Global AI Cities Summit

Tuesday 16 June 2026

This closed-door, invitation-only Summit brought together global digital leaders to tackle the realities of AI adoption. The Summit focuses on setting clear vision and governance, building trust, strengthening resilience, closing skills gaps, and ensuring cities can deploy AI responsibly and effectively at scale to ensure that local governments can make the most of AI for good.

2026 Summit Agenda

by-invitation only round table discussions

The Global AI Cities Summit agenda outlines a focused day of discussions on how cities can use AI to strengthen resilience, improve governance, build public trust, and develop the skills needed for the future.

Tuesday 16 June

All times quoted are British Summer Time (BST).

Welcome and networking
8:30 am - 9:00 am

Building trust in AI to help government deploy it
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Cities and municipal governments around the world are focused on deploying AI in order to create more efficient public services and unlock economic growth.

However, for AI to be deployed at scale, the systems need to be trusted, both by public service users and by public servants.

This session will look at how government organisations are working to boost trust in the use of AI, both within government and with service users to allow AI to be deployed. This session will discuss how local government can help set AI assurance standards that can apply in their own organisation, and how individual public sector organisations can work to build confidence in the use of AI.

Speakers

Stephen Young

Chief Executive, Salford City Council, United...

Richard Henderson

Corporate Chief Information Officer, Governme...

Networking break
10:30 am - 11:00 am

Getting the data right: Developing the essential building blocks for AI
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Data is essential to making artificial intelligence work, and making public service data useable for artificial intelligence systems will be vital to helping ensuring benefits can be realised at scale.

In this session, digital, technology and artificial intelligence leaders will discuss what they from public service data to unlock the potential of AI for good. We will discuss how to get city and local government data ready as part of a vision for AI, and the practical steps leaders across local and regional organisations can take to ensure data is the key building block of AI systems that can unlock better services.

Speakers

Julian Tait

CEO and Co-founder, Open Data Manchester, Uni...

Zehra Öztürk

Acting Head EAM & New Technologies and Deputy...

Lunch and networking
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Using AI to create more resilient cities
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Cities are facing more frequent and severe shocks– from climate events and infrastructure failures to public health emergencies. This session explores how cites can use AI to improve resilience and prevention by helping to predict risk and coordinate emergency response to protect residents.

Local leaders will share how they can, and are, using AI for good to become more resilient, from improving prevention and deploying early-warning systems to using real-time analytics, and automated emergency coordination to keep citizens safe. This session will share international insights with fellow public servants on the cultural, technical, and financial barriers and opportunities of using AI to build resilience for the decades ahead.

Speakers

Juan Corro

Manager, Autonomous Organisation for Informat...

Erik Ullstrand

Field Director EMEA , Safety and Security, De...

Tiffany St James

Chief AI Officer, Liverpool City Region Combi...

Supported by

Networking break
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Closing skills gaps to make AI adoption happen
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Local government workforces are committed to serving their communities, but many feel unprepared for the shift to AI-enabled operations.

This session will discuss the key strategies and approaches that local authorities are taking to boost the skills of both strategic digital leaders and the broader workforce to make the most of new technology. This session will discuss how cities can also build more agile and adaptive cultures to implementing new approaches that make the most of the potential of AI.

Speakers

Ane Miren Ibañez Zugazaga

Director of Modernisation, Bilbao City Counci...

Jonathan Bradley

Senior Experience Partner, Granicus...

Thomas Beautyman

Deputy Director, Digital Workforce & Capabili...

Supported by

End of summit
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Shaukat Ali Khan

Executive Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and Executive Director, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Integrated Care System, United Kingdom

Shaukat Ali Khan is the Executive Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and Executive Director at the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Integrated Care System (ICS). He leads the Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) Directorate, supporting millions of residents and more than 100,000 users across a large and complex healthcare network.

Prior to joining the NHS, Shaukat served as Global Chief Information Officer at Aga Khan University, where he oversaw ICT systems for 32,000 users across hospitals, medical centres, and academic institutions in Asia, Africa, and the UK. He also held the CIO role at the University of Central Asia, leading digital transformation across 15 locations in four countries. His earlier career includes senior IT leadership positions at Novo Nordisk HQ and UNICEF HQ in Denmark, managing global infrastructure and operations across more than 80 countries.

