Trent Gillespie

Now or Never: Turning AI into a Competitive Advantage -Flagship Keynote

Leaders know AI matters, but most organizations struggle to turn it into real competitive advantage. AI agents are rapidly reshaping how work gets done, how companies compete, and what customers expect from the organizations they choose. While many companies are experimenting with AI tools, few are rebuilding the way their businesses operate. This keynote shows why this is a now-or-never moment for leaders to act. Trent Gillespie gives leaders a clear, grounded view of what’s changing now and where AI is creating real advantage—and where organizations risk falling behind.

The session introduces two powerful frameworks designed to help leaders act with confidence. The Amazon-inspired Future Customer™ framework helps leaders understand how AI is reshaping customer expectations and where their market is heading, while the AI SPRINT™ provides a practical operating model for embedding AI into leadership, strategy, and daily operations. Leaders leave with clarity, confidence, and a practical path to move from experimentation to sustained competitive advantage.

Recommended Audience

This keynote is designed for executive teams, senior leaders, and general business leaders responsible for strategy, operations, and growth in an AI-driven world.

Actionable Takeaways Tailored to Each Audience:

• Understand and harness AI Agents — what they are, how they work, and how they’ll redefine productivity, personalization, and customer experience.
• Identify blind spots in how you serve your next-generation customer and anticipate the shifts AI will create in what they value.
• Apply the 6-step AI SPRINT™ framework to drive innovation, empower teams, and accelerate results across your organization.
• Build an AI-ready culture that makes experimentation, iteration, and learning a daily leadership reflex.

Add-Ons:

Go beyond a keynote talk with:

• Facilitated group discussion and brainstorming on opportunities to apply AI.
• Trent’s AI 101 Workshop for Staff or Business Leaders
• Trent’s Online Education Course, Generative AI at Work
• Trent’s Future Customer Workshop to establish an AI-Ready business strategy

AI at Work: From Curiosity to Capability

AI is reshaping the workplace, and the rise of AI agents is accelerating how work gets done while also transforming how businesses operate and compete. Agents are beginning to handle tasks, coordinate workflows, and even participate in decisions—changing how companies create value and how people contribute. This moment is creating a major opportunity for employees who learn how to harness AI effectively.

In this engaging keynote, former Amazon executive and Stellis AI CEO Trent Gillespie helps teams move from curiosity to capability by making AI practical, relevant, and immediately useful. Drawing from his work helping organizations adopt AI in the real world, Trent shows employees how to use AI to reduce friction, improve output, strengthen problem-solving, and create more value in their roles. With live demonstrations, practical instruction, and a clear path to action, this keynote builds the confidence and momentum teams need to work effectively with AI—and AI agents—in the new world of work.

Recommended Audience

This talk is designed for employee audiences and general business audiences to educate, direct, and inspire them to begin using AI in their roles.

Actionable Takeaways Tailored to Each Audience:

• Understand the AI moment — how AI is reshaping work, business, and the skills that will matter most going forward.
• Move from curiosity to capability — learn practical ways to start using AI to improve the quality, speed, and impact of everyday work.
• Remove friction and unlock productivity — see how AI can eliminate routine tasks, reduce bottlenecks, and free up time for higher-value work.
• Strengthen thinking and problem-solving — learn how to use AI as a thinking partner to explore ideas, analyze information, and generate better outcomes.

Add-Ons:

Go beyond a keynote talk with:

• Facilitated group discussion and brainstorming on opportunities to apply AI.
• Trent’s AI 101 Workshop for Staff or Business Leaders
• Trent’s Online Education Course, Generative AI at Work
• Trent’s Future Customer Workshop to establish an AI-Ready business strategy

The AI Flywheel™: Building a Durable Innovation Engine

Many organizations make early progress with AI but struggle to sustain momentum. Initial wins fade, pilots stall, and innovation slows. The companies that succeed in the AI era will be those that build systems where improvement compounds over time.

In this advanced keynote, former Amazon executive and Stellis AI CEO Trent Gillespie reveals how Amazon built one of the most powerful innovation engines in business—and how leaders can apply the same principles in the age of AI. Using his AI Flywheel™ framework, Trent shows how organizations can turn operational gains, learning, and customer insight into a self-reinforcing cycle of innovation and growth.

Drawing on Amazon’s Working Backwards approach and the Future Customer™ framework, this keynote shows leaders how to align teams, build feedback loops, and reinvest AI-driven gains to accelerate innovation. The result is a practical model for turning AI from isolated initiatives into a durable engine of innovation and long-term competitive advantage.

This is the keynote for leaders to build high-performance companies with AI

Recommended Audience

This keynote is designed for business leaders, technology executives, product managers, and innovators looking to harness AI to accelerate innovation and gain a competitive advantage.

Actionable Takeaways Tailored to Each Audience:

• Understand how the AI Flywheel™ drives continuous innovation
• Learn how AI-driven gains compound into long-term advantage
• See how the Future Customer™ focuses innovation on where markets are heading
• Apply Amazon’s Working Backwards approach to accelerate AI innovation

Add-Ons:

Go beyond a keynote talk with:

• Facilitated group discussion and brainstorming on opportunities to apply AI.
• Trent’s AI 101 Workshop for Staff or Business Leaders
• Trent’s Online Education Course, Generative AI at Work
• Trent’s Future Customer Workshop to establish an AI-Ready business strategy