“Human Intelligence 1st, Artificial Intelligence 2nd”, July 2026
Human Intelligence leads Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge Summit Dublin, July 2026
Another Knowledge Summit Dublin (KSD) has come and gone. A huge BRAVO to the heart and brains of the conference - Barry Byrne, Janine Weightman, Sierra Woods, Bryan Byrne and the rest of their dynamic team! You did it again!
And now that all the buzz has subsided, there’s now time to share what came up, as I think of this year’s experience:
Now on my 3rd KSD conference, I felt like I was going to a “community reunion”, i.e. as in a family reunion, but bigger. There was a lot of excitement in reconnecting with friends and familiar faces. But also about getting to know and appreciating them (and acquaintances) a little bit better, not just as professionals but also as people. It’s also a community that recognizes how our families are an included part of our work life and who lovingly support the “KM connection” we have.
I really find a huge value in interacting with people in-person. Embodied presence and body language say a lot - the facial expressions when having real and sometimes lengthy back and forth discussions, the focus of attention of the other person when you’re talking, the tone of voice, the smiles, the hugs. These are all additional information human beings express, and which can strengthen, deepen, and sometimes even repair, trust needed towards successful collaborative relationships. And all these, AI can’t necessarily and fully capture and/or respond to in real-time. In this day of AI-integration, it’s a wonderful thing to have this opportunity for practitioners to come together not just to celebrate their profession but to learn from and support each other and in the most inclusive way possible.
What I most celebrate this year:
Not just AI: This year, I congratulate the KSD team for their efforts to not just cover KM developments amidst AI-integration or inspiring success stories. Rather, they also made sure to include great reminders of what ultimately distinguishes us as humans – in particular, the way we learn, how our brain works, how we now need to “unlearn” or “let go” of what no longer serves us, how we need to pivot and decide according to the here & now, which will most likely entail embracing the “struggle” (or discomfort) in order to allow space for what one needs to move forward. Thanks Sean Lally and Zanele Njapha for your enlightening keynotes!
Diversity and Neurodiversity: I also celebrate how the conference acknowledged the importance of recognizing and nurturing neurodiversity as well as diversity of thought and culture in our profession. It’s not just the inclusive thing to do. But it’s also in the interest of stakeholders because it contributes to maximizing organizational success and positive change. Many thanks, Helene Russell and Naoki Ogiwara for your “nudging” presentations. I was also so stoked to have met a fellow-KMer who had 2 KM greats (Larry Prusak and Ikujiro Nonaka) as his mentors for many years. How cool is that.
Other expressions for learning and exchange: I celebrate how we recognized that sharing and acquiring knowledge isn’t just through sitting in a classroom or in meeting rooms. It’s also through group experience while doing a challenging ascent in a mountain walk, trying sailing for the first time, expressing one’s interpretation of knowledge using a potato as the canvas (thanks Andrew Herd), or by listening to a poem or powerful story that reflects a country’s history, especially about potatoes!
Appreciation of Beauty: The conference was also an opportunity for “Appreciation of Beauty”. Being in Ireland, particularly in Trinity College Campus or surrounded by the awesome landscapes of Glendalough or County Kerry along the Dingle Peninsula was a humbling experience. It was another reminder of how minute we all are in the grand scheme of things and how little we really know compared to what nature or others have experienced or can teach us.
Future-proofing the profession: I celebrate the importance we give in preparing the next generation Knowledge Workers for the future. Panel discussions and eventually ongoing dialogue are needed on how KMers would need to adapt or pivot with the times, not just in terms of skills and ways of being, but by being strategic in obtaining a rigorous KM foundation, having a good mentor to guide them, fill in the gaps and help navigate their careers. Thanks Bill Kaplan and other panelists.
How do we show up as KM practitioners?: I celebrate the importance we give to how we show up when we practice our profession. What virtues do we try to develop when we do KM work? Do we constantly remind ourselves of what is ultimately important? Is it only for excellence and success? Or is it really for making a difference, contributing to serving society or the common good? Leadership skills and virtues of courage/fortitude, humility and most of all what we called “Caritas” or genuine concern for the other help us become effective, resilient as well as compassionate practitioners. Recognizing the USAID Rescue Project and the Art Auction in solidarity for this project was a perfect illustration for this, as well as the KM Peer Mentoring Programme that annually supports 80 mentees, and now on its 4th year. Thanks Patrick Lambe for suggesting to include this session.
Honoring Tacit Knowledge of the experts: Finally, I celebrate the expansive capacity of the human brain and the importance we give to sharing tacit knowledge, especially of our seasoned community experts. By sharing their life experiences and reflections in the Fionn sessions, where there was no given structure and just answering questions that come to mind, participants organically built on and reflected on the speakers’ inspiring stories and lessons learned. We are so fortunate to be able to hear personal anecdotes of Dave Snowden, Liam Fahey, Chris Collison, Stuart French as well as women KM experts like Rebecka Isaakson and Evgeniya Fedoseeva.
The Power of Pause, Quiet and Meditation: In this vein, also providing conference participants a dedicated time and space to allow the brain to “let go”, pause, not DO but just FEEL, through meditation set the tone for Day 2. Allowing this recognized our brains’ need for intentional time to encode learning especially in today’s information-loaded age. Meditation also helps us build the ability to self-regulate and co-regulate with others for meaningful collaborative work. Thanks so much Ron Young for leading this “Yoga Principles for Effective KM” session with me.
Human Intelligence first, Artificial Intelligence second
In summary, I celebrate how we made an effort to amplify the Mind-Gut-Heart intelligence of humans especially in this age of AI. The theme was about the “Human in the Loop”. During the conference however, another participant mentioned how it should be the “Human in the Lead” to which I agree. While AI is indeed, a powerful tool, it is still our human values and intentionality that should guide how we integrate it into our work.
So If you’re a knowledge worker and can manage it, I really recommend investing in yourself and attending this practitioner-led conference.
The Knowledge Summit Dublin 2027 dates are out: 3-4 June 2027, feel free to register here.
Looking forward to next year!
