Keynote: AI, Work, and Talent

Visionary, Trend Watcher

1 hour

NL

HR,
Leadership,
Change management,
AI

Inspire,
Dealing with change,
Talent development

Most organizations don’t lack talent—they lack insight into talent. Keynote speaker and change management expert Laurens Waling demonstrates how AI, skills, and behavior can reveal hidden potential and help organizations reorganize their work. Energetic, interactive, and practical—suitable for both large conferences and executive and management teams.

Laurens Waling is a keynote speaker, moderator, and change management expert specializing in AI, work, and talent. He helps organizations understand what AI is truly changing and how they can more effectively connect people, work, and development.

His central message is clear: most organizations don’t lack talent—they lack insight into talent.

Many organizations look outside their walls for new people, while they lack sufficient knowledge of the skills, ambitions, and development opportunities already present within the organization. Laurens demonstrates how AI and skills-based management can help uncover that hidden potential.

This isn’t just about technology. Laurens always links AI to leadership, behavior, and organizational change. After all, a new system alone doesn’t change an organization. People only start to take action when they understand why change is necessary, feel seen, and experience the opportunities that arise for them.

During his keynotes, Laurens covers topics such as:
- the impact of AI on work and organizations
- shifting from job titles and vacancies to skills and tasks
- hidden talent and internal mobility
- labor market shortages and new ways of organizing
- people and AI as collaborative partners
- Agentic HR and the future of HR
- responsible use of AI and the AI Act
- leadership and behavior during change

Laurens speaks from real-world experience. He has appeared on international stages such as UNLEASH World in Paris, Zukunft Personal, and HR Tech Europe. He has spoken for organizations including Netflix, ABN AMRO, Accenture, Achmea, a.s.r., Randstad, Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry of Defense, UWV, Amsterdam UMC, Radboudumc, and Center Parcs.

He founded Part-up, a pioneering platform for skills-based collaboration, and is currently Chief Evangelist at 8vance, a Dutch-German scale-up specializing in AI-driven matching and talent intelligence.

This isn’t an abstract vision of the future, but an energetic and interactive session featuring relatable examples, thought-provoking questions, and concrete takeaways your organization can put into practice right away.

Every keynote is tailored to the target audience, industry, and the central theme of the event.

Share this act