Best AI Keynote Speakers in the UK (2026): Who to Shortlist by Event

Let me be plain about two things before the names. First, I'm on this list and I wrote it, so I've got skin in the game. Read my entry with that in mind. Second, this is a shortlist of speakers worth considering for a UK event, not a ranking of who's best. Where a speaker's own page doesn't give a location, I haven't stated one, and I haven't pretended all six of us are UK-based.

What I've done instead is sort the names by the kind of event you're running. A futurist who fills a main stage can be the wrong booking for a board that needs a frank hour on risk, and an Oxford professor isn't who you'd put in front of a room of sales directors wanting a plan for next quarter.

Match the speaker to the event

The event you're running	Who to shortlist	Worth knowing
Board briefing or leadership offsite	Bernard Marr, Henry Ajder	Broad future view versus trust, risk and policy
University, trust or public-understanding event	Michael Wooldridge	An academic profile, so check availability first
Main-stage futurist keynote	Matthew Griffin	Wide range of topics beyond AI; his page gives no location
Sales and marketing conference	Katie King	Commercial AI strategy; her site gives no location
UK business or marketing event wanting practical AI	Lilach Bullock (me)	Practitioner, not an academic or futurist

Everything below about the other five speakers comes from their own sites or university pages, as of Nov 2026. I've left out fees, follower counts and the titles speakers give themselves, because you should hear those from them or their agent.

A board briefing or leadership offsite: Bernard Marr and Henry Ajder

Bernard Marr

Bernard Marr's about page describes him as a futurist, bestselling author, keynote speaker and strategic advisor on AI, emerging technology and the future of business. It says he's written 23 books and contributes regularly to Forbes, and that he advises boards as well as speaking. His topics run from generative and agentic AI to robotics, quantum computing, data and the future of work.

His UK ties, as his page tells it, are Cambridge, where he studied, and research fellowships at Cambridge Judge Business School and Cranfield School of Management; it doesn't say where he's based now. He suits a leadership group that wants the wide view of what's changing and what to do about it. The trade-off is breadth: if your board wants a deep hour on one risk, brief him tightly or look at the next name.

Henry Ajder

Henry Ajder's site says he's an expert on AI, deepfakes and synthetic media, and that he presented the BBC series The Future Will be Synthesised. It says he leads the University of Cambridge's Generative AI in Business programme, founded Latent Space Advisory to help business and political leaders with AI strategy, policy, ethics and trust, and advises organisations including the UK Government. He offers keynotes, fireside chats and private briefings.

If your offsite is about trust, risk and responsible adoption, he's the name I'd put first. His page doesn't say where he lives, so the UK ties I'd lean on are the Cambridge programme, the BBC series and the government advisory work.

A university, trust or public-understanding event: Michael Wooldridge

Michael Wooldridge's University of Oxford profile lists him as Ashall Professor of Foundations of Artificial Intelligence and a Senior Research Fellow at Hertford College. It says he joined Oxford in 2012 after twelve years as a professor at the University of Liverpool, was Head of the Department of Computer Science from 2014 to 2021, and gave the 2023 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, broadcast by BBC TV. He wrote the Ladybird Expert Guide to Artificial Intelligence and The Road to Conscious Machines.

For a university event, a trust or a public audience that wants a clear, calm account of what AI is and isn't, he's the obvious fit on this list. The catch is that his page is an academic profile, not a speaking page. It doesn't advertise bookings, so check availability before you build a programme around him.

A main-stage futurist keynote: Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin's site describes him as a futurist, keynote speaker and 17-book author, and the founder of the 311 Institute, his research firm. His keynote topics include AI, from generative AI and agents to what they mean for strategy, work and leadership, plus cyber security, geopolitics, innovation and disruption, and risk and resilience. His site says his keynotes are in person first, and the institute publishes free reports, including a Global AI Power Index 2026.

He suits a big-stage opening slot where you want the audience thinking about the next decade. His page gives no location, so I haven't given one. If your audience wants takeaways for Monday morning, pair him with a practical session later in the day.

