In June 2025, Viktoriia Panasiuk, Senior Frontend Developer, had the opportunity to attend The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam — an event that brought together global thought leaders, innovators, and technologists to discuss the future of AI, software, leadership, and digital infrastructure. The two-day programme offered a valuable mix of strategic insights and practical frameworks across a range of disciplines.
Here are the key takeaways and trends that stood out most.
? Human-Centred AI: Beyond “AI for Good”
James A. Landay, Professor at Stanford University and Co-Director of HAI, delivered a compelling talk titled “‘AI for Good’ Isn’t Good Enough”. His argument: it’s not enough for AI systems to be well-intentioned — they must be intentionally designed around human impact.
He highlighted that while AI systems often perform well in controlled environments or benchmark tests, many fail when applied in real-world contexts. This underscored the importance of designing AI with practical deployment, user needs, and ethical considerations in mind.
? Enterprise AI Needs Alignment to Be Effective
A key operational insight came from a session focused on large-scale AI deployment:
“Without enterprise alignment, AI solutions become fragmented and inefficient.”
Speakers emphasised the importance of change management, referencing the “Diffusion of Innovations” model. Companies looking to adopt AI at scale should:
- Recognise and empower early adopters
- Create cross-team forums such as guilds
- Host learnathons or internal events
- Celebrate experimentation, including failures
? Driving AI Adoption Through Gamification
A particularly creative approach was presented by Aigency by Info Support, showcasing how organisations can apply gamification strategies to boost AI adoption. Examples included:
- Formula AI sessions to track progress via goal-based “laps”
- Visualisation of team tasks by fun vs. effort
- Tools for AI-managed memory, versioning, and to-do tracking
This session highlighted the value of engagement and transparency when introducing new technologies into technical teams.
⚙️ The Rise of Agentic Coding
One of the most insightful technical sessions came from AWS, focusing on the evolution of agentic coding — a paradigm where developers work alongside AI agents that not only generate code, but also manage context, remember prior actions, and continuously adapt throughout the development lifecycle.
? Leadership, Culture & Ecosystem Strategy
Several sessions explored how leadership must evolve alongside technology. In “Leading with Soul” and “Balancing in Motion”, speakers addressed the importance of:
- Outcome-oriented, adaptable teams
- Cross-disciplinary (T-shaped) skill sets
- Systemic thinking and inclusive leadership
- Aligning values with company culture and mission
Panels also reflected on Europe’s competitive position in deep tech and AI, including the call for increased investment from EU pension funds into strategic tech infrastructure.
? Additional Highlights
- AI and Culture: TikTok’s session offered an inside look at how algorithmic recommendation systems are reshaping modern culture, influencing attention, behaviour, and trends at a massive scale — often faster than platforms can regulate them.
- Startup Ecosystem: Early-stage founders pitched agent-native tools focused on real-time data analysis, low-code customisation, and high scalability. Many positioned their solutions around speed to prototype and ease of enterprise integration.
- AI in Healthcare and Critical Fields: While some speakers mentioned potential use cases of AI in healthcare and life sciences, there was broad consensus that adoption remains limited due to data privacy, trust, and infrastructure gaps. Instead of overpromising, panels encouraged a realistic, incremental approach to integrating AI into regulated sectors.
Attending TNW 2025 offered a well-rounded view of where our industry is headed—technically, ethically, and operationally. It reinforced the idea that the future of innovation isn’t only about what we build, but how and why we build it.
