AI Forum Asia 2026
AI Forum Asia 2026
Event Details
INSEAD AI Forum Asia
Friday, 30 October 2026: 09:00 to 19:30
INSEAD Asia Campus
Saturday, 31 October 2026: 10:30 to 17:30
INSEAD Asia Campus
Supported by the INSEAD Human and Machine Intelligence Institute (HUMII), this AI Forum Asia edition will shine a spotlight on AI in the real world – not only will we learn about frontier research on embodied AI and robotics, in which Asia leads, but also how AI is meeting the reality of corporate adoption and geopolitics. We will explore how individuals and organisations can thrive even as relentless technological change disrupts how we work, learn and relate.
Day 1 (30 October) brings INSEAD faculty together with distinguished academics, practitioners and policymakers.
Day 2 (31 October) is decidedly action oriented. Come and participate in a prediction tournament, check out our AI Market Place with games, demos, and conversations. Participate in hands-on sessions – and feel free to bring your teenage children to explore!
AI Forum Asia is part of the INSEAD AI Forum 2026 series, following the AI Forum Europe and the AI Forum Americas. AI Forum Middle East will take place in Abu Dhabi in January 2027.
AI Forum Asia is a partner event to the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH). Learn more at the SWITCH website.
Day 1 Programme
Friday, 30 October
Sameer Hasija, Dean of Executive Education, Dean of the Asia Campus and The Henry Ford Chaired Professor in Technology and Operations will serve as the master of ceremonies.
| 8:30 - 9:15 | Registration and Coffee |
| 9:15 - 9:25 | Opening Remarks Francisco Veloso, Dean, INSEAD |
| 9:25 - 9:40 | Welcome Message Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD |
| 9:40 - 10:20 | How People Adapt to Technological Change Winnie Jiang, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD |
| 10:20 - 11:10 | Human and Organisational Thriving in Practice Kenny Tan, Deputy Secretary (Workforce), Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Martin Gonzalez, Head of Organisational AI Research, Google DeepMind Phanish Puranam, Professor of Strategy, The Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisation Design, INSEAD Moderated by Winnie Jiang, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD |
| 11:10 - 11:45 | The Next Lap Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD Winnie Jiang, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, INSEAD |
| 11:45 - 12:45 | Networking Lunch |
| 12:45 - 13:15 | Fireside chat He Ruimin, Chief AI Officer, Singapore Ministry of Digital Development and Information Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD |
| 13:15 - 14:00 | The Geopolitical Implications of the AI Race Pushan Dutt, Professor of Economics and Political Science, INSEAD |
| 14:00 - 14:50 | AI and the Physical World Weiru Chen, Professor of Strategy, CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) Meng Fai Tung, Executive Director, Singapore National Robotics Programme Daisy Tian, Head of Global Business, RobotEra Xinhua Zhang, Co-founder and CEO, Cylingo |
| 14:50 - 15:20 | Embodied AI |
| 15:20 - 15:50 | Coffee Break |
| 15:50 - 16:20 | Why Better AI Demands Better Work Design Michael Freeman, Associate Professor of Technology and Operations Management, INSEAD |
| 16:20 - 17:10 | From AI Adoption to AI Transformation Hari V Krishnan (MBA'05D), Co-Founder and CEO, Genie Health David R Hardoon, Managing Director and Head of Advanced AI for Southeast Asia, Accenture Matthew Reilly, COO, Asia Pacific at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd Moderated by Vibha Gaba, Professor of Entrepreneurship; The Berghmans Lhoist Chaired Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership, INSEAD |
| 17:10 - 17:30 | INSEAD AI Club Hackathon: Results and Demonstration |
| 17:30 - 17:45 | Closing Remarks Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD |
| 17:45 - 19:30 | Networking Reception |
Note: The programme is subject to change. An official photographer will be on site and attendees may be photographed.
