Highlights of the 10th Annual MACC Event
by Maz Assi
Includes photos and commentaries from LinkedIn posts by audience and speakers.
Opening Keynote:
The MACC commenced with a captivating keynote by the AI evangelist, David Espindola. In his speech titled “Embracing Exponential Growth: A Journey through Past, Present, and Future Technology,” Espindola dived deep into the types of AI and its integration in numerous industries and domains. He elaborated on the transformative impact of AI on businesses and societies worldwide. Espindola specifically emphasized the importance for humans to learn to integrate with AI seamlessly, promoting a Growth Mindset to navigate the rapidly changing technological landscape.
 |
 |
His insights shed light on the evolving landscape of human-AI interaction, emphasizing the need for individuals to acquire the skills to collaborate effectively with artificial intelligence. His speech, therefore, not only explored the exponential growth of technology but also provided valuable insights on navigating and integrating with this transformative force.
Youssef Haddad, the founder and Board Chair at MACC, commended David Espindola for his insightful speech and adept handling of audience questions during the panel session. Haddad noted that Espindola’s responses demonstrated a profound understanding of the topic.
Lunch Keynote
The lunch keynote, sponsored by Denodo, a leader in data management and visualization, featured their Data Architect and Evangelist, Terry Dorsey. Dorsey delivered a speech titled “Data-Driven Triumph: Unleashing AI Potential for Enterprise Success”, highlighting the strategic incorporation of AI capabilities through Data Virtualization, and showcasing how this approach sparked the development of innovative products in the market and resulted in substantial revenue.
Track Speakers:
Our esteemed track speakers at the MACC 2023 shared a wealth of knowledge, providing insights into the latest trends, applications, and considerations in the dynamic field of artificial intelligence and architecture. Presentations’ titles and slides can be found here.
Below are a few examples of presentations and feedback.
The AI experts and Architects Dan McCreary and Steven Peterson, launched their first course on Generative Patterns for AI at the MACC. This groundbreaking initiative added another layer of value to the conference, offering attendees the opportunity to delve into cutting-edge topics directly from seasoned professionals. Dan shared his experience at MACC 2023 in a LinkedIn post. Youssef Haddad described their speech as a “positively outstanding presentation.”
Youssef Haddad also shared positive feedback on the presentation by our honored speaker Tarek Haddad, the Medtronic Fellow and director of Machine Learning and Statistics in Cardiac Implantables, Research & Technology. He emphasized the significance of AI in the healthcare industry as discussed by Tarek Haddad.
Moreover, our esteemed speaker, E.G. Nadhan, the Global Chief Architect Leader in the CTO Organization at Red Hat, delivered an insightful speech titled “Validated Architectural Patterns for Co-Innovation.” During his presentation, Nadhan showcased a set of use cases, emphasizing AI’s role in driving co-innovation through automated collaboration. Gain additional insights into Nadhan’s reflections on MACC 2023 by exploring his thoughts shared on LinkedIn.
Furthermore, Nadhan commended and praised our fellow speaker, Charles Betz, the VP, and research director for Forrester Research. Charles presented a talk titled “The architect’s guide to generative AI.” E.G. Nadhan expressed appreciation for the “Insightful Session,” highlighting the “different ways AI can be injected into Enterprise Architecture.” You can find more about Nadhan’s thoughts on his LinkedIn post.
Cameron Vetter discussed the true power and danger of ChatGPT and provided his LinkedIn commentary.
Grant Ecker presented “Taking a People-First Approach to Digital Transformation” and introduced his Mom.
Panel Discussion
The Panel Discussion was skillfully moderated by Anita Sukur, PhD, a Distinguished Engineer within the Wells Fargo Enterprise Architectural team. The esteemed panelists contributed diverse perspectives and insights to the engaging conversation, drawing praise for its captivating dialogue.
Michael Arulfo, Principal Enterprise Architect – GenAI & AI Strategy at Boston Scientific, enthusiastically applauded the captivating panel Q&A and the remarkable discussions. Also, E.G. Nadhan expressed his thoughts about the stimulating discussion. Both sparked their posts with the intriguing question, ‘Is AI God?’. This thought-provoking query emerged during the engaging panel discussion.
Sponsors:
We extend our gratitude to our esteemed sponsors who have contributed significantly to the success of The MACC 2023. Their support enhanced the quality of this event and fostered collaboration within the AI and architecture community.
Caleb Rosenow, an enterprise account executive at MongoDB, the NoSQL database leader and our keynote sponsor, provided an insightful review and summary of the conference. He highlighted significant moments from MACC 2023, showcasing the valuable content and impactful discussions that took place during the event.
Additionally, MN Blockchain Initiative, one of our valued sponsors, encapsulated the essence of the conference, starting their post with the phrase “If you don’t disrupt your own business, someone else will.”. They emphasized the role of Blockchain in the integration of AI.
The MACC 2023 conference left a lasting impact by providing valuable insights into the transformative world of AI and architecture. Attendees gained knowledge from captivating keynotes, insightful track speakers, and engaging panel discussions. The emphasis on AI’s integration into various industries and the promotion of a Growth Mindset for effective collaboration highlighted the conference’s forward-looking approach. The strategic use of AI in real-world scenarios, shared by speakers, added practical value. Sponsors and supporting initiatives underscored the significance of AI in shaping the future. Overall, the conference fostered collaboration, sparked meaningful discussions, and showcased the profound influence of AI on business and society.