It started with a text from Dennis.
"Book tickets to San Francisco? We leave June 9th."
I look at my wife.
"Again?"
She sighs. Knows the ritual by now. Same discussion every year. Same conclusion: we have to.
June 9th, Schiphol Airport, 8:00 AM.
Dennis is already waiting. Of course. Coffee in hand, laptop open.
"Check this paper, published yesterday."
Jeffrey comes running. Just in time. As always.
Marit and Jeroen are buzzing with excitement. First time. Don’t know what they’re in for.
On the plane, a businessman next to me gives us a curious look.
"Databricks?" he asks.
I nod.
"Us too. Marketing team." He points at his colleagues. "You guys?"
"Tech."
He nods knowingly. Those nerds.
San Francisco. Moscone Center.
Over 20,000 people. All here for the same thing: to see what’s coming.
Last year, everyone was lining up for the ChatGPT sessions. "Build an LLM with your own data!"
This year?
Everyone’s somewhere else. At a demo I can’t believe.
An AI that doesn’t just talk, but acts.
I watch it adjust orders. Live.
No script. No pre-programmed actions.
Just... doing.
WhatsApp from a client: "What are you seeing there? Should we be worried?"
I type back: "No. You need to prepare."
Dennis nudges me. "Look at this."
An AI that improves itself. No human input. It learns from its own mistakes. Adjusts its strategy.
The flight back
11 hours. Nobody sleeps.
Dennis is coding. Testing what he saw immediately. Jeffrey sketches architectures on napkins. I write. Page after page of ideas for clients.
The flight attendant stops by. "Coffee?"
"Please. For all of us."
She checks her watch. "It’s 3 AM Dutch time."
"I know."
She smiles. Gets it.
Schiphol. Arrivals hall.
My wife is waiting. "So?"
"Remember Kodak?" I ask.
She frowns.
"This is that moment. For everyone who’s not paying attention."
Next morning. Office.
First client call.
"What if I told you your competitor will soon have AI agents that autonomously steal your best customers?"
Silence.
"That’s not possible."
I share my screen. Show the demo.
Longer silence... then a remark not fit for print.
This is why we go every year. In those back rooms, in those technical deep-dives, in those discussions with engineers — seeing what’s coming.
So our clients don’t have to read about their own disruption in the newspaper.
"Stay ahead" isn’t marketing.
It’s why Dennis, as I write this, is already reading another research paper.
It’s an obsession. An expensive one. But one that ensures that when the tsunami hits, you’re already standing on the mountain.
Stay ahead.
Curious what this means for your organization? Book a free Inspiration Session or learn more about our approach and BrainGrounds.
P.S. That self-improving AI? It’s now running at two of our clients. Not as a pilot — straight into production. Their competitor doesn’t know yet. But they’ll feel it.