In 2024, it was introduced that HumanX had raised $6million to launch a premier AI neighborhood occasion which simply happened on the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, from 9 to 12 March 2025.
Began by the crew behind HLTH and Money20/20, there was understandably lots of curiosity about what a premium AI occasion might seem like. With senior names from tech corporations, finance establishments and e-commerce alike, the occasion aimed to distill AI complexity into sensible and actionable options for organisations.
“We’re not right here to feed the hype or create extra concern,” stated co-founder Stefan Weitz. “The dialog round AI is just too binary, both we’re speaking benevolent robotic overlords or Skynet. However the reality is extra sophisticated. We wish to discuss what’s actually working and what isn’t, and, frankly, the place we go subsequent.”
And whereas which may sound refreshing, it’s clear that AI, even in its extra grounded discussions, nonetheless has an extended solution to go by way of sensible, universally relevant options however with stellar names from the world of tech, finance and retail – the occasion definitely tried to get tough conversations out into the open.
The great, the dangerous and the Agentic AI
One of many scorching matters was Agentic AI, a time period that appeared to win the unofficial ‘buzzword bingo’ of the occasion. It refers to AI methods that may autonomously make choices and perform duties with out a lot human enter. In response to Adam Evans, EVP & GM at Salesforce, the corporate’s AgentForce platform, which automates customer support, has already been adopted by over 5,000 prospects in only a quarter.
However let’s be sincere, there’s a little bit of a hard-sell vibe when corporations begin speaking about changing human employees with AI. Although the stats look good, you possibly can’t assist however surprise if the pitch is extra concerning the future than the current. Positive, automation could make companies run extra easily, however the concept of AI working whole departments raises various eyebrows.
If AI methods might absolutely substitute customer support brokers, will they actually uphold the identical degree of name character and buyer care? And if they will, will prospects really settle for that?
“We’re seeing a significant shift in the direction of automation in service sectors,” Evans stated. “And in some methods, these instruments are already enhancing productiveness. However the query is: How a lot can we belief these brokers to really signify a model in the appropriate means?”
For a convention that touted practicality, there was a noticeable disconnect between the optimistic imaginative and prescient of AI as a productiveness booster and the real-world implications of this expertise for employees. Perhaps it’s only a rising ache within the AI revolution, nevertheless it’s clear that corporations try to promote us on the longer term whereas we’re nonetheless grappling with in the present day’s AI limitations.
Kamala Harris weighs in: innovation vs. belief
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was one of many large attracts on the occasion, providing her perspective on AI’s relationship with public coverage. In her dialog with Feedzai CEO Nuno Sebastião, Harris referred to as out the strain between Silicon Valley and Washington, pointing to the erosion of belief between the tech business and the federal government. “Proper now, that’s a extremely dangerous relationship,” Harris stated, noting how the final decade has weakened assist for analysis and innovation on the authorities degree.
“We have to work out the right way to make this work,” Harris continued. “As a result of if we don’t, we’re dropping this very particular second in time.”
Harris’s feedback underscored a important difficulty that continues to be some extent of competition in AI’s development belief. As AI turns into extra built-in into society, considerations about job loss, misinformation, and AI’s influence on weak communities solely proceed to develop. She advocated for a extra clear method to AI improvement, emphasising collaboration between authorities and business to navigate these challenges.
But, as a lot as her dialog was a name for proactive collaboration, it additionally highlighted the restrictions of AI governance because it stands in the present day. The elephant within the room…Whether or not these lofty concepts will ever translate into actual, efficient coverage and regulatory motion earlier than AI takes off in a means we will’t management.
The monetary sector: beneath the hood
The monetary providers sector was well-represented at HumanX, and for good motive. AI has the potential to revolutionise all the pieces from fraud detection to danger administration.
Fascinating panel periods included Balancing Threat and ROI: The Function of AI in Monetary Companies which introduced collectively key business leaders together with Anthony Soohoo, CEO of MoneyGram, Terah Lyons, MD international head of AI and knowledge coverage at J.P. Morgan Chase, and Alexander Statnikov, co-founder and CEO at Crosswire Threat Administration. The session, moderated by Jared S. Taylor, founding father of Slice of Media, addressed AI’s potential to enhance compliance and handle danger whereas additionally growing operational efficiencies.
Lyons supplied perception into J.P. Morgan’s method, explaining how AI has been instrumental in bettering fraud detection by decreasing false positives and enhancing total operational effectivity. In the meantime, Statnikov forecasted that by 2025, AI can be central to compliance inside monetary providers, particularly as regulatory complexities proceed to develop. He warned that monetary establishments failing to embrace AI danger being left behind in a quickly evolving panorama.
Soohoo insights
In an unique interview following the panel session Soohoo described his first 4 and a half months at MoneyGram as a ‘re-founding’ interval reimagining the corporate’s future with AI as a core pillar. For Soohoo, the problem wasn’t nearly adopting new applied sciences however ensuring they aligned with a transparent technique. He pressured that AI shouldn’t simply be layered onto present methods however ought to be used to first determine and proper inefficiencies earlier than being built-in.
“What I see proper now throughout the house, and that’s not a critique as a lot as an statement, is that I see lots of people working in the direction of AI, however with out an precise plan,” stated Soohoo. AI could also be a game-changer, nevertheless it’s not a magic bullet particularly for big, complicated organisations like MoneyGram.
Noting that MoneyGram’s international fee community is among the firm’s most dear property, he added that AI might play a pivotal function in increasing its use case notably for business-to-business transactions and doubtlessly at the same time as a crypto on-ramp. These rising use circumstances trace at AI’s transformative potential within the monetary sector, however Soohoo was cautious to keep away from overhyping its advantages.
“We’re nonetheless determining the right way to construct a stable basis for AI to boost what we do,” he added. “We’re speaking about system structure earlier than we get to AI. In case your organisation isn’t streamlined, AI is barely going to amplify inefficiencies.” Highlighting that the true potential of AI will probably be realised when it’s absolutely built-in into the system, and why it’s essential to streamline operations earlier than automating them. An issue for legacy tech.
Constructing belief into AI
A key panel within the Finance observe was How AI is Reshaping Threat and Belief in Enterprise that includes Prem Natarajan, chief scientist and head of enterprise AI at Capital One, Laura Spiekerman, co-founder at Alloy, and Rajat Taneja, president of expertise at Visa. Moderated by Hugh Son, banking reporter at CNBC, the dialogue centered on AI’s skill to construct belief in monetary providers, particularly in areas like fraud detection and buyer interactions.
The panel touched on some attention-grabbing ideas, corresponding to integrating human oversight into generative AI instruments to maintain buyer relationships intact. Natarajan mentioned how “observability” and telemetry basically, monitoring and understanding buyer behaviour are essential to constructing belief with AI methods.
This sort of nuanced method is what many see as the way forward for AI in monetary providers. “AI instruments are highly effective, however they should work hand-in-hand with human judgment to make sure we’re assembly our prospects’ wants,” he defined.
Taneja supplied insights into how AI has revolutionised fraud detection at Visa, enabling sooner mannequin improvement to fight rising threats like artificial fraud. He pressured the important function AI performs in strengthening defences towards more and more subtle fraud techniques.
Whereas Spiekerman advocated for AI-driven fashions that permit companies to handle fraud dangers with out the lengthy delays related to handbook processes. As AI continues to reshape fraud prevention, Spiekerman emphasised the necessity for higher integration of fashions to scale back false positives and enhance effectivity.
Agentic AI once more
The panel additionally touched on the rising idea of Agentic AI, which may autonomously predict and carry out duties inside a monetary enterprise context. This shift, based on specialists, will considerably change the best way companies deal with danger and decision-making, and it’s a pattern that the finance business might want to regulate.
Visa later unveiled new analysis in collaboration with the Institute for the Future, exploring the influence of AI on commerce. The research highlights 4 transformative traits: the enlargement of non-public id throughout sensible gadgets requiring stronger belief networks, the evolving function of AI assistants in reshaping shopping for and promoting behaviours, Era Alpha’s distinctive method to cash influenced by gaming and AI instruments, and the emergence of markets centered on sustainability as sources turn into extra quantifiable. Visa is about to showcase additional developments in AI and the way forward for commerce subsequent month in San Francisco.
Because the finance world grapples with rising regulatory calls for and an growing want for real-time decision-making, AI presents each an answer and a problem. The important thing takeaway from these panels was clear: to remain aggressive, monetary establishments should undertake AI thoughtfully, making certain it really works in live performance with human intelligence and aligns with regulatory frameworks.
Combating crime with AI
Additionally launched on the occasion was a brand new TRUST Framework established by Feedzai for accountable generative AI. This five-pillar method: Clear, Sturdy, Unbiased, Protected & Safe, and Examined, offers a complete blueprint for creating moral, safe, and high-performing AI options.
Designed to assist B2B organisations innovate responsibly, the framework emphasises the significance of constructing equity, explainability and safety into AI methods to make sure compliance and defend reputations. The initiative goals to distinguish corporations in a commoditised AI market by making moral practices a aggressive benefit.
Chatting with The Fintech Occasions, Andy Renshaw, SVP of product administration at Feedzai, was bullish about AI adoption all through monetary providers. “That is the yr of AI orchestration,” he stated, highlighting how AI might now automate all the pieces from fraud detection fashions to buyer communications. “We’re transferring from simply having AI or to not really orchestrating AI in ways in which assist companies keep on prime of fraud with out always reinventing the wheel,” he defined.
The crew used the occasion to showcase a brand new fraud prevention product, Fido, which makes use of AI to gamify a shopper’s function in detecting scams. Fido was in demand on the present, as delegates competed for a leaderboard place by recognizing abilities via emails and texts in timed situations towards the agent (spoiler alert, it was sooner and extra correct than a human being each time).
What’s subsequent for HumanX?
It will be good to wrap up this text with a ‘see you subsequent yr in Vegas’ however the reality is that with so many large tech corporations that attended it’s no shock that the 2026 HumanX occasion will happen in San Francisco. A win for the setting doubtlessly however will it have the identical frantic vitality and the ‘let’s get issues achieved’ angle as in Vegas? That’s to be determined.
One factor is for certain, HumanX has set a excessive commonplace for AI centered occasions, from large identify audio system to luxurious food and drinks choices in an opulent setting. It additionally felt – dare I say it – enjoyable.
The AI generated pictures of the audio system that welcomed you into the occasion felt trendy, the canine park was an enormous hit and the devoted speaker roundtables allowed delegates to get near the motion. There will probably be giant expectations for subsequent yr, definitely.
