Simon Kriss
AI Leader, Futurist & Ethical AI Strategist
An expert AI keynote speaker who has long been informing and entertaining audiences across the globe. Simon helps make the complexity of AI less formidable and turns AI into an understandable language with plenty of actionable takeaways. He delivers interesting, engaging and educational addresses that can be customised to any event.
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Simon is Asia Pacific’s leading voice on the adoption and application of Artificial Intelligence and Co-Founder of Sovereign AI, a national initiative dedicated to building transparent, ethics-led AI capability for Australia.
With more than 35 years’ experience working with some of the world’s largest brands, Simon combines futurist innovation with grounded business leadership. A divergent thinker by nature, he specialises in future-focused strategy — blending imaginative, adaptive thinking with commercial pragmatism to help organisations navigate complex technological change with clarity and confidence.
Equally at home addressing 2,000 conference delegates, advising Boards of Directors, or engaging frontline teams, Simon has a rare ability to demystify complex concepts such as AI. He translates technical disruption into practical insight, enabling organisations to understand, adopt and govern AI responsibly.
A defining moment in his career was speaking at the United Nations in Geneva at the AI for Developing Countries Forum, where he explored the hidden ethical and environmental costs of AI — themes that continue to underpin his work with Sovereign AI today.
Simon has advised global organisations including Expedia, Royal Bank of Scotland and Cathay Pacific Airways. His international career spans almost every continent, giving him a broad perspective on technological transformation across markets and cultures.
As Co-Founder of Sovereign AI and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Simon pairs governance discipline with frontier innovation. He also serves on several commercial and not-for-profit boards promoting the ethical, transparent and accountable use of AI.
Beyond his professional life, Simon is a father of three and grandfather of eight imaginative grandchildren — a role that continually reminds him that the future we build with AI must be worthy of the next generation.
He values diversity, integrity, honesty and self-accountability — and relishes a complex challenge to solve, with or without AI.
