Keynotes with substance.
Alexander C.S. Hendorf helps executive and technical audiences understand what AI can actually deliver — beyond hype, dashboards, and vendor promises. 100+ talks across 15+ countries, from PyCons, ESA and WHU to Silicon Valley.
Book me as a speakerSpeaking is not an end in itself. It is the open-source mindset applied to knowledge: share it, challenge it, and stay in direct exchange with the people doing the work where it matters most.
The questions discussed at conferences often become business-critical years before they appear in analyst reports. Staying close to that frontier is not a by-product of my work — it is part of it.
What I speak about
Agentic AI: From hype to value
How companies can use AI agents strategically — what works, what fails, and why buying into the buzz does not build a business.
AI & open source in regulated industries
How banks, insurers, and other regulated organisations can adopt AI and open-source technology without getting trapped by legacy systems, compliance anxiety, or organisational inertia.
AI strategy beyond tools
Why standards, structure, governance, and the right questions matter more than the latest platform — and how to align everyone from engineering teams to the C-suite.
Talks for audiences that need clarity
Conversations with substance
I moderate panels that give decision-makers real insight — not rehearsed PR talking points. Guests have included Walid Mehanna, CDO of Merck, Ines Montani of spaCy/Explosion, Yann Lechelle (scaleable), Sebastian Rashka and Dr. Alexander Beck of Quoniam Asset Management.
My standard is simple: substance over consensus. Ask the questions that matter — especially when they are uncomfortable.
Where I have spoken
Active as an AI expert and community speaker since 2014 — a selection from more than 100 talks, keynotes, panels, and lectures across 15+ countries.
| Year | Talk / Event |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Fail and Grow: Why Failure Stories Matter in AI Development and Innovation AI for Good, United Nations, Geneva |
| 2026 | CrAIzy Times - KI zwischen Hype und Realität - Keynote Unzer AI Week |
| 2026 | Fireside Chat with Sebastian Raschka: Stop Waiting, Start Shipping: Real-World Strategy for Open-Source LLMs PyCon DE & PyData, Darmstadt |
| 2025 | Structured Automation with Agentic AI European Space Agency (ESA), Darmstadt |
| 2025 | The Agent Hype Trap: Why Buying Into the Buzz Won't Build a Business hei_Innovation, Heidelberg University |
| 2025 | The Future Belongs to the Curious: Trends, Diversity & the Power of AI Unzer, Munsbach (Luxembourg) |
| 2025 | Beyond Agents: What AI Strategy Really Needs in 2025 PyCon DE & PyData, Darmstadt |
| 2025 | The Future Belongs to the Curious - Keynote Lidl Data Science Conference, Neckarsulm |
| 2025 | AI in Reality Fireside Chat: Enterprise AI & Open-Source InnovationFireside chat with Ines Montani (spaCy), the CDO of Merck, and Dr. Alexander Beck (Quoniam) PyCon DE & PyData, Darmstadt |
| 2025 | NVIDIA GTC 2025 Insights Hessian AI Academy, TU Darmstadt |
| 2025 | Open-Source BusinessFireside chat with Yann Lechelle (CEO, probabl.), Sylvain Corlay (CEO, QuantStack) PyData, Cité des Sciences, Paris |
| 2024 | Why AI Projects Fail KI Navigator, Nuremberg |
| 2023 | Solving Data Problems in Management Accounting EuroPython, Prague |
| 2022 | Lessons Learned About Data & AI at Enterprises and SMEs PyData, London |
| 2022 | AI and Data Science — Context and the Big Picture Free University of Berlin |
| 2020 | The Economics of Prediction Machines Smart Production Network Forum, ABB, Mannheim |
| 2020 | AI for Lawyers German University of Administrative Sciences, Speyer |
| 2019 | AI for Managers — Guest Lecture WHU — Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar |
| 2016 | MongoDB Data Analysis & Visualization MongoDB World, New York City |
| 2016 | Agile Datenanalyse - der schnelle Weg zum Mehrwert ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung |
| 2014–2019 | EuroPython — Speaker & Program Chair Berlin, Bilbao, Basel, Rimini, Dublin, and others |