A sales and marketing conference: Katie King

Katie King is the CEO of AI in Business, which describes itself as a future-focused consultancy that focuses on business impact rather than technology. Its site lists consulting and strategy, keynotes, training and workshops, virtual assessments and a Leaders of Tomorrow programme, and her books are Using Artificial Intelligence in Marketing and AI Strategy for Sales and Marketing. I've also listed her on my own page of AI voices to follow for business.

For a sales and marketing conference that wants AI strategy tied to a commercial team, she's a natural shortlist name. Her site doesn't state a location, so I haven't claimed one. Ask whether the talk comes with workshop or training follow-up, since her firm offers both.

A UK business or marketing event with practical AI: Lilach Bullock

This is my entry, and I wrote the list, so weigh it accordingly. I'm an AI implementation consultant and fractional CMO with 23 years in marketing, all in on AI since 2024. I've spoken at over 100 events internationally, including TEDxBolton in 2018 and a talk at Oxford University, and clients have included Twitter, Dropbox, IBM, monday.com and Greenpeace. I speak in person anywhere in the UK and online.

I'm not an academic, I'm not a futurist and I'm not a bureau. My talks are about what AI is doing in my business and my clients' businesses this month. Two of the ones I tailor for UK rooms are AI for the firm of ten, for chambers of commerce, trade bodies and SME conferences, and Getting named by ChatGPT and Google's AI, for marketing conferences and agency audiences. Formats run from a 45 to 60 minute keynote to a workshop of 90 minutes to a full day for groups of 8 to 30. The details are on my UK keynote speaking page.

Booking well: what to check first

There's a reason AI sessions are on so many UK agendas. The UK government's AI Opportunities Action Plan, published 13 January 2025, is about ramping up AI adoption across the UK, and audiences now arrive with questions about what that means for their own jobs and firms.

Before you book anyone, decide whether you need inspiration or skills. A keynote moves a room; a workshop changes what people do the next day. If you're unsure, my guide on whether your event needs a keynote or a workshop walks through it. Once you've picked a name, a good speaker brief does more for the session than any amount of fee haggling.

From longlist to signed speaker in four moves

1. Write one sentence about the audience. Who's in the room, and what should they do differently afterwards?
2. Pick two names from the matching row. Two lets you compare without turning booking into a project.
3. Watch one full talk from each. Not a showreel. A whole session, so you see how they handle the middle.
4. Ask for the session outline in writing. A speaker who's done the work can send one quickly and tailor it to your audience.

My verdict: I'd watch one full talk from each name on your shortlist and skip anyone who can't send you a session outline before you sign. On notice, I'd allow eight to twelve weeks for a custom keynote and four to six for a standard talk, which is what I ask for myself.

Where I sit

I talk on stage about getting found in AI answers, so I'd better be getting found myself. Between January and September 2026, Google clicks to my site went from 1,322 a month to 6,412, and visits from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Copilot went from 32 a month to 3,599. That's from my own Search Console and GA4, and it's the material I bring into the room.

It doesn't make me the right speaker for a university lecture or a board's risk session; the names above are better there. It makes me useful when a room full of owners and marketers wants to leave with something they can try that week.

If your event is for UK business owners or marketing teams, that's where my talks land best. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the best AI keynote speakers in the UK?

I wrote this shortlist and put myself, Lilach Bullock, on it, so I'm not neutral, and it's a shortlist rather than a ranking. By event, the names I'd consider are Bernard Marr and Henry Ajder for board briefings, Michael Wooldridge for university and public events, Matthew Griffin for a futurist main stage and Katie King for sales and marketing conferences.

How do I choose an AI keynote speaker for a UK event?

Start with the audience and what they should do differently afterwards, then match the speaker to the type of event. Shortlist two, watch one full talk from each and ask for a written session outline before you book.

Keynote or workshop: which does my event need?

A keynote shifts how a room thinks; a workshop changes what people do the next day. If your audience needs to leave with a working skill, book a workshop or pair a keynote with a hands-on session.

How far ahead should I book a speaker?

It varies by speaker, so ask each one. For my own talks I suggest eight to twelve weeks for a custom keynote and four to six weeks for a standard talk.

Does the speaker need to be UK-based?

Not necessarily. What matters is whether they understand a UK audience and can be in the room when you need them. Several speakers' own pages don't give a location, so ask directly about travel and availability rather than assuming.