With over two decades of global experience across healthcare, education, pharmaceuticals, humanitarian, defence, and hospitality sectors, Shaukat is widely recognised as a technology thought leader. He holds a master’s degree in computer science from Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden, is a certified Dynamic Manager and Leader from Harvard Business School, and is a Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS). Shaukat has earned 50+ national and international accolades, including the DXInspire Award and World CIO 200 Legend Award. In September 2025, his profile was featured on the historic New York Times Square billboard as one of the 100 Legacy Makers. In 2023, he received the “Thought Leader’s Excellence Award” from the President of Pakistan and was nominated for the UN Chief Information Technology Officer role. In addition to his executive roles, Shaukat has organised international conferences attended by heads of state and global leaders, and hosted lectures featuring technology pioneers such as Vint Cerf and Toomas Ilves. He is a regular contributor to leading global newspapers and a sought-after commentator on emerging technologies and digital transformation in international media.

Sessions featuring Shaukat Ali Khan:

Fireside chat

Councillor Vasco Anjos

Councillor, Lisbon City Council, Portugal

Born in Lisbon in 1969, holds a degree in Business Management and Administration, granted in 1993 by Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa.

The professional trajectory began in Internal Audit at Banco Espírito Santo in 1994, followed by a transition to Banco Mello de Investimentos. Between 1996 and 2000, the responsibilities included risk monitoring of trading room operations and oversight of associated back-office activities.

In 2000, undertook a 15-year tenure in the golf industry, serving as head of a leisure management company operating within golf courses. This experience led to appointments as Executive Director of the Association of Golf Course Owners (or National Golf Industry Council) from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2015.

In 2007, established a company specializing in the management and maintenance of golf courses. During this period, was involved in numerous projects focused on the design, renovation, and operational and financial control of these developments. A notable achievement was the creation, in 2012, of an online reservation platform for Portuguese golf courses, supported by Turismo de Portugal.

Academic advancement included completion of an MBA at IESE/AESE (2007/2008), as well as participation in international executive programs at the University of Michigan Business School— covering Marketing, Cost Control, and Corporate Strategy—and at the Bangalore Institute of Technology, with a focus on Governance.

Since 2016, has been engaged in management consulting. Significant experience was acquired from 2019 to 2021 at CML (Municipal Directorate of Finance – Procurement Department), including work with public procurement, support for departmental financial management, and organization of management information. Also participated in the decentralization process involving the transfer of educational competencies from the Ministry of Education to the Municipality. A comparable role was held at Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa from 2022 to 2024, and from 2024 until July of 2025, returned to CML (Municipal Directorate of Human Resources, Department of Health, Hygiene, and Safety), contributing to the modernization of financial and organizational processes. This recent experience has notably expanded the knowledge and perspective on municipal administration.

In 2025, joined the lists of the “Por Ti, Lisboa” coalition as a candidate nominated by IL, and was elected Councillor of the Lisbon City Council. The portfolios delegated included Information Systems, Transparency and Corruption, Smart City, Auditing, Sports, Administrative Reform and Modernization, Sustainability and Data Protection

Professor Keeley Crockett

Professor in Computational Intelligence, Chair UKRI AI and Robotics SAT, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Keeley Crockett SMIEEE SFHEA is a Professor in Computational Intelligence at Manchester Metropolitan University She has over 27 years’ experience of research and development in Ethical and responsible AI (for both SME’s and an advocate for citizen voice), computational intelligence algorithms and applications, including adaptive psychological profiling, fuzzy systems, semantic similarity, and dialogue systems. Keeley has led work on Place based practical Artificial Intelligence, facilitating a parliamentary inquiry with Policy Connect and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Data Analytics (APGDA), leading to the inquiry report “Our Place Our Data: Involving Local People in Data and AI-Based Recovery”. She was a steering committee member for the Policy Connect and UK Parliamentary Inquiry on Skills in the Age of AI launched in June 2025. She is one of the five EPSRC Public Engagement Champions and the PI on the EPSRC “PEAs in Pods: Co-production of community based public engagement for data and AI research.” One of the co-produced outputs from this project is the first People’s Charter for AI co-created with community members across Greater Manchester and Salford. Keeley was one on the Founders of the People Panel for AI, funded originally by The Alan Turing Institute and adopted in 2024 Manchester City Council. She is the academic AI lead for the UKRI funded Centre for Digital Innovation and is working on several Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with private and public sector such as GMCA. Keeley was a collaborator on the AI Playbook for the UK Government and in September 2025 co-chaired the AI in Government and Academia Summit. She is also part of the International Agentic AI Safety Experts Focus Group which includes the development of the Guidelines for Agentic AI Safety Volume 1&2 (2024, 2025). Keeley Chairs (2025-2027) UKRI’s AI & Robotics Strategic Advisory Team. She founded and chaired the IEEE Technical committee SHIELD (2022-2024) and currently Chairs the new IEEE CIS AI Ethics Education and Awareness (AEEA) Taskforce.

