Most AI speakers focus on the technology. Kim focuses on the people who have to use it — because that is where AI strategy succeeds or fails.
Kim Seeling Smith is an award-winning Australian keynote speaker, business futurist and AI strategist helping leaders build relevant, adaptable and AI-ready organizations. A former KPMG-trained CPA with a double major in Accounting and Computer Science, and recent executive study on AI at MIT Sloan, Kim brings a rare blend of commercial acumen, technical grounding and human insight to the AI conversation. Most AI speakers focus on the technology; Kim focuses on the people who have to use it, because that is where AI strategy succeeds or fails. She delivers live, bespoke AI demonstrations on stage and draws on research from 5,000+ exit interviews. Her keynotes help leaders understand what is changing, build confidence with AI, rethink the Future of Work, and develop the human capability required to stay valuable in a decade of radical change. Australia-based, speaks globally.
Kim has sat at the table with Sir Richard Branson in recognition of her innovative work around the Future of Work. She is the author of "Mind Reading for Managers" and co-author of "101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career" with Brian Tracy.
Kim is a frequent media commentator on AI and the Future of Work. You will see her on The Today Show (over 30 appearances), Sunrise, and in Forbes, Fast Company, SmartCompany, CEO Magazine, CNBC Online, the Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald, along with many other print, digital and radio outlets.
Talking Points
How (Not) to Kill Your Business in Three Easy Disruptions
45% of global CEOs believe their business will not be viable in ten years if it stays on its current path (PwC 27th Annual Global CEO Survey). The technology is rarely the reason. AI bets fail at the human level. Talent walks. Leaders lose their nerve, their market position, or both.How (Not) to Kill Your Business in Three Easy Disruptions
Three disruptions are colliding at once, and each is survivable on its own. Together, they are quietly killing businesses that do not face them honestly. AI is changing what work gets done, and by who. The Polycrisis — multiple crises converging — is forcing every business to become more agile, innovative and creative. And the Rise of the Empowered Workforce is a perfect storm: a critical skills shortage colliding with people who have clearly defined priorities and are willing to vote with their feet.
This is the keynote that makes senior leadership sit up. It names the strategic risks hiding in plain sight, shows where AI investment is most likely to fail, and gives the C-suite and senior leaders the framework and the courage to lead through radical change without losing their best people.
Key Insights:
- Business - De-risk the AI Bet: Most AI strategies fail not because the technology does not work, but because the people do not adopt it, do not trust it, or do not stay through the disruption.
- Leadership - Trade Certainty for Clarity: Command-and-control leadership is losing its grip. What replaces it is not softness but clarity — the ability to name what is changing, set priorities, and build trust when the ground keeps moving.
- Workforce - Treat Your People as Your Moat: Your best people are your competitive advantage, and they know it. The organizations that win are the ones that give people something worth staying for.
Available as a 60-minute keynote, a 90-minute interactive experience, or a customized half-day workshop.
Everyday AI – The Human Advantage: How to Use AI with Confidence, Clarity and Commercial Impact
AI is no longer a boardroom conversation. It is a daily one, in every role and every team. But most of your people do not need a strategic briefing. They need a practical way in — the confidence to use AI as a co-pilot, the skill to spot where it actually helps, and the human judgment to know what to keep for themselves.Everyday AI – The Human Advantage: How to Use AI with Confidence, Clarity and Commercial Impact
This keynote closes the gap between fear and fluency. It demystifies AI, gives every professional a working relationship with it, and shows how the human advantage — judgment, creativity, empathy, ethics — grows more valuable as machines do more of the routine work.
Anchored by live, bespoke AI demonstrations built for the audience, it turns AI from abstract technology into an everyday capability people can carry back to Monday morning.
Key Insights:
- The Fundamentals, Clearly Explained: What AI is, what it is not, the difference between generative and agentic AI and why it matters. The five things every professional needs to know before they use it, and the five things vendors will never tell you.
