Zack Kass: Global AI Advisor
AI go-to-market leader who helps organizations prioritize practical AI pilots, measure ROI, and scale responsible adoption across teams.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- Zack Kass is a forward-thinking leader who excels at identifying emerging trends and translating them into actionable strategies for organizations navigating the rapidly evolving technological landscape.
- In his role at OpenAI, Zack spearheaded efforts to bring groundbreaking AI products to market.
- With a deep understanding of AI's impact on business and society, Zack is a sought-after voice in the conversation about how we can harness emerging technologies responsibly and effectively.
- Formats: Keynote, Panel.
- Audiences: Product/GT M teams (20–150); Conferences (150–1,200).
- Outcomes:
- Prioritize AI pilots with clear ROI metrics.
- Build measurement plans for early wins.
- Create scale playbooks for enterprise rollout.
- Travels from: Santa Barbara, CA
- **Fee range: $20,001 - $35,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
THE INNOVATOR’S DILEMMA
Preparing You for Abundant Change
AI strategist Zack Kass is your guide to make sense of today’s paradoxical landscape. Working across industries, Zack shares fresh case studies and insights to help you identify your best AI-powered opportunities.
Key takeaways:
- How to align vision and actionable AI strategies.
- How to adopt a future-proof mindset.
- How to integrate AI thinking up and down the ladder.
Start reshaping your future with Zack’s focused and fast-moving presentation.
The Next Renaissance
Embark on a journey to experience the transformative power of AI, the most profound leap in the history of technology that has already begun to redefine the future of business and humanity. In his compelling keynote, Zack underscores the parallels between the historical renaissance and the current AI-driven revolution, highlighting how technology is reshaping industries, organizations, the workforce, and our very way of life.
Zack counters the conventional dystopian narrative of AI, sharing a positive vision of the future that offers the potential for game-changing innovation, opportunity, and human potential. He demystifies the latest technological advancements, offering a clear understanding of AI’s unique power, its trajectory and profound implications for both businesses and individuals.
This talk will leave your organization inspired and equipped with insights and actionable strategies to harness AI’s potential, positioning you to thrive amidst rapid advancements.
Key takeaways:
- Comprehensive overview of AI’s evolution and transformative business implications
- Deep understanding of the current AI landscape and its future trajectory
- Insight into how AI will shape humanity at both organizational and individual levels
- Actionable strategies to future-proof your team amidst rapid AI advancement
AI STRATEGY, SIMPLIFIED
Charting AI’s Journey Into the Future
From its humble start to its future potential, AI is about to disrupt everything
we know about business, forever.
- How did we get here?
- What does it mean for your industry?
- How can you move to the forefront of AI-fueled advancements?
- How can you optimize for humanistic skills?
AI strategist Zack Kass shares the roadmap you need to understand AI’s trajectory and its implications.
Key takeaways include demystifying AI, frontline lessons from AI implementation, and integrating AI into your workforce for resilience.
Talent Short Bio
Zack Kass is a global strategist and futurist who helps companies understand evolving consumer expectations and build digital-first growth engines. He specializes in translating behavior trends into product experiments and organizational practices that can scale.
Zack’s work concentrates on linking insight to rapid experimentation: defining the hypothesis, running targeted pilots, and measuring impact. His presentations are grounded in practical tests and playbooks, not just predictions so leadership teams can prioritize bets and resource allocation. Zack’s sessions suit product, marketing, and innovation teams who need to convert trend-sensing into sustainable growth.
Read Full Bio
Zack Kass is a globally recognized Open AI futurist, keynote speaker, consultant, and educator, dedicated to helping organizations and individuals navigate the dynamic intersection of technology, innovation, and human potential. With a career that spans leadership roles in artificial intelligence and a passion for empowering others through education, Zack is a trusted voice in the conversation about what the future holds and how to prepare for it.
As the former Head of Go-To-Market for Open AI, Zack Kass was at the forefront of one of the world’s most transformative AI organizations. During his time at OpenAI, he helped bring cutting-edge AI technologies to market, bridging the gap between innovation and real-world applications. His leadership in launching AI products provided him with unparalleled insights into the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, from business adoption to ethical considerations.
