As the global conversation around artificial intelligence intensifies, Kathmandu is set to host ‘The Human-AI Alliance: Shaping the Future of Leadership & Work’ this Saturday, March 21. The event, themed ‘The Future of Leadership is Human+AI’, will take place at Hotel Yak & Yeti in Durbar Marg from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Organised by the Growth Leadership Academy (GLA) in media partnership with Ekantipur, the conference aims to explore the intersection of human intelligence and AI in the 21st-century workplace. The forum comes at a time when technological integration is becoming a priority for leadership across various sectors.

The keynote speaker for the event is Pascal Kaufmann, a renowned Swiss neuroscientist-turned-entrepreneur. Kaufmann is widely recognised in the tech world; the US business journal Inc. previously named him, alongside Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, as one of the leading voices in a new understanding of intelligence.

A pioneer in the field of ‘Cyborg Technology’ and brain research, Kaufmann holds a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience and Economics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and Northwestern University. Before moving into entrepreneurship, he worked at the prestigious Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the University of Zurich, focusing on the interface between brains and machines.

Kaufmann's professional accomplishments include founding Starmind in 2010 and the Mindfire group in 2017, the latter of which aims to decipher the principles of intelligence to empower humans. More recently, he co-founded AlpineAI in 2023, which provides sovereign AI technology like SwissGPT to major European cities, governments, and healthcare providers.

The conference is expected to draw leaders and enthusiasts interested in how human-level AI can be developed for the benefit of humankind. According to the organisers, the session is specially designed for top-level management team members, business leaders, entrepreneurs and senior executives looking to understand how a hybrid of Human and AI will shape the future of leadership.

“The programmer is exclusively for top-level management professionals,” Mohan Ojha, founder of GLA, told the Post. “We expect Kaufman to deliver a presentation/keynote spanning over one hour, after which, the floor will open for the attendees to tap into the insights from Kaufman.”

Tickets for the event are currently available through the GLA.