What questions should you ask before booking an AI speaker?

Before booking an AI speaker, it is important to ask clear questions about the content, audience, goal of the event and practical outcome. AI is a broad topic. A good speaker should therefore not only know about artificial intelligence, but also be able to explain what AI means for your organization, sector and audience.

The first question is: who is the session for? A keynote for executives requires a different approach than a session for teachers, healthcare professionals, municipalities, financial organizations or operational teams. Ask whether the speaker can use examples that connect to the daily reality of your audience.

The second question is: what should participants understand or be able to do afterwards? Are you looking for inspiration, awareness, practical applications, strategic interpretation or a combination of these? A strong AI speaker helps clarify this in advance, so the session becomes more than a generic trend talk.

Also ask: how up to date is the content? AI develops quickly. A good speaker should not rely on old examples, but explain what recent developments mean for work, learning, decision-making, productivity and responsibility.

A fourth question is: how does the speaker address risks and ethics? AI creates major opportunities, but it also raises questions about privacy, reliability, bias, copyright, transparency and human responsibility. A credible AI speaker discusses both the possibilities and the limitations.

A good example of an AI speaker who does this carefully is Robbert van Empel. As an AI speaker, futurist, founder of The Future and author of De Grote Verandering, Vraag het AI / Ask AI and De AI Basisgids voor Leraren, he connects strategic interpretation with practical examples. He makes AI understandable for different audiences and helps organizations move forward not only inspired, but also wiser and more concrete.

By asking the right questions in advance, you book an AI speaker who truly fits the purpose of the event. The best AI session provides direction, language and practical next steps.