Sessions featuring Professor Keeley Crockett:

Boosting citizen, and officer, trust in AI to scale what works

Richard Henderson

Corporate Chief Information Officer, Government of Alberta, Canada

Richard Henderson is Assistant Deputy Minister and Corporate Chief Information Officer for the Government of Alberta, where he leads enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation, and IT operations across one of Canada’s largest and most complex public sector environments. In this role, he is responsible for enabling secure, reliable, and scalable digital services that support government programs and improve service delivery for Albertans.

Prior to joining the Government of Alberta, Richard served as Chief Information Security Officer for Alberta Health Services, overseeing cybersecurity strategy and operations for one of the largest integrated healthcare environments in the world. His leadership experience spans enterprise technology modernization, cybersecurity operations, digital resilience, and large-scale public sector transformation.

Richard is a strong advocate for practical and responsible AI adoption within government. Under Alberta’s leadership, the province is emerging as the national leader in AI enablement across the public service, advancing the use of artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency, support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, and enhance citizen services at scale. His work emphasizes the responsible integration of emerging technologies while maintaining public trust, security, and transparency.

A recognized technology leader, Richard frequently speaks on topics including digital government, AI adoption, cyber resilience, and public sector innovation. He is committed to building high-performing teams, fostering cross-jurisdictional collaboration, and helping shape the future of modern public service delivery in Canada.

Sessions featuring Richard Henderson:

AI and the changing face of cybersecurity threats

Building trust in AI to help government deploy it

Global AI Cities Summit

2026 Summit Agenda

Tuesday 16 June

Welcome and networking8:30 am - 9:00 am

Building trust in AI to help government deploy it9:00 am - 10:30 am

Networking break10:30 am - 11:00 am

Getting the data right: Developing the essential building blocks for AI11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Lunch and networking12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Using AI to create more resilient cities1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Supported by

Networking break3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Closing skills gaps to make AI adoption happen3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Supported by

End of summit5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Sessions featuring Councillor Bev Craig OBE:

Sessions featuring Shaukat Ali Khan:

Sessions featuring Thomas Beautyman:

Sessions featuring Christine Bellamy:

Sessions featuring Theo Blackwell:

Sessions featuring Peter Boulton:

Sessions featuring Jonathan Bradley:

Sessions featuring Jill Broom:

Sessions featuring Rafael Carvalho de Fassio:

Sessions featuring Juan Corro:

Sessions featuring Professor Keeley Crockett:

Sessions featuring Mallory Durran:

Sessions featuring Alexandru Georgescu:

Sessions featuring David Gregory:

Sessions featuring Robert Gregory:

Sessions featuring Matt Hennessey:

Sessions featuring Richard Henderson:

Sessions featuring Tom Hindmarch:

Sessions featuring Ane Miren Ibañez Zugazaga:

Sessions featuring Dr Adrian Johnston:

Sessions featuring Tomas Lehtinen:

Sessions featuring Stefano Marta:

Sessions featuring Sam Milsom:

Sessions featuring Gurpreet Muctor:

Sessions featuring Rasmus Ry Nielsen:

Sessions featuring Zehra Öztürk:

Sessions featuring Liz Scott MBE:

Sessions featuring Dheeraj Singh:

Sessions featuring Tom Smith:

Sessions featuring Tiffany St James:

Sessions featuring Phil Swan:

Sessions featuring Julian Tait:

Sessions featuring Erik Ullstrand:

Sessions featuring Stephen Young:

Sessions featuring Martin Waudby:

Welcome and networking
8:30 am - 9:00 am

Building trust in AI to help government deploy it
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Networking break
10:30 am - 11:00 am

Getting the data right: Developing the essential building blocks for AI
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Lunch and networking
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Using AI to create more resilient cities
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Networking break
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Closing skills gaps to make AI adoption happen
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

End of summit
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm