Jimmy Wales to headline DataFest 2026 in Edinburgh
The Data Lab has named Jimmy Wales and Dex Hunter-Torricke as headline speakers for its DataFest 2026 conference in Edinburgh. The event will also feature speakers from OpenAI, DataVita and the Global Centre on AI Governance.
The programme focuses on trust, leadership, regulation and adoption as organisations assess the impact of artificial intelligence across business and public services. It will cover topics including trustworthy AI, sustainable infrastructure, future skills and employment, autonomous systems, inclusive global futures, creativity, society, and AI's effects on cognition and learning.
Wales, best known as the founder of Wikipedia, is due to speak on the future of truth as demand for reliable information grows. He also founded TrustCafe.io and co-founded Fandom.
Hunter-Torricke, founder and president of The Centre for Tomorrow, previously held senior communications roles at Google, Meta and SpaceX. He is expected to address leadership during a period of technological and economic change.
The wider line-up includes Colin Jarvis, global head of forward engineering at OpenAI, who is set to discuss the deployment of advanced AI systems and responsible scale. Amanda Brock, chief executive of OpenUK, will focus on open-source AI and the issues surrounding its development and use.
Academic voices also feature prominently. Professor Rachel Adams, who leads both the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the Global Centre on AI Governance, is due to discuss why AI has yet to deliver global change and how it might be applied to poverty.
Other speakers include Theo Blackwell, chief digital officer for London, who will draw on his experience of digital transformation in public services at city level. Dr Julia Stamm, founder of She Shapes AI, will examine how AI can be shaped to serve people rather than commercial interests. Colin Nwachukwu Ife, head of risk at Geordie AI, will discuss the next phase of AI adoption.
Theme focus
The event is framed around the theme Intelligent Futures, exploring how data and AI are changing systems, industries and societies, with an emphasis on long-term impact, trust and responsible growth.
The speaker roster reflects an effort to bring together industry, policy and research perspectives as scrutiny of AI use widens. Businesses face pressure to show how they govern AI tools, manage risk and justify investment. Public bodies are under growing scrutiny over the use of digital systems in services that directly affect citizens.
The inclusion of figures from both the technology industry and its critics shows how the debate around AI has broadened. Executives and researchers are no longer focused solely on technical progress, but also on governance, accountability and the social consequences of AI deployment.
That broader framing is visible in the mix of speakers. OpenAI brings the perspective of a company developing large-scale AI systems, while the presence of OpenUK and academic institutes focused on intelligence and governance points to debates over openness, control and public benefit. Speakers from local government and specialist risk roles add practical experience from public administration and corporate oversight.
Scottish platform
The conference also highlights The Data Lab's position within Scotland's data and AI ecosystem. The organisation is hosted by the University of Edinburgh and is part of the National Innovation Centres Programme, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, with hubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Its role has been to connect researchers, companies and public institutions through data-led projects and skills development. By bringing together speakers from global technology companies, policy organisations and civic institutions, the event places Edinburgh within a wider international conversation about how AI is being introduced and governed.
Paul McMillan, community and events programme manager at The Data Lab, said: "The 2026 programme captures the vibrant discussions happening among practitioners, policymakers and business leaders about AI today. Questions around trust, leadership, responsible deployment and governance are vital challenges that organisations across the UK are tackling daily. DataFest creates a collaborative environment where the community can come together to share insights and navigate these challenges alongside some of the world's leading experts in AI."