His work has positioned him as an authority in leveraging AI for organizational success. He continues to explore how emerging technologies can enhance productivity, drive innovation, and shape the future of industries across the globe.
Zack Kass is a sought-after keynote speaker who has captivated audiences at conferences, corporate events, and industry gatherings. His presentations are a compelling blend of deep technical knowledge, future-forward thinking, and relatable storytelling.
From exploring the societal implications of artificial intelligence to forecasting trends that will redefine the future of work, Zack’s keynotes leave audiences inspired and equipped with actionable insights. Whether addressing C-suite executives, tech leaders, or academic audiences, Zack has a unique ability to simplify complex concepts and make them accessible, engaging, and thought-provoking.
As a consultant, Zack Kass works closely with organizations to help them harness the power of AI and emerging technologies. His expertise lies in developing strategies that not only address immediate business challenges but also prepare organizations to thrive in the long term.
By identifying untapped opportunities and mitigating risks, Zack enables businesses to innovate responsibly and strategically. His experience spans a wide range of industries, making him a versatile and highly effective advisor.
Whether you’re looking for a dynamic keynote speaker, a strategic consultant, or a knowledgeable educator, Zack Kass is the voice that will help you understand and embrace what’s next.
Today, he is considered one of the foremost thinkers in Applied AI. His thought leadership and techno-optimist views have been featured in countless publications, such as Fortune, Newsweek, Entrepreneur, AdAge, and Business Insider. Zack supports education and research at two major universities, and still advises Fortune 1,000 board rooms, including Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Amgen.
He continues to advise Fortune 1000 board rooms, including Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Amgen. Zack Kass is also an Executive-in-Residence at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce and Chair of Ruder Finn’s AI Advisory Council.
Zack received his BA from The University of California, Berkeley, and resides in Santa Barbara, California.
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Talent Videos
Zack Kass – An Abundant Future: Why AI Will Make Us More Human
In this 3-minute talk, Zack Kass shares why AI represents abundance, not dystopia, urging us to focus on human qualities that technology can never replace.
Video Summary & Key Moments
Zack Kass delivers an optimistic, fast-paced keynote on the profound changes AI is ushering in. He begins by framing AI as the catalyst of the most significant industrial revolution in human history, one that will transform industries and societies at a pace few can imagine. Rather than fearing dystopia, he urges audiences to see AI as a tool for abundance and human empowerment.
Drawing on his experience in over 300 Fortune 1000 boardrooms, Zack explains that leaders and everyday people share the same concern: what comes next, and will humanity be okay? His answer is emphatic—yes. He predicts that AI will enable plentiful food, clean energy, water, and even breakthroughs like curing cancer.
Kass emphasizes that preparation requires more than automation. He encourages people and organizations to practice first principles thinking, questioning assumptions and re-examining processes. As AI commoditizes knowledge and routine skills, he argues, individuals should invest in cultivating qualities that machines cannot replicate—vision, wisdom, courage, creativity, and curiosity.
The keynote closes with a call to embrace AI as a human amplifier. Kass insists AI lacks purpose and values, but humans do. By harnessing AI responsibly, society can build a future where technology frees people to focus on what truly matters: creating, connecting, and solving humanity’s greatest challenges together.
Key Moments
00:00 Opening: AI as the start of the most profound industrial revolution
00:35 Countering fear: AI as abundant and transformative
01:10 Predictions: energy, food, water, and curing cancer
01:50 Preparing through first principles thinking and re-examining systems
02:30 Human skills over machine skills: vision, wisdom, and curiosity
03:10 Closing: AI should amplify humanity, not diminish it
Zack Kass – The Abundant Future: Why AI Will Redefine What It Means to Be Human
In this 6-minute keynote, Zack Kass, former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI, explains why AI will create abundance, free time, and a more human-centered future.
