David Usher: AI & Creativity Keynote Speaