In this story-rich, refreshingly practical keynote, Chris makes the case that the smartest AI strategy is a human strategy and that in a world flooded with fast, cheap, and transactional, being uniquely human is the ultimate differentiator. Whether you’re all-in on AI or you’d rather it left you alone, you’ll leave with a shared language and a clear-eyed way to think about what’s coming.

Symposium Attendees will walk away able to:

• See why culture, not code, determines whether AI helps or hurts
• Recognize the human connection that keeps customers loyal when everything else is automated
• Take ownership, at every level, of the trust that makes technology an asset instead of a threat

Both/and, not tech-versus-people. Because the future of work isn’t about the machines. It’s about us.

About Chris Laping

Chris Laping coaches executives and experts on high-trust influence and modern leadership. A former 4-time CIO and tech CEO, Chris has spent three decades inside complex organizations helping leaders move ideas forward, build credibility, and create followership without relying on title, volume, or politics.

Throughout his career, Chris has led large-scale transformation at companies including Red Robin, GMAC, and Coffee & Bagel Brands, where he helped drive successful turnarounds during periods of rapid change. That real-world leadership experience shapes his work today.

Chris is the bestselling author of People Before Things and the forthcoming Unignorible: The Science of Being Taken Seriously. His ideas on leadership, organizational health, and influence have been featured by The Economist, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Forbes. Each week, his work reaches more than 1.5 million people through social media and his two newsletters.

On stage, Chris has delivered keynotes and workshops to more than 300,000 leaders and professionals, earning a reputation for talks that are practical, human, and immediately actionable.