Video Summary & Key Moments
Zack Kass delivers a powerful keynote highlighting AI as the catalyst for the most profound industrial revolution in human history. He frames the next decade as a time of abundance, not scarcity, predicting breakthroughs in energy, food, water, and even cures for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Far from being dystopian, he argues, AI will accelerate improvements in the human experience.
He urges audiences to adopt first principles thinking, using AI’s rise as an opportunity to rethink broken systems and outdated processes. Instead of asking how AI can automate tasks, individuals and organizations should ask deeper questions about what work truly matters and why.
Kass stresses that AI will commoditize many skills and forms of knowledge, making it vital to double down on qualities machines cannot replicate—vision, wisdom, courage, curiosity, and creativity. These humanistic traits will define our future relevance.
He emphasizes that AI’s greatest promise lies in giving people back time, allowing them to rediscover what it means to be human. He envisions a future where work and life are redesigned so people can focus on spending time with family and friends, nurturing relationships, and pursuing meaningful activities.
The talk closes with a call to embrace AI as a tool that makes us more human, not less a technology that enhances rather than diminishes our capacity to live fully and authentically.
Key Moments
00:00 Opening: AI as the most profound industrial revolution in history
01:00 Predictions: abundance in energy, food, water, and disease cures
02:05 Preparing with first principles thinking and questioning processes
03:10 Human rediscovery: AI gives time back to focus on relationships and purpose
04:25 Preparing for a future where AI commoditizes skills and knowledge
05:10 Immutable human qualities: vision, wisdom, courage, curiosity
05:45 Closing: AI as a force that makes us more human, not less
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Overview of User Reviews for AI Strategy Planning and Presentation
Strengths:
- Expertise and Understanding: Reviewers consistently highlight Zack's deep understanding of AI and its applications, noting that he effectively tailored his approach to meet the needs of various industries, including life sciences and analytics.
- Engaging Presentations: Users praised Zack's presentation skills, describing them as excellent and compelling. His ability to make complex topics relevant and engaging was particularly noted, with one attendee claiming it was the best session of the day.
Weaknesses:
- No significant weaknesses or criticisms were mentioned in the reviews.
Overall, Zack is highly regarded for his expertise in AI strategy and his ability to deliver impactful presentations that resonate with diverse audiences.
Talent FAQ's
Do speakers charge a flat fee or by the hour?
Speaker fees can vary depending on factors such as expertise, demand, and event specifics. While some speakers may charge a flat fee for their services, others may have hourly rates. It’s best to discuss fee structures directly with the speaker or their representative to understand the pricing model.
What is the typical duration of a keynote speech and what is included?
Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
Does the scale of the event and audience size affect a speaker’s fee?
The scale of the event and audience size can indeed impact a speaker’s fee. Larger events with a broader reach or higher attendance may command higher fees due to increased exposure and demand. Conversely, smaller events or niche audiences may offer opportunities for more flexible pricing arrangements.
Travel expenses and other costs
Travel expenses such as transportation, accommodation, and meals are typically negotiated separately from the speaker’s fee. These costs vary depending on the speaker’s location, travel distance, and event duration. It’s important to clarify travel arrangements and expenses during the booking process to avoid misunderstandings.
Deposits and securing a booking
Many speakers require a deposit to secure a booking, with the remaining balance due closer to the event date. Deposits are often non-refundable and serve as a commitment from both parties. It’s advisable to discuss deposit requirements and payment terms with the speaker or their representative when finalizing the booking.
Additional tips and takeaways
- Virtual speaking appearances are a cost-effective alternative to high speaking fees, often 10-50% cheaper than in-person rates.
- There is typically no difference in fee for a 15-minute speech versus a 60-minute speech.
- Some motivational speakers are open to discounting their fee if hired for more than one event by the same organization.
- When browsing speakers, consider their location to keep travel costs down.
- Personal connections to your organization or event location can increase your chances of securing a renowned speaker.
- Be upfront about your needs and expectations to ensure a successful partnership.
- Speaker bureaus like Speakers Inc help guide you through the booking process to negotiate the best deal with favorable terms.
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