Never Ending Evolution: A Glimpse into the Future of AI
On May 7 and 8, 2025, Mexico City became the epicenter of technological innovation with the celebration of the second edition of The AI Pioneers Festival, organized by Needed Education.
Over two days, distinguished business leaders and experts shared their perspectives on the future of AI at the Lunario del Auditorio Nacional and Campo Marte. The primary goal of this gathering was to assist medium-sized and large companies in evolving their adoption of disruptive technologies, ensuring their relevance in an ever-changing business ecosystem.
Opening Remarks by Gustavo Barcia
The event commenced with Gustavo Barcia, founder and CEO of Needed Education, who emphasized that attendees and speakers were “already AI pioneers” and outlined five key areas to maximize their event experience:
- Discover possibilities.
- Imagine the future of your organization empowered by AI.
- Establish a process for deploying AI.
- Prepare your workforce to operate differently.
- Determine your organization’s stance on AI ethics.
“The scope of change can be overwhelming. However, CEOs can start developing this vision by focusing on these five areas,” Barcia stated.
Juan Enríquez: AI Transforming Science and Business
Juan Enríquez, Managing Director of Excel Medical Ventures, CEO of Biotechonomy, and author, shared his insights on how AI is revolutionizing science and business in his talk Biology + AI: The Business Impact.
Enríquez explored the implications of emerging technologies, such as intelligent lenses capable of real-time translation, providing contextual information about conversational partners, or generating interactive maps using voice commands.
Romain Chassinat: AI Redefining Beauty
Romain Chassinat, Director of Digital and Marketing at L’Oréal Mexico, discussed how AI is reshaping beauty through personalization, sustainability, and customer experience in his presentation Beauty tech: Shaping the Future of Beauty – L’Oréal.
“We see a beauty consumer demanding extreme personalization, which is why Beauty tech is crucial; it’s how we combine 120 years of experience (sales data, lab data, consumer data, consumer studies, technology departments, digital) to develop new formulas and products,” Chassinat explained.
Jorge Litvin: AI and Cybersecurity Challenges
As AI becomes accessible to all, cybercriminals have also started leveraging it to refine their attacks, creating a technological escalation that presents new security challenges. Jorge Litvin, CEO of Safe-U, addressed this issue in GPT-Crime: AI-Driven Cybercrime and Cybersecurity.
Litvin highlighted examples of such cases and emphasized that preparedness is more than a priority; both executive leadership and individual collaborators must exhibit preparedness, response speed, and a cybersecurity culture.
Day Two: Real-World AI Applications and Impact
The second day featured presentations from speakers at KIO, Teleperformance, Oracle, Humand, Softtek Mexico, and more, exploring the practical application of AI in businesses and its impact on individuals.
Sandra Matz: Intelligent Business Decisions
Sandra Matz, professor at Columbia’s School of Computer Science and author, opened day two by discussing intelligent business decisions, highlighting her research on the intersection of psychology, computer science, and business, as well as algorithm capabilities.
Daniel Rabinovich: AI in Practice
Daniel Rabinovich, COO of Mercado Libre, provided an overview of practical AI techniques for solving specific problems across various fields in his talk AI Applications. He emphasized, “The foundation of work is humans, and AI assists us.”
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main focus of The AI Pioneers Festival? The festival aims to help businesses effectively and ethically adopt AI, presenting the current state of AI in Mexico and worldwide while offering a roadmap for companies to navigate change with vision, strategy, and humanity.
- Who were some of the key speakers at The AI Pioneers 2025? Notable speakers included Gustavo Barcia, Juan Enríquez, Romain Chassinat, Jorge Litvin, Sandra Matz, and Daniel Rabinovich.
- What are the five key areas to maximize event experience, according to Gustavo Barcia? The five areas are: Discover possibilities, Imagine the future of your organization empowered by AI, Establish a process for deploying AI, Prepare your workforce to operate differently, and Determine your organization’s stance on AI ethics.
- How is AI transforming various industries, according to the speakers? Speakers discussed AI’s impact on science, business, beauty, and cybersecurity, highlighting its potential for personalization, sustainability, and improved decision-making.
