Speaking

Keynotes that leave the room thinking

AI ethics, agentic safety, and what machine minds mean for business and society — grounded in hands-on engineering and standards leadership. Past audiences range from the World Bank and the United Nations to the Royal Society and SXSW.

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Keynotes & briefings

Signature topics

I

Safer agentic AI

AI systems can now plan, act, and pursue goals with growing autonomy. What changes when software becomes an agent, where the new failure modes hide, and the practices that keep agentic systems safe. Based on the 2026 book.

II

When machines misbehave

Psychopathia Machinalis in practice: a diagnostic tour of the ways AI systems go wrong, from confabulation to value drift, and how engineers and leaders can spot, name, and treat machine pathologies before they cause harm.

III

Hitting the ground running with AI

A clear account of what today’s AI can and cannot do, how the technology reached this point, and how to adopt it thoughtfully in your organisation.

IV

Humanising machines

AI systems increasingly model human needs, preferences, and values. How to use those capabilities without reducing human judgement and experience to whatever an algorithm can measure.

V

AI & reality perception

AI can shape what people believe happened, with plausible deniability. On psychosecurity, machine-mediated persuasion, and defending shared reality in an era of synthetic media and cognitive warfare.

VI

Building new institutions

How decentralised, newly strengthened institutions can turn the energy of technological change into a stronger society — from work and legislation to trust itself.

In-person and virtual keynotes, fireside chats, executive workshops, and board briefings — tailored to each audience, from first-steps AI adoption to frontier-risk governance. I am also available for remote talks from my home studio at a significant discount.

What audiences say


“A powerful, informative, innovative, thoughtful, and thoroughly-inspiring presentation.”
— N. I. C.

“Broad-based, beautiful, and right-paced presentation. Thank you.”
— A. M.

“Wow! What an inspiring presentation: thought-provoking and enjoyable.”
— E. K.

“OMG, what an inspiring storyteller! I was really impressed with Nell and her professionalism. Incredibly easy to work with.”
— M. J.

“Thank you for the impeccable presentation. You are an amazing speaker and the entire audience was spellbound listening to you talk.”
— D. B.

“Rare to hear an AI expert with such profound cultural & social understanding as Nell Watson.”
— M. J.

“The energy levels at the event were sky high; fantastic feedback from attendees. It was a genuinely provocative, and brilliantly presented talk - you could hear a pin drop in the room.”
— I. R.

“We were very happy with Nell Watson. She was really impressive with many pertinent examples, and really thought about what would be relevant to us. Very happy with it!”
— S. J.

“It was genuinely one of the best delivered presentations that I have had the pleasure to engage with, both hugely stimulating content and highly professional delivery.”
— P. R.

“Thanks a lot for your very impressive presentation on AI. Rarely I see a complete audience as fascinated (and silent!)”
— A. M.

“Nell Watson blew the whole crowd away with intelligence, humanity, insight, and complex thinking. Just epic. The world needs more Nell.”
— P. T.

“Amazing presentation by @NellWatson. Her lessons for the future have left me both humbled and inspired.”
— J. S.

“We have received so many comments already from attendees saying how eye opening the presentation was... Nell is truly a remarkable speaker on this topic.”
— C. O’K.

“Shout out to Nell Watson, who delivered an incredibly captivating and polished keynote that had the attention of the whole auditorium.”
— T. P.

“Nell’s section was fantastic – she has such a beautiful speaking voice also!”
— H. C.

“What an amazing finish by Nell Watson. Too many amazing ideas! An absolute inspiration.”
— D. H.

“Nell is among the global leaders of ethical technology development and deployment, someone with deep understanding, courage, and passion for the preservation of values and rights.”
— A. H.

“Best presentation of the whole day. THE most amazing, inspiring speaker, with a smart, eloquent call for a renaissance of the heart. Thank you!”
— J. J.

“A huge thank you to Nell – Her talk was fascinating and she was such an engaging speaker. Our Chair was delighted to work with Nell and they made an excellent double act.”
— A. B.

“Nell put each person in an envelope in which knowledge and insights have been lavishly scattered around. The interview afterwards also testified of expertise. Giving a talk is one thing; giving a Q &A afterwards and giving new insights is something else. In a busy world full of stimuli and speed, Nell’s talk was a relief, a resting point, a moment of pure contemplation.”
— M. V.

“Thank you for the outstanding presentation Nell Watson. It is truly rare to see a presentation on Artificial Intelligence delivered with such depth and clarity. You articulated our sentiments and industry-wide perspectives with remarkable insight, presenting them before us in a way that felt both genuine and thoughtfully structured. We sincerely appreciate your effort and expertise.”
— V. K.

“Our group could not stop raving about not only how fascinating and helpful Nell’s ideas were, but also how clear and elegantly conveyed they were—even extemporaneously! They were dazzled!”
— K. C.

“It genuinely was the most inspirational and forward-facing session I’ve seen in 25+ years.”
— M. C.

On film

Talks, recorded

33 appearances with the cameras rolling — TED and TEDx stages, SXSW, and rooms in between.

Forbes – A conversation in Austria between Nell Watson and Dominik Meisinger

Nell Watson on Agentic AI (RAI Excerpt)

Nell Watson at AGI Conf ’21 – Machines for Moral Enlightenment

Nell Watson: Gaslighting AI & Cyber Poltergeists

Why it’s time for a digital social convention | Nell Watson | TEDxBari

Machine Ethics & Moral Markets | Nell Watson | TEDxUniversiteitVanAmsterdam

Universal Computers and Quantum AI | Nell Watson | TEDxAntwerp

Magnanimous Machines | Nell Watson | TEDxSonomaCounty

Trustworthy AI Chronicles, Episode 13 – Nell Watson | Author and AI Safety Researcher

How AI Is Already Rewiring Us — Singularity University

Agentic AI and our AI Future — AI Governance Podcast

Taming the Machine — London Futurists

AI Ethics & Safety: What Could Go Wrong and How to Stop It

AI Agents Will Develop Their Own Distinct Culture — Super Data Science

Scarcity of Trust — SogetiLabs

Eleanor “Nell” Watson

Nell Watson – The Stronger Society to Come – Dutch Digital Day 2020

Regulating the rise of Artificial General Intelligence

An Audience With: Nell Watson, Futurist and Technology Philosopher

Engineering Greater Human Resilience

How can technology help build trust and better societies? Nell Watson, Singularity University

Machine Ethics — GOTO Amsterdam 2019

Pioneers ’19 – Arena: Should AI Take Over the World?

SXSW2018 – Loïc Le Meur, Nell Watson, Adam Cheyer, Daphne Koller – Exploring Innovations in AI

Belfius - Leadershift - Nell Watson

Intelligence: The Brain, AI, And Hybrids - Foresight Institute

OEB 2016 - Plenary Debate

How do you combine psychology and technology? – VINT Symposium 2016

Nell Watson IOP Presentation NYC

Behind the Science- Nell Watson

Nell Watson - Machines Understanding of Humans – The Conference 2014

Nell Watson – Agentic AI Safety – IEEE Computational Intelligence Society webinar 2025

Nell Watson – Treaty of Versailles to Moon Landing – Sci Foo Camp 2024

The full catalogue of recordings →

As heard in conversation with

Wired BBC Forbes Guardian Fastcompany CNBC IEEE