Speaking
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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Thinking of copies of Taming the Machine or Safer Agentic AI for your audience? Ask whether that can be arranged.
Keynotes & briefings
I
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 Safer Agentic AI, written with Prof. Ali Hessami.
Who it suits: Boards, technology leaders and teams deploying autonomous agents.
Takeaway: Recognise the new failure modes of delegated action and identify where oversight, boundaries and assurance belong.
II
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.
Who it suits: Engineers, product leaders, auditors and risk teams.
Takeaway: Distinguish recurring behavioural failures, ask better diagnostic questions and choose a useful intervention.
III
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.
Who it suits: Organisations beginning adoption and mixed audiences seeking a practical introduction.
Takeaway: Separate useful capabilities from hype and identify sensible first steps for your own work.
IV
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.
Who it suits: Designers, people leaders and teams shaping human-facing technology.
Takeaway: Evaluate personalisation and automation through human needs, judgement and the choices people retain.
V
AI can shape what people believe happened, and whoever steers it can deny having done so. On psychosecurity, machine-mediated persuasion, and defending shared reality in an era of synthetic media and cognitive warfare.
Who it suits: Communications, security and policy teams, and anyone concerned with public trust.
Takeaway: Recognise machine-mediated manipulation and identify ways to protect shared understanding.
VI
How new and renewed decentralised institutions can turn technological change into a stronger society, from how we work and make law to whom we trust.
Who it suits: Public-interest leaders, policymakers and people designing new forms of governance.
Takeaway: Examine how decision-making, accountability and institutional design can adapt to technological change.
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. Virtual talks come from my home studio, with no travel costs.
What audiences say
“OMG, what an inspiring storyteller! I was really impressed with Nell and her professionalism. Incredibly easy to work with.”— Monique Johnson
“Thank you for the impeccable presentation. You are an amazing speaker and the entire audience was spellbound listening to you talk.”— Dina Bassel
“Rare to hear an AI expert with such profound cultural & social understanding as Nell Watson.”— Mikko Jarvenpaa
“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.”— Ian Richardson
“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!”— Suzanne Janse
“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.”— Paul Rice
“Nell Watson blew the whole crowd away with intelligence, humanity, insight, and complex thinking. Just epic. The world needs more Nell.”— Pete Trainor
“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.”— Ali Hessami
“It genuinely was the most inspirational and forward-facing session I’ve seen in 25+ years.”— Michael Channin
“A powerful, informative, innovative, thoughtful, and thoroughly-inspiring presentation.”— N.I. Chamber
“Wow! What an inspiring presentation: thought-provoking and enjoyable.”— Emma Kieran
“Thanks a lot for your very impressive presentation on AI. Rarely I see a complete audience as fascinated (and silent!)”— Antoine Meunier
“Amazing presentation by @NellWatson. Her lessons for the future have left me both humbled and inspired.”— Jenny Sprackling
“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.”— Ciaran Whelan
“Shout out to futurist, Nell Watson, who delivered an incredibly captivating and polished keynote that had the attention of the whole auditorium.”— Tim Parfitt
“Nell’s section was fantastic – she has such a beautiful speaking voice also!”— Hannah Cottrell
“What an amazing finish by @NellWatson. Too many amazing ideas! An absolute inspiration.”— Daniel Harvey
“Best presentation of the whole day. THE most amazing, inspiring speaker, with a smart, eloquent call for a renaissance of the heart. Thank you!”— Jamie Jefferson
“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.”— Abi Brownbridge
“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.”— Mieke Vandewaetere
“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.”— Vural Kural
“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!”— Katie Robbins
On stage
Appearances with the cameras rolling — TED and TEDx stages, SXSW, and rooms in between.
As heard in conversation with