Day 1 Speakers
Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, CEIBS
Professor of Economics and Political Science
Professor of Finance
Associate Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Professor of Entrepreneurship
Head of Organisational AI Research, Google DeepMind
Managing Director & Head, Advanced AI, Southeast Asia, Accenture
Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Professor of Strategy
COO, Asia Pacific at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer, MDDI Singapore
Assistant Professor of Economics and Political Science
Deputy Secretary (Workforce) at Ministry of Manpower
Executive Director at Singapore National Robotics Programme
Professor of Strategy
Distinguished Professor (Practice) at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore; Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Romoya Inc
Day 2 Programme
Saturday, 31 October
| 9:30 - 10:30 | Registration and coffee | |
| 10:30 - 10:40 | Welcome Address Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD | |
| 10:40 - 10:50 | Opening Remarks Justine Xiao (MBA’15J), Co-president of the INSEAD Alumni Association Mona Bajani (MBA'18D), Co-president of the INSEAD AI Club for Alumni | |
| 10:50 - 12:40 | Project Cyborg Research Tournament Supported by HUMII at INSEAD, Project Cyborg is part of a large research effort to understand human and machine co-intelligence to identify the mechanisms that influence the quality of collective intelligence emerging from human-machine collaboration Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD | |
| 12:40 - 13:45 | Networking Lunch | |
13:00 - 17:00 concurrent to main sessions | Kid Friendly AI Arcade [ages 13 and above] Station 1 · Doodle Blitz: Draw against an AI neural net in a 20-second rapid-fire guessing challenge | AI Founder Marketplace Meet high-growth, funded startups building across Southeast Asia’s AI ecosystem. |
| 13:45 - 14:15 | Startup dialogue Dr Wei Li (MBA'12D) , Co-founder & CEO, Transfong Andrea Phua, Assistant CEO, Finance & Strategy Group, JTC Corporation Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD | |
| 14:15 - 14:45 | AI Adoption in Enterprises Tracie Teo, CEO, Codex Solutions Sherwin Siregar, former Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Prudential Singapore Moderated by Jackson Tan (MBA'17D), Director & Head, Innovation & Customer Operations, FairPrice Group | |
| 14:45 - 15:15 | There Is No Roadmap: Building a Company at the AI Frontier Joanna Reijgersberg-Siew (GEMBA'19), Founder and CEO, Cranberry AI | |
| 15:15 - 16:15 | AI Ventures: Empowering Your Life Transition A sample session from the INSEAD Lifelong Learning programme where participants use AI as a thinking partner to design their next stage of life Hellmut Schutte, Professor Emeritus of International Management, INSEAD Takeshi Yoshida, Founder and Chief Coach, Agile Organization Development | Hands-on Demo with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot: Bringing an AI-Native One-Person Company (OPC) to Life Discover practical tips and tricks for ChatGPT Projects and agentic AI to develop strategy and execute operational tasks, with Microsoft Copilot techniques in PowerPoint and Excel Fabrice Fischer, Founder and CEO, Blue Artificial Intelligence Kevin Pereira, Managing Director, Blue Artificial Intelligence |
| 16:15 - 16:30 | Project Cyborg: Results and Winners and Closing Remarks Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation and UBS Chair in Investment Banking, INSEAD | |
| 16:30 - 18:00 | Networking Reception | |
Note:
The programme is subject to change. An official photographer will be on site and attendees may be photographed.
Day 2 Speakers
Digital Trust Lead, Business Development at BSI
Professor of Finance
Founder and CEO, blu
Co-founder and CEO, Transfong Ventures
Managing Director, Blu - Artificial Intelligence
Assistant CEO, Finance & Strategy Group, JTC Corporation
Emeritus Professor of International Management
Founder & CEO, Cranberry AI
Co-President, INSEAD Alumni Association of Singapore, Head of Strategy, Duxton Asset Management
Founder, Agile OD
Practical Information
Getting to INSEAD Asia Campus, Singapore
The INSEAD Campus is located at No. 1 Ayer Rajah Avenue, Singapore 138676.
Ride sharing
INSEAD aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including Scope 3 (read more). We encourage you to use public transportation or consider carpooling if you'll be driving.
Parking
Should you wish to drive, there are limited visitor parking space available on campus. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please inform the security that you are here for AI Forum. Alternatively, you may park at the carpark of the Fusionopolis One, which is located just adjacent to INSEAD.
The nearest MRT station to the campus is the one-north MRT station (on the Circle Line). Exit A of the MRT station is approximately 2 minutes walk from INSEAD.
Media, filming and photography
INSEAD has engaged photographers and videographers for this event and may use photos and video footages for communication and marketing purposes. The media may also be present and make take photos and videos during the event.
