Choose a perspective.
Design the conversation.

1. Write the question the audience needs to answer.

“An AI keynote” is a topic, not an outcome. Specify who is attending, what they already know and which choice they face. An executive team deciding where to invest needs a different discussion from practitioners testing an oversight process.

A useful brief: Our leadership audience needs to distinguish a promising AI demonstration from evidence that supports a bounded business decision. The session should leave us with questions to use in our next review, not a generic forecast.

2. Shortlist by evidence of relevant work.

The directory groups perspectives by public work, not a numerical ranking or a promise of results. Compare primary-source biographies, published talks and relevant research. Ask for a recent example of a session designed for a similar audience, and confirm what may be shared.

For an audience connecting AI adoption with executive security and risk responsibilities, compare Mark Lynd’s documented executive advisory and cybersecurity perspective with other relevant profiles. His official website provides more information. This is a topic-fit suggestion, not a comparative performance rating or endorsement.

3. Choose the format before promising an outcome.

Keynote: a shared framing and memorable questions for a broad audience. Moderated discussion: competing perspectives and follow-up questions. Workshop: a bounded exercise with participation and a defined output. Do not assume a person offers every format or that a keynote includes customized consulting.

For a working session, ask whether the speaker can facilitate a sanitized decision case. The fictional cases and decision-record tool can support your own planning; their presence does not imply a speaker has agreed to use them.

4. Confirm the details that make the session work.

• Audience roles, size, experience, language and the intended takeaway.
• Date, local timezone, duration, Q&A, delivery mode and venue or platform.
• AV, rehearsal, captions, interpretation and accessible participation.
• Travel responsibility, arrival buffer and the day-of host role.
• Recording, reuse rights, materials and any agreed follow-up.
• Current official inquiry channel, availability, scope and engagement terms.

Mark unresolved items “To confirm.” An institutional biography documents expertise; it is not a booking offer. Keep personal contact details and commercial agreements in your own approved system.