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Dr Michelle Dickinson mid-keynote on a conference stage, audience visible behind her

AI · Robotics · Future of work keynote speaker

Dr Michelle Dickinson

The engineer and robotics advisor global audiences call when they need to understand what AI and automation will change, and what humans must get better at next.

Her question for every stage When technology changes everything, what stays human?

Watch Michelle speak Make an enquiry

Dr Michelle Dickinson MNZM is a PhD engineer, robotics and AI advisor and global keynote speaker on artificial intelligence, physical AI, robotics and the future of work. She has delivered more than 450 keynotes worldwide for organisations including Gartner, Microsoft, SAP, Deloitte and Mastercard.

Trusted by global organisations including

  • SAP
  • Mastercard

Michelle's keynote was not only the highest rated event at this year's Summit, it was the highest rated event at any Summit TCS have run.

Tata Consultancy Services

The record so far

450+

Keynotes across global stages

  • 1M+ People reached
  • 20+ Years building technology
  • 4.81 /5 Gartner speaker score Gartner Data & Analytics Summit, delegate scoring

Figures as of September 2026

See what happens when she walks on stage.

Watch Michelle on film

Attendees called it the best keynote they've seen, praising her storytelling, practical examples and the energy she brings to the stage.

Gartner Data & Analytics Summit Speaker score: 4.81/5

Not another futurist. An engineer building what comes next.

A scanning probe instrument in a materials laboratory, its sample stage lit by a single lamp

01 Engineering

Built at the atomic scale.

Michelle is a PhD engineer with deep experience in advanced materials and emerging technology. Her technical credibility holds up in front of sophisticated technical audiences.

The research behind it
An industrial robotic arm at work on a manufacturing line

02 Industry

Built on the factory floor.

Michelle works where AI leaves the screen and enters the physical world. She has worked inside a Silicon Valley robotics company deploying AI-powered robotics into real manufacturing, seeing first hand what machines can do, where they still fail, and what changes for the people working alongside them.

The keynote on physical AI
Dr Michelle Dickinson on stage with Neil deGrasse Tyson, waving to a packed arena audience

03 Communication

Built around your audience.

More than 450 keynotes, alongside television, books and teaching, have made Michelle unusually good at reading a room and tailoring the talk to it, whether she's in front of executives, technical specialists or a general session of thousands.

Watch her work a room

The technology is never the point.

What humans choose to do with it is.

The full case for an engineer on your main stage

The talks

Three signature keynotes. One question underneath all of them.

  1. Flagship keynote What happens when the machines can do the work? AI learned to think. Now machines are learning to act. Explore the AI and robotics keynote
  2. Curiosity as a catalyst In a world where machines can give us answers, the competitive advantage may be knowing which questions to ask. Explore the curiosity and innovation keynote
  3. Future-ready, not future-proof The future isn't something you can protect yourself from. It's something you need to become ready for. Explore the future of work keynote
See all three keynotes

This is not a lecture.

Your audience will leave thinking differently.

Dr Michelle Dickinson holding a sample up to the audience during a live demonstration

01

Unexpected demonstrations

Physical objects, experiments and real technology turn abstract ideas into things people can see, experience and remember.

Dr Michelle Dickinson mid-story on a conference stage, dwarfed by the screen behind her

02

Human stories

Stories from laboratories, classrooms, factories and entrepreneurship make technological change emotionally relevant.

Members of a conference audience taking part during a keynote

03

Audience participation

Michelle creates real interaction, so people experience ideas for themselves rather than just hearing about them.

What your audience leaves with

  • A clear way to talk about AI and automation when making decisions
  • A practical filter for telling real capability from hype
  • A sharper sense of where humans still create the value machines can't
  • Better questions to take back to their teams
  • Fear replaced with curiosity
  • The confidence to act, because the future feels workable rather than abstract

Technical enough for the specialists. Human enough for everyone else.

From nanotechnology laboratories to AI-powered industrial robotics, Michelle has spent her career where emerging technology becomes real.

  • Published scientist
  • 2× bestselling author
  • Award-winning communicator
Dr Michelle Dickinson working at a scanning probe instrument in a materials laboratory
Scientist and engineer
PhD in biomedical and materials engineering, with deep experience in nanotechnology and advanced materials.
Robotics and AI advisor
Hands-on work with AI-powered robotics and live manufacturing deployment inside a Silicon Valley robotics company, and advisory work on what automation changes for organisations.
Trusted communicator
Two television series, bestselling books, award-winning science communication and 450+ keynotes.
International perspective
A career spanning science, technology, education and industry, alongside international speaking across sectors and markets.

For the person booking

Your main stage is a big bet.

When thousands of people are in the room, the keynote cannot merely be good. It has to earn the stage. Michelle combines technical authority, storytelling, energy and audience connection without turning the session into a sales pitch.

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  1. Michelle's keynotes reset the room

    Storytelling, live demonstrations and audience participation do not just inform a conference, they change its energy. Michelle is booked to be the moment people are still talking about at the airport.

  2. Technical credibility is built in

    Michelle understands the technology beneath the headlines because she has spent her career working with it.

  3. Complex ideas become clear

    Decades of teaching, television and public communication allow Michelle to simplify complexity without making it simplistic.

  4. Your event shapes the keynote

    Industry, audience, organisational context and objectives influence the examples, stories and emphasis of the presentation.

  5. A safe pair of hands on the day

    Briefs answered promptly, run sheets respected, and AV crews treated as colleagues rather than handed a list of demands. When something fails, Michelle can hold a room without slides, which is the moment most events find out who they booked.

In their words

An exceptional presentation, both insightful and highly engaging. A clear highlight of the event.

Westcon-Comstor

A pleasure to work with from start to finish... we would welcome the chance to work with her again.

Australasian College of Health Service Management

When technology changes everything, give your audience the confidence and the tools to meet it.

Make an enquiry