Maurice Conti Keynote Speaker

Renowned Futurist & AI Thought Leader
Former Chief Innovation Officer at Alpha (Telefonica's moonshot division) & Director of Applied Research and Innovation at Autodesk
TED Speaker with 13+ million views

Maurice Conti's Biography

Maurice Conti is a futurist, innovation executive, and international keynote speaker who stands at the intersection of emerging technologies and human-centered innovation. His expertise spans Artificial Intelligence, immersive reality (AR/VR/XR), advanced robotics, and manufacturing, with more than a dozen patents in these fields. His popular TED talk on AI’s potential to build a better world has garnered over 13 million views.

As an advisor to global leaders, Conti has helped organizations including Autodesk, Amazon, NIKE, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Lululemon, Airbus, Telefonica, the Navy SEALs, and the Government of Japan leverage emerging technologies to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. His work at the intersection of disruptive innovation, emerging technologies, and the future of work, cities, mobility, and climate reflects his commitment to human-centered technological advancement.

Previously, Conti served as Chief Innovation Officer at Alpha, Telefonica’s moonshot division, and as Director of Applied Research and Innovation at Autodesk. His teams have developed groundbreaking projects in AI, robotics, clean energy, education, sustainability, and cybernetics, earning recognition for building diverse, high-performing teams that deliver large-scale impact.

Conti’s unique perspective is shaped by his extraordinary life experiences. He has circumnavigated the globe multiple times—first as a child, then solo for 2½ years, and later with his own family. In 2009, he was awarded the Medal for Exceptional Bravery at Sea by the United Nations, the New Zealand Bravery Medal, and a U.S. Coast Guard Citation for Bravery for saving three shipwrecked sailors.

With a degree in Japanese History and experience spanning Manhattan’s tech scene to Silicon Valley’s innovation hubs to Barcelona’s moonshot projects, Conti exemplifies the rare combination of hands-on practitioner and big-picture thinker. As a speaker and advisor, Maurice Conti continues to help organizations worldwide envision and create a positive, sustainable future where humans and machines work together to address society’s most pressing challenges.

Moonshot Thinking: The Guiding Light of Innovation

Throughout his career, renowned futurist and innovation executive Maurice Conti has spearheaded several “moonshot” projects that empower teams to develop the technology of the future without the pressures of near-term profitability. In this thought-provoking keynote, he walks audience through what “moonshot thinking” is and how organizations can develop a collective designer’s mindset to innovate, fend off corporate antibodies, and create a tangible impact that will position their businesses for sustained success and continued innovation.

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Business, Work, and Society

As leaders and their teams continue to wrap their heads around the possibilities of AI, as well as the implications for the future of work, Maurice Conti, a renowned innovation executive and AI pioneer, addresses the pressing issues that organizations will need to tackle as they navigate the future of their businesses. In this forward-looking keynote, Conti explains what generative AI is and how it’s transforming businesses, reshaping industries, and driving society forward. He also showcases some of the most intriguing and innovative examples of how organizations are harnessing AI to add value for their people and their customers and examines the profound ways in which AI will impact the workplace experience and open doors for new levels of innovation and collaboration. For anyone thinking about how they should be investing in AI, what the risks and opportunities are, and the practical applications for using AI to address their unique business challenges, Conti’s insights provide guidance for next steps to take to begin answering those questions.

10 Mantras for Disruptive Innovation

Drawing upon his two-decade career collaborating with global enterprises and governments to evolve their products, services, and businesses, futurist, innovation executive, and business advisor Maurice Conti shares 10 actionable mindsets and strategies for how any organization can dramatically increase its rate of idea generation, as well as the likelihood that its innovation initiatives will succeed. Conti’s straightforward and proven frameworks are backed by the results of his work with companies such as Nike, Tesla, Disney, and Amazon to develop and launch breakthrough initiatives, and are designed to help teams work through innovation stalls. Leveraging 20 years of hands-on experience advising the world’s most innovative companies, he brings a clear understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and methodologies needed for any organization to succeed in large-scale innovation.