Are we in control of our own future?
AI is no longer a lab experiment. It’s powering businesses, guiding decisions, and generating profit. But the closer AI gets to the core of our systems - from finance and healthcare to policy and HR - the more urgent the ethical questions become.
So let's bring together two worlds: one building AI for the market, the other holding up a mirror to it for ethical reasons. Nick Vandesype's company Predikt.ai is driven by efficiency and competitive edge. Michael Bauwens is guided by transparency, fairness, and public trust with UCLL's GPT Academy.
Can innovation and ethics keep pace with each other? Or is the pressure to move fast leaving little room for reflection?
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in business and society, we need to ask how ethical decisions are made, and by whom.
Michael Bauwens
Lead GPT Academy | UCLL
Michael Bauwens is the project leader of GPT Academy, a pioneering initiative that prepares professionals to critically and creatively engage with generative AI. Because we all need to think about the consequences before using AI blindly.
With a background in language technology and a reputation for challenging dominant narratives, Michael brings a uniquely human lens to the AI debate. At GPT Academy, he emphasizes ethical design, responsible use, and digital sovereignty. Because we need to train a generation not just to build with GPT models, but to question who sets their parameters, owns their outputs, and benefits from their adoption.
At and& connect, Michael will argue that the future of AI isn’t just technical... it’s political, educational, and deeply human.
Vincent Vercruyssen
Co-founder and COO | Predikt
Vincent Vercruyssen is co-founder and COO of Predikt, a fast-growing Swiss-Belgian startup that builds predictive analytics and digital twins for finance teams. With a research background in machine learning and anomaly detection at KU Leuven, he combines deep technical expertise with sharp business acumen.
At and& connect, he will join the fireside chat “Are we in control of our own future?” to explore how AI can empower better decision-making, where its limits lie, and what happens when we hand over too much control to algorithms.
He will reflect on how predictive technologies can strengthen human decision-making, but also where their blind spots and risks lie. At the same time, he will share his own startup journey: how Predikt grew into a fast-rising diamond by harnessing AI in practice, turning cutting-edge research into a business with real impact.
