Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, will headline Scotland’s largest AI conference when it returns to Edinburgh next month.
DataFest 2026, a two-day event hosted by The Data Lab at the Assembly Rooms is set to take place from May 27 to 28.
Mr Wales is expected to address the future of truth and the growing demand for reliable, fact-based information in an increasingly digital world.
The conference will also feature speakers from organisations including OpenAI, Mayor of London’s Office and Skyscanner.
Other confirmed speakers include Dex Hunter-Torricke, a former senior communicator at SpaceX, Facebook, Google and Google DeepMind; Colin Jarvis, global head of forward engineering at OpenAI; Amanda Brock; and Theo Blackwell.
Under the theme “Intelligent Futures”, the event claims it will explore how data and artificial intelligence are reshaping industries and society, with a focus on trust, governance and long-term impact.
Read more
Paul McMillan, community and events programme manager at The Data Lab, said: “The 2026 programme highlights both the capabilities of AI and the important questions around governance, trust and long-term benefit.
“By bringing together voices from across technology, government and academia, the event aims to foster meaningful discussion about how Scotland approaches AI.”
The full conference programme is due to be announced on April 27.
Share