Priya Lakhani OBE is an award-winning entrepreneur, AI-in-education pioneer and keynote speaker who founded CENTURY Tech to harness artificial intelligence, learning science and rich data to personalise education and empower teachers.
Under her leadership, CENTURY now operates in over sixty countries and is recognised for transforming classrooms, further education institutions and workplace training globally.
Before CENTURY, Priya launched the social‑impact food brand Masala Masala (2008), using a one-dose-one model to deliver millions of meals, thousands of vaccinations and fund schools across India and Africa. Her entrepreneurial drive earned her Business Entrepreneur of the Year (2009) and later an honorary doctorate from Coventry University in 2020.
Priya’s impact extends to AI policy and ethics. She co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI in Education (2018), joined the UK Government’s AI Council (2019), and served as a Non‑Executive board member at DCMS (2021‑2023). She now sits on the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science & Technology and contributes to Sir Patrick Vallance’s AI regulation review.
An established author and broadcaster, Priya’s book Inadequate: The System Failing Our Teachers and Your Children (2020) critiques modern education and proposes AI‑driven reform. She is a featured voice on BBC The Context as part of the AI‑Decoded team and chairs sessions at global events like Dell Technologies Forum (2024) and Tech Show London (2025).
Priya’s combination of lived classroom insight, legal training and deep social commitment positions her as a trusted authority at the intersection of education, technology and responsible innovation. Her talks inspire audiences to embrace AI thoughtfully, lead change ethically and build future-ready learning ecosystems.
Talking Points
Disruption, Innovation & Building A Culture That Thrives On Change
This session provides a compelling framework for understanding technological disruption and fostering innovation at scale. It covers identifying opportunities in disruption, case studies or corporate reinvention, embedding innovation into daily operations and change management. Optional additions include a deeper dive into digital transformation, maturity, data and analytics capability building and communicating for change and buy-in.
Disruption, Innovation & Building A Culture That Thrives On Change
The 13%: Entrepreneurial Mindset in Corporate Environments
Motivational and inspirational keynote drawn from real-world entrepreneurial experience to explore what it takes to lead with vision and resilience. This talk covers the mindset and principles behind high performance, including purpose driven leadership, fostering entrepreneurial thinking and navigating ambiguity to stay agile in high pressure environments.
The 13%: Entrepreneurial Mindset in Corporate Environments
AI: Opportunity, Disruption & Strategy
This keynote demystifies AI and provides enterprise leaders with a strategic overview of what AI means today and what it could mean tomorrow. This talk can cover the full spectrum of AI - a horizon scan, what AI means, AI agents, demystifying AI to how to take advantage of the technology and create an AI strategy. The talk can cover how an organisation can be more productive, create predictions and personalise using AI, digital twins and a wide range of examples of use of AI and the importance of a data strategy.
AI: Opportunity, Disruption & Strategy
Sector Specific AI: Insights & Strategic Applications
Drawing on broad cross-sectorSector Specific AI: Insights & Strategic Applications
experience, this session translates AI
strategy and implementation into relevant
insights for specific industries e.g.
financial serves, retail, media and news,
education, travel, logistics, project
management and beyond. Each version is
adapted to the audience's industry and
maturity level, highlighting risks,
opportunities, and use-case examples.
The Future of Truth: AI, Attention and the Ethics of Influence
As generative AI reshapes content creation and persuasive technology influences behaviour at scale, this talk explores the psychology of algorithms, AI and misinformation, personal data, deepfakes, and algorithmic manipulation, as well as how enterprises can lead on ethical AI and strategies to empower employees and customers with media literacy. This keynote is ideal for sectors such as media, government, education, and any organisation concerned with reputation, compliance, or digital ethics.
The Future of Truth: AI, Attention and the Ethics of Influence
Hi, AI & The Future of Work and Skills
This talk addresses the changing relationship between human and artificial intelligence, with a focus on the future of skills and talent development, specifically looking at human-AI collaboration, skills of the future e.g. critical thinking, evolving roles in leadership, operations and technical teams, as well as reimagining corporate learning and development in the AI era. This is a highly relevant for HR leaders, talent strategists, and educational institutions.
Hi, AI & The Future of Work and Skills
Video
This Is How Kids Should Be Learning with AI | Priya Lakhani | TED
As AI races into classrooms, we risk confusing quick and easy answers with true learning, says AI education entrepreneur Priya Lakhani. She explains why being challenged is essential for making knowledge stick — and how AI can be designed to strengthen (not weaken) learning, teaching and thinking.You were PHENOMENAL! Feedback was off the charts! Thanks so much for making a lasting impact.” ... keep reading Fire & Forte
Thanks so much for your keynote today which absolutely rocked. It caused such a stir that the ensuing buzz in the room caused a knock on delay in our next sessions getting underway but I'll live with that.
Thank you again for joining us at NextM. Your energy and inspiration blew our audience away.
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