2026-03: AI in the Real World

AI In the Real World: What Works, What Fails, and What Actually Matters
AI is everywhere. Every company wants to implement it, and expectations are higher than ever. But in practice, many teams run into the same challenges: unclear goals, fragile prototypes, and a gap between what AI promises and what it can reliably deliver today.

In this talk, Hena will share real experiences from building and deploying AI systems in business environments. We will look at where expectations often diverge from reality, why some projects struggle while others succeed, and what it takes to move from demos to systems people actually depend on. Most importantly, we will explore where AI is already creating real value and how teams can focus on practical, achievable applications that make a meaningful impact.

Where: Platform Calgary, East Annex
When: Wednesday, March 11, at 5:30 PM
Schedule:
5:30 – Food and Networking
6:00 – Presentation and Discussion
7:30 – Wrap Up

Speaker Bio:
Hena Illaste, PhD, is an AI and Data Lead at GoSaaS Inc. and a former data scientist who enjoys building intelligent systems with data and applied AI. Over the past 20 years, she has worked on machine learning solutions across healthcare, research, and enterprise software. Her current focus is on agentic AI, building systems that can reason, use tools, and automate real workflows. She is especially interested in bridging the gap between theory and practice, and helping teams turn AI from hype into something genuinely useful, applying it where it creates real value rather than forcing it into every problem.