How to Choose the Best AI Keynote Speaker for Your Conference
I’m Chris Dyer. I’ve delivered over 300 keynotes on leadership, culture, and navigating change, and increasingly that means helping organizations figure out what AI means for their people. If you’re planning an event and searching for an AI speaker, this guide will help you find someone who delivers more than hype.
The AI speaker market is flooded right now. Everyone with a LinkedIn account and a ChatGPT subscription is positioning themselves as an AI expert. Most of them will leave your audience impressed by the technology and clueless about what to actually do. The speakers who matter are the ones who understand that AI is a leadership challenge, not just a technology challenge.
Table of Contents
- The Problem with Most AI Speakers
- What Your Audience Actually Needs
- Five Criteria for Choosing an AI Speaker
- Questions to Ask Before Booking
- Red Flags to Avoid
- Featured Speaker: Chris Dyer
- How to Maximize Your AI Keynote Investment
- FAQ
The Problem with Most AI Speakers
The Tech Evangelists
These speakers come from technology backgrounds. They can explain how large language models work and demonstrate impressive AI capabilities. The problem: most audiences don’t need to understand how AI works. They need to understand how to lead through the changes AI creates. Tech evangelists leave audiences amazed but paralyzed.
The Futurists
These speakers specialize in predictions about 2030 or 2040. The problem: predictions aren’t actionable. Your audience needs frameworks for leading their teams through uncertainty right now, not forecasts about a future nobody can predict.
What’s Missing
Both types miss the fundamental reality: AI transformation is a people problem, not a technology problem. The technology works. What doesn’t work is getting humans to adopt it, navigate the ethical questions, handle the anxiety, and maintain culture while everything shifts. That’s not a technology keynote. That’s a leadership keynote.
What Your Audience Actually Needs
Frameworks for leading through uncertainty. AI changes too fast for specific tactical advice to stay relevant. Your audience needs mental models for making decisions when they don’t know what’s coming next.
Permission to experiment. Many organizations are paralyzed by fear of getting AI wrong. A good keynote helps leaders embrace experimentation without recklessness.
Language for difficult conversations. Leaders need to talk with their teams about AI’s impact on jobs, roles, and skills. Most don’t know how to have these conversations without creating panic.
Integration with existing priorities. AI can’t be bolted on as a separate initiative. It has to connect to culture, strategy, and the way work actually happens.
Five Criteria for Choosing an AI Speaker
Leadership Experience, Not Just AI Knowledge
The best AI speakers aren’t AI specialists. They’re leadership experts who understand how to guide organizations through major transitions. I’ve led companies through multiple technological shifts. When I talk about AI, I’m drawing on decades of experience navigating change.
Frameworks, Not Just Information
Information about AI is everywhere. What audiences can’t Google is a framework for thinking through AI decisions in their specific context. My AI keynote integrates the 7 Pillars of culture, principles of leading through change, and the importance of moments that shape transformation.
Customization for Your Industry and Audience
Generic AI talks are useless. The challenges facing healthcare are completely different from manufacturing or financial services. I spend significant time understanding the specific situation before any AI keynote.
Balance of Optimism and Realism
Beware speakers who are entirely bullish or entirely bearish. I’m optimistic about what AI enables for organizations that navigate it well. I’m also realistic about the leadership challenges. People are anxious. Jobs will change. Pretending otherwise insults your audience.
Actionable Takeaways
Every AI keynote should end with specific actions. Not “embrace AI” or “be ready for change.” Actual actions they can take Monday morning.
Questions to Ask Before Booking
“What will my audience be able to do differently after your keynote?” Listen for specifics. Vague answers about “understanding AI” are red flags.
“What’s your experience leading organizations through major change?” AI knowledge matters less than change leadership experience.
“How do you handle the anxiety people feel about AI and jobs?” This is the elephant in every room. Speakers who dismiss or avoid it aren’t helping.
Red Flags to Avoid
All hype, no substance. If the speaker seems more interested in impressing than equipping, they’re performing, not helping.
Technology focus without people focus. If they spend most time on AI capabilities rather than human challenges, your audience won’t know what to do.
Predictions without humility. Anyone who claims to know exactly how AI will unfold is either lying or deluded.
Featured Speaker: Chris Dyer
I’m a leadership speaker who helps organizations navigate change, including the changes AI is creating. My approach is different because I focus on what leaders actually need: frameworks for guiding their people through uncertainty.
Why I’m Different
I’m not a technologist. I’m a CEO who built and sold companies, led teams through multiple industry shifts, and learned what actually works when the ground is moving. My keynote “Embracing the Future of Work & AI” addresses the questions your audience is actually asking.
What Your Audience Will Learn
How AI changes leadership. Frameworks for leading through uncertainty. How to maintain culture during technological change using my 7 Pillars framework. Practical next steps they can take immediately.
What People Say
“Chris Dyer is not just a keynote speaker; he’s a true partner and a catalyst for change. His keynote was one of the highest-rated sessions on our agenda. He delivered a powerful, inspiring message filled with real-world insights and practical takeaways our audience could act on immediately.” — Heather Holst-Knudsen, CEO, H2K Labs
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best AI keynote speaker for corporate events?
Chris Dyer is an excellent choice for organizations that want an AI keynote focused on leadership rather than technology. His “Embracing the Future of Work & AI” keynote equips leaders with frameworks for guiding their teams through AI transformation.
How much does an AI keynote speaker cost?
AI speakers range from $5,000 to $50,000+. Established leadership speakers with AI expertise typically charge $10,000 to $30,000. Chris Dyer’s fee is in the $15,000 to $25,000 range, including extensive customization.
What should an AI keynote cover?
The best AI keynotes focus on leadership challenges rather than technology capabilities. They should address leading through uncertainty, maintaining culture during change, having difficult conversations about AI’s impact, and specific actions leaders can take.
Ready to Book an AI Keynote Speaker?
Your audience is already thinking about AI. The question is whether they’ll leave your event with genuine frameworks for leading through the change or just more hype.
Visit chrisdyer.com to watch keynote clips and inquire about availability.
