days (day one workshop and day two traditional conference day). 

Target Audience

Target audience includes AI practitioners of all experience levels as well as those comprising the greater AI “ecosystem”, to include:

1. Active AI Technologists
   Developers, software engineers, and machine learning practitioners creating the next generation of AI-driven solutions. These attendees are hands-on, building systems that leverage AI to solve complex problems
2. Business Leaders
   C-level executives, directors, and product managers looking to integrate AI into their strategic initiatives. They’re focused on driving innovation, improving efficiency, and staying competitive in their industries.
3. AI Educators
   Professors, instructors, and curriculum designers working to advance AI education. These individuals are shaping the next wave of AI talent and are keen to explore emerging technologies and teaching methodologies.
4. Startups and Entrepreneurs
   Innovators and founders in the AI startup space looking to scale their ventures. These participants are eager to network, showcase their solutions, and learn about the latest advancements in AI technologies and business models.
5. Knowledge Workers Looking to Upskill to AI
   Business professionals and domain experts seeking to enhance their productivity and career prospects by adopting AI tools and methodologies. These attendees are focused on learning how to integrate AI into their daily workflows, automate routine tasks, and make data-driven decisions.

Format

The conference is a two-day event.

Day 1 – Monday, March 23

Workshop Day consisting of up to 5 hands-on workshops. Monday is also a move-in day for sponsors and partners. Multiple networking events for speakers and attendees will be held.

Day 2 – Tuesday, March 24

Traditional conference day with 15 and 45 minute sessions spread out across (up too) 8 tracks. The 6 tracks, each with a distinctive persona, will include AI Builders, AI Engineers, AI Users, AI Executives, AI Governance, Security & Compliance, and AI in the Enterprise (Transformation & Infrastructure).

Tracks

Six Tracks. One Mission: Turning AI Into Competitive Advantage.

Each track focuses on a distinct audience segment and explores how AI is being used to drive results across business and technology. Session topics will evolve based on confirmed speakers, ensuring the content stays current, credible, and immediately applicable.

1. AI Builders

For developers and innovators creating AI-driven products, applications, and systems.

AI Builders is for those who turn ideas into working software. This track dives into how engineers are constructing intelligent systems—from the first line of code to production-scale deployment.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• How development teams are embedding large language models into apps and workflows
• Frameworks for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and multi-agent systems
• Emerging tools and SDKs shaping AI application development (LangChain, LlamaIndex, Dust, etc.)
• Techniques for designing scalable, maintainable AI architectures
• Lessons learned from teams shipping AI features across startups and enterprises

(Speakers may include technical founders, engineering leads, and open-source maintainers. Sponsors could include SDK, API, and infrastructure vendors connecting with early adopters.)

2. AI Engineers

For data scientists and ML professionals focused on model development, optimization, and performance.

The AI Engineers track explores the systems and science behind intelligent applications. It focuses on how machine learning professionals build, deploy, and refine models that deliver accuracy and efficiency at scale.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• Fine-tuning and evaluation methods for open-weight and proprietary models
• Real-world MLOps architectures for continuous training and deployment
• Model compression, quantization, and inference optimization
• Tools for managing vector databases, GPUs, and distributed workloads
• Cost management and operational best practices for enterprise ML systems

(Speakers may include ML engineers, data leads, and applied researchers. Sponsors could include cloud providers, compute vendors, and AI infrastructure platforms.)

3. AI Users

For professionals applying AI to boost productivity, automate work, and improve decision-making.

AI Users is the most accessible track—built for business professionals using AI to improve everyday workflows. The focus is on adoption, not algorithms: how to get results quickly and responsibly.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• How teams are integrating copilots and assistants into sales, marketing, and operations
• The most effective prompt patterns for workflow automation
• AI-driven productivity tools transforming business processes
• Real-world case studies showing ROI from AI adoption
• Change management and reskilling strategies for AI-enabled teams

(Speakers may include corporate practitioners and consultants delivering measurable results. Sponsors could include SaaS, productivity, and automation providers.)

4. AI Executives

For senior leaders defining AI strategy, investment priorities, and organizational direction.

This track focuses on leadership and accountability—how enterprises are structuring, funding, and governing AI transformation. It’s where business outcomes meet operational strategy.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• How executives are aligning AI investments with corporate goals and performance metrics
• Frameworks for measuring ROI and long-term value creation
• Strategies for building AI-ready cultures and managing workforce transitions
• Governance and policy models for responsible AI adoption
• Insights from C-suite leaders successfully scaling enterprise AI

(Speakers may include CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, and transformation executives. Sponsors could include consultancies, cloud platforms, and system integrators engaging executive decision-makers.)

5. AI Governance, Security & Compliance

For leaders responsible for trust, safety, and regulatory alignment in AI systems.

Trust defines the next phase of AI adoption. This track explores the evolving standards, frameworks, and tools for managing AI risk, accountability, and compliance at scale.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• How organizations are preparing for the EU AI Act, U.S. Executive Order, and global frameworks
• Risk management and audit practices for responsible AI deployment
• Confidential computing, privacy preservation, and data sovereignty models
• Tools for bias detection, explainability, and governance automation
• How legal, compliance, and technical teams collaborate to ensure responsible use

(Speakers may include CISOs, general counsels, policy specialists, and governance officers. Sponsors could include GRC, cybersecurity, and compliance solution providers.)

6. AI in the Enterprise (Transformation & Infrastructure)

For technology and operations leaders deploying AI across complex environments.

This track bridges strategy and execution. It focuses on the systems and infrastructure that make enterprise AI reliable, scalable, and cost-effective.

What You’ll Learn (depending on speaker sessions):

• Modern architectures for deploying generative and predictive AI systems
• How enterprises are managing hybrid-cloud and multi-model operations
• Tools and frameworks for observability, governance, and performance optimization
• Real-world transformation case studies from large-scale AI rollouts
• Techniques for cost control, security, and long-term sustainability

(Speakers may include enterprise architects, platform engineers, and infrastructure executives. Sponsors could include data platform, hardware, and cloud infrastructure providers.)

Talk Submission Timeframe / Milestones

Tuesday, November 4 – CFP Opens
Friday, December 5 – CFP Closes
December 5 – January 2 – Talk review(s)
Monday, January 5 – Friday, January 16 – Decision notifications to those that submit talks
Tuesday, January 9 – Round 1 / initial speakers publicly announced
Tuesday, January 16 – v 1.0 schedule announced  

*Please note we may reach out before and/or after the above dates. We encourage questions and comments to be directed to the ATO team at info@allthingsai.org anytime. We will respond quickly.

Talk Formats

1. 10-15 minute keynote in front of a plenary audience.
2. 15-18 minute “burst” talk designed to highlight a topic/micro-topic delivered on a traditional track. Much like a 45-minute session, but shorter.
3. Traditional 45-minute session.
4. Extended 1.5 – 4.0 workshop session.

Travel Assistance for Speakers

All requests for travel assistance will be considered on a case-by-case basis. *However, please know ahead of time that since this is a first-year event, budget and the ability to provide assistance will be limited. As always, we do and will give priority consideration to independent and historically underrepresented individuals as inclusion and diversity remain important goals. If you have questions or would like to speak to us about our policy please contact us directly at info@allthingsai.org.

Submit Your Talk