There is something quietly unsettling about the way artificial intelligence has entered our lives. Not with a single defining moment, but through a series of small shifts that have slowly changed how we work, decide, create, and even think. It is already influencing who gets seen, who gets selected, what gets prioritised, and how opportunities are shaped. And yet, for many, it still feels like something happening at a distance. Technical. Complex. Not quite theirs to engage with.
And that is where the real tension sits.
Because the question is not whether AI matters. It already does. The question is who feels able to step into that space with confidence, and who quietly decides to stay on the outside of it. We have seen this before. In conversations around money, leadership, and growth, there is often a moment where women pause, not because they are not capable, but because the language feels unfamiliar, the space feels coded, or the expectation feels unspoken but present. It is rarely about ability. It is far more often about access and confidence.
The challenge is that the world does not pause while we find our footing. Decisions continue to be made. Systems continue to be built. And if we are not part of those conversations, then we are not part of shaping the outcomes. This is why the conversation around AI needs to feel different. More open. More human. More grounded in real life rather than abstract ideas.
At RISE 2026, the session led by Deb Millar OBE, known to many as DigiDeb, is not about turning people into technologists. It is about something far more important than that. It is about creating a space where understanding feels possible, where questions feel welcome, and where confidence can begin to build. Deb brings with her more than three decades of experience in education and digital transformation, but what stands out is not just her expertise. It is her ability to take something that feels complex and make it feel accessible without losing its depth. Her work in AI education and inclusive innovation has always centred on people, not just systems, and on ensuring that no one feels left behind in conversations that will shape the future.
There is a difference between hearing about change and feeling equipped to respond to it. That difference often comes down to clarity. Because once something begins to make sense, it no longer feels intimidating. Once it feels relevant, it becomes something we can engage with. And once we engage, we begin to influence.
Technology has never been neutral. It reflects the thinking, the biases, and the perspectives of those who shape it. Which means that presence is not a passive act. It carries weight. It carries consequence. This is not about becoming experts overnight. It is about stepping into awareness, into understanding, and into a space where participation feels not only possible, but necessary.
There are moments in time where the most important decision is not whether we feel fully ready, but whether we are willing to step forward anyway. This feels like one of those moments.
RISE 2026 offers many conversations, but this one sits at the heart of what comes next. Not just because of what AI is, but because of what it represents. A shift in how the world works, and an opportunity to decide how we show up within it.
And perhaps the better question is not whether this is relevant to you, but whether you are willing to be part of shaping what comes next.
22 June 2026
The Midland, Manchester