- Practical Tools That Fit Real Work: Not AI in the abstract — AI in your calendar, your emails, your reports and your decisions. Live demonstrations show what is possible and how to think critically about what is and is not useful.
- The Human Advantage: The skills that grow more valuable as AI does more of the routine. Judgment, creativity, empathy and ethics are no longer soft skills — they are the competitive edge.
Available as a 60-minute keynote, a 90-minute interactive experience, or a customized half-day workshop.
Stay Relevant: The Skills, Mindset and Strategy to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI
Somewhere between the AI headlines and the daily work, most people are quietly asking the same question: am I still going to be relevant and valuable?Stay Relevant: The Skills, Mindset and Strategy to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI
The answer is not obvious. AI is reshaping roles faster than most workplaces can keep up, and traditional career advice is aging in real time. But the skills that keep people valuable, and the mindset that makes them adaptable, can be built deliberately. Research from the 2026 AFR Best Places to Work awards found that one of the top motivators for Australian employees today is the opportunity to develop the skills they need to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world of work.
This keynote delivers exactly that. A clear-eyed look at what is changing, the human skills that grow more valuable, and a practical plan each person can take charge of for themselves.
Key Insights:
- See What Is Changing Before It Hits You: Which parts of your work AI takes first, what stays uniquely human, and how to spot the shifts inside your industry before the reorganization does.
- Build the Skills That Compound: The skills, mindsets and habits that grow more valuable in an AI-saturated workplace — not the ones that used to matter. Judgment, curiosity, learning agility, and the ability to work with AI as a partner.
- Take Charge of Your Own Relevance: A practical 90-day plan to move from reactive fear to proactive reinvention, so you spot and step into the next opportunity rather than wait to be reorganized.
Available as a 60-minute keynote, a 90-minute interactive experience, or a customized half-day workshop.
Where AI Strategy Meets Human Reality: How Leaders Close the Gap Between AI Strategy and the People Who Have to Make It Work
Three disruptions are reshaping work at once: AI, the Polycrisis, and the Rise of the Empowered Workforce. The organizations that win will not be the ones with the best technology. They will be the ones whose leaders can carry their people through it.Where AI Strategy Meets Human Reality: How Leaders Close the Gap Between AI Strategy and the People Who Have to Make It Work
Most AI strategies fail not because the technology does not work, but because the humans do not adopt it. People do not trust the tools, do not use them, or quietly walk out the door somewhere between the strategy deck and the daily work. That is where AI strategy succeeds or fails, and it is the part almost every leader has been told is somebody else's job.
This keynote gives leaders the framework, the language and the practical levers to close the gap. Anchored by live, bespoke AI demonstrations built for the audience, it shifts the room from talking about AI to leading through it.
Key Insights:
- Understand the Human Dynamics Behind AI Adoption: Adoption fails at the emotional and cultural level long before the technical level. Leaders need to name the fear, address the trust gap, and rebuild the psychological contract for a world where humans and AI work together.
- Shift from Command to Clarity: The old command-and-control model does not scale in an environment of continuous change. Leaders need to trade certainty for clarity — communicate what is changing, set priorities that hold up under uncertainty, and build the trust that carries teams through the wobbles.
- Use AI as a Catalyst for Reinvention, Not Just Productivity: The biggest missed opportunity in AI is treating it as a productivity tool when it can be a reinvention tool. Leaders who use AI to rethink what work gets done, and by who, will pull ahead of those using it to do the same things slightly faster.
Available as a 60-minute keynote, a 90-minute interactive experience, or a customized half-day workshop.
9 Keys To Keep Your Best People From Walking Out The Door: Based on over 5,000 exit interviews!
This practical, ‘choose your own adventure’ program is perfect for:9 Keys To Keep Your Best People From Walking Out The Door: Based on over 5,000 exit interviews!
Anyone who manages a team that yearns for a simple, practical way to increase
employee engagement, wellbeing, and profitability.
Key Inights:
- A practical model, based on over 5,000 exit interviews and updated to include the latest international research to increase employee motivation and wellbeing.
- An understanding of how you, the leader, directly impact your team’s performance and engagement and what you can do about it
- A proven framework to help inspire, measure and manage high performance (especially with a remote or hybrid workforce)
We take the guesswork out of employee motivation and engagement.
Description:
The research is detailed. Your ability to keep your best people from walking out the door is a direct result of your manager's ability to connect with them and to understand what they need to be fully motivated and engaged.
Connection begins with conversation, but most managers don't talk to their people enough or about the right things because they are confused and frustrated about what their people really want.
Luckily, reverse engineering over 5,000 exit interviews gives us significant clues as to what workers really want and what employers need to deliver to keep their teams together during this time of immense change.
This is a choose-your-own-adventure keynote where every presentation turns into a unique conversation with the audience.
If your success depends on your ability to inspire and retain a great team, this session is not to be missed.
Video
Kim Seeling Smith | Speaker Reel | Saxton Speakers Bureau
We’re entering an unprecedented decade of rapid innovation and transformation amid a global polycrisis of simultaneous economic, environmental, and social challenges—paired with the rise of an empowered workforce demanding purpose, flexibility, and autonomy in a fiercely competitive talent market. Thriving in this environment means proactively embracing change, championing adaptability, and nurturing continuous learning and resilience to convert disruption into powerful opportunities for growth and success.Kim Seeling Smith | MC & Event Host | Saxton Speakers Bureau
Kim was born to MC. Highly engaging and energetic, naturally curious, with exceptional pattern recognition skills, she is extremely adept at creating a flow and managing the energy of the audience throughout your event whether it lasts 4 hours or 2 days. Kim's work as an MC runs the gamut. She can simply show up on the day to introduce speakers, provide the glue between sessions and manage the energy of the audience. Or she can take a much more active approach in helping you develop a theme, shape the event and strategise on speakers.Kim Seeling Smith | Today Extra | Bad Workplace Behaviors
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Kim has been such a breath of fresh air to work with. Her wealth of knowledge and ability to bring concepts to life are absolutely awesome. We love working with Kim and look forward to colla ... keep reading Origin Energy
I recently saw Kim at the Gold Coast Business Week, and her presentation on the future of AI was exceptional. It was one of five AI keynotes I've seen recently, and this one definitely carried the most weight with me. There were many practical nuggets of gold that I took away, and I generally found it a fascinating and highly engaging discussion. Her plethora of knowledge would be highly beneficial to any professional not looking to be left behind in the AI era.
Kim did a great job setting the scene for the AI / Tech focus of our conference, which was narrowed down over the remaining days. She also quickly built rapport with the audience during her session.
The Best digital speaker session I've been a part of. Kim managed to get the same level of engagement as she would standing in front of us.
With an engaging and dynamic presence, Kim captivated the audience with insightful perspectives on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the future workforce. The 350 young professionals in the room were so engaged, you could have heard a pin drop.
Thank you Kim Seeling Smith! It was such an inspiring and insightful session! Wella Red customers have now a great toolbox that they can implement in their salons!"
Kim Seeling Smith delivered an unforgettable session at BoldHaus Groove, leaving our global audience of thought leaders and entrepreneurs inspired and energized. Her talk on the future of AI was a masterclass in combining humor, insight, and actionable strategies. She challenged conventional thinking while making a complex topic both relatable and engaging. Our attendees walked away with not only a deeper understanding of AI — but also practical tools and mindsets to future-proof their businesses. Kim is a powerhouse speaker who comes 1000% prepared and sets the bar incredibly high. We’re all still buzzing with ideas and inspiration from her session!
Kim delivered the opening keynote at our Industry Leadership Forum in November. We gave her a brief to challenge the audience to think differently and she delivered. We were impressed by her industry knowledge, ability to tailor her content to the level of leader and her ability to engage from the stage. Kim was also very easy to work with and got great feedback from the participants. I highly recommend Kim to speak at your conference.
