ATO AI 2025 Summary

In short, the inaugural All Things Open AI conference was EPIC!

The event, hosted earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday in downtown Durham, NC, featured two days of world-class content and speakers from all over the globe.

Day one (1), Monday, featured multiple hands-on workshops and extended session, as well as lunchtime Guest Lectures and end-of-day Ignite Talks.

Day two (2), Tuesday, was a traditional conference day featuring morning keynote sessions, lunchtime Ignite talks, as well as 30 minute breakout sessions across three (3) tracks.

Note, a more complete summary is coming soon, including links to recorded talks, but for now see the By the Numbers graphic below and a number of pictures.

By the Numbers  

Pictures 

Sriram Raghavan, Vice President IBM Research AI, made big news with a huge keynote announcement
Keynote crowds were overflowing in the Fletcher Hall auditorium
Workshops, like this all-day GenAI RAG session from John Willis, were at capacity and overflowing
Attendees found the content and speakers engaging and educational
Breakout sessions, like this one from Ben Ilegbodu of Netflix, were busting at the seams with attendees
Keynote speakers included thought leaders from all over the globe. From left: Sriram Raghavan, Rachel-Lee Nabors, Mark Hinkle, Sheng Liang, Dr. Ruth Akintunde
Sheng Liang, Co-founder and CEO of Acorn Labs, delivers a Tuesday keynote talk to a full house