AI CONFERENCE

01.10.25

About the conference

DiSH Manchester, Heron House
8:30AM - 5pm & Evening Social

After a sell-out event last year, the MTF AI Conference is back — and bigger than ever!
This year, we’re expanding the day to pack in even more cutting-edge insights, technical deep dives, and real-world applications of AI. Designed specifically for practitioners, engineers, data scientists, and researchers, the MTF AI Conference isn’t about surface-level hype — it’s about the tools, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping the future of AI from the ground up.
 
Join us as we explore the latest in machine learning, generative models, AI infrastructure, responsible deployment, and everything in between. Expect detailed talks from those building the systems, not just talking about them — plus time to connect with peers who live and breathe this technology every day.
 
Don’t miss out on this sell-out event!

What to expect

Designed for those working in AI this conference will include: 

AI is shaping every corner of the tech landscape — and at MTF AI, we go straight to the heart of it. Our talks and panels focus on the technical realities of AI development, deployment, governance, and ethics. Expect challenging, in-depth sessions designed for those building, integrating, or scaling AI systems — with actionable insights you can take back to your organisation.

The best way to learn is by doing — and our workshops are built for just that. Dive into hands-on sessions that tackle real-world AI challenges. Whether it’s fine-tuning models, deploying pipelines, or navigating emerging tools, these workshops offer practical experience guided by seasoned experts.

Meet the companies leading the charge in AI innovation. Our tech expo showcases cutting-edge tools, platforms, and services from organisations actively building the future. Whether you’re hiring, looking for your next role, or just want to explore the latest developments, this is where connections happen and new ideas emerge.

After a packed day of insight and innovation, the conversation doesn’t stop. Join fellow delegates, speakers, and sponsors at our evening social to dig deeper into the day’s biggest questions. It’s the perfect chance to unwind, connect, and explore new perspectives on the most transformative tech of our time.

New for 2025! The MTF event app is a virtual environment which puts you in the centre of the festival! Log on, explore sessions and choose your own agenda. Plus! Interact with other guests, access pre-conference content, pose questions to our speakers and more! The best part? You get access to the app for upto 6 months after the festival where all of our talks will be posted so you don’t need to worry about missing a thing! 

SPEAKERS

Discover this year’s speaker bio’s by clicking the images below. 

Rahul Verma

Senior Product Manager
booking.com

Bryan Jones

Quality Architect
2i Limited

Luke Thorp

Solutions Architect
Databricks

Woah there! We’re still firming up the lineup for this years festival! Make sure you join our newsletter to be the first in the know as we announce our speakers! 

If you are an expert on AI and feel you have something to say – why not apply to speak at this years event? There’s still time to get your application down – just visit our speaking page – go on you know you want to!

AGENDA

Explore the talk details using the drop downs. 

Bryan Jones
Quality Architect
2i Limited

 

SESSION OVERVIEW:  The truth about AI is far more nuanced than the hype the media feed us. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and as Quality Professionals it is our job to understand those nuances, the actual risks and how to mitigate them.
So …How do you Test and Quality Assure an AI system? This talk addresses some of the risks, opportunities and ethics involved. It provides a practical, ready-to-use framework for testing & assuring AI-based systems. It also explores the techniques, skills and thinking patterns that we as Quality Professionals need to remain relevant, as the fourth Industrial Revolution kicks in for real.
AI is evolving. We need to as well!

Rahul Verma
Senior Product Manager
booking.com

SESSION OVERVIEW:  The truth about AI is far more nuanced than the hype the media feed us. Whether we like it or not, AI is here to stay and as Quality Professionals it is our job to understand those nuances, the actual risks and how to mitigate them.
So …How do you Test and Quality Assure an AI system? This talk addresses some of the risks, opportunities and ethics involved. It provides a practical, ready-to-use framework for testing & assuring AI-based systems. It also explores the techniques, skills and thinking patterns that we as Quality Professionals need to remain relevant, as the fourth Industrial Revolution kicks in for real.
AI is evolving. We need to as well!

Luke Thorp
Solutions Architect
Databricks

SESSION OVERVIEW:  At Databricks I speak with enterprise customers regularly to help them with their Data and AI maturity, adoption of new technologies and methodologies. All companies are facing challenges when trying to move up the data maturity curve. This journey is hard and is not nessesarrily linear. Being able to build out the core foundations using solid data, good governance, keeping scalability in mind.

JOIN OR SPONSOR COMMUNITY

From an exhibition stand at our core conference to sponsorship of one of our mid-year events, MTF offers businesses of all sizes an opportunity to join together and engage with the Manchester Tech Ecosystem. 

From boosting brand awareness to securing your next big hire, our sponsorship packages offer a year of benefits designed to hit your business goals, regardless of your priorities!

Enquiry today or explore the different opportunities for MTF 2026

HoldSpeaker_1

Rahul
Verma

ABOUT

Senior Product Manager | booking.com

With over 12 years of experience across engineering, cloud, FinOps, sustainability, and AI, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise and strategic insight. Holding both an engineering degree and an MBA, I have worked across product and consulting domains, delivering impactful solutions for clients globally. My cross-functional background enables me to bridge technology and business, driving innovation, cost optimization, and sustainable digital transformation across diverse geographies.

MTF25_BryanJones

Bryan
Jones

ABOUT

Quality Architect | 2i Limited
I have been in testing for over 36 years, working in most of the industry sectors and having done every job in testing from machine code reviews to being the Director of Quality Engineering. I am now a Quality Architect for 2i, a quality and testing consultancy. I present at conferences, IT community events, am on the committee of BCS Edinburgh, the Scottish Testing Group, and host the Quality Blether podcast. I am a career testing professional with an obsession with Quality, an insatiable curiosity and learning addiction. I am a certified Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist, I used to play bass in several bands. I take part in off-road motorcycle rallies. I also used to train and ride horses.
HoldSpeaker_1

Luke
Thorp

ABOUT

Solutions Architect | Databricks
Luke is a Solutions Architect at Databricks who specialises in Data Science, Machine Learning, and Generative AI. He advises and delivers large-scale data transformations using Databricks as the engine for enterprise customers across the UK and Ireland.
 
Luke was born and raised in Manchester, studying Computer Science and Mathematics at Bolton University. He went on to work at The Co-op and the BBC within Data Science roles and more recently worked at Sky as a Data Science Manager. All of these organisations used Databricks and this made him make the move into Databricks as a Solutions Architect.
 
Luke also runs various meetups across the UK, including the Manchester Databricks User Group where he regularly speaks on various topics related to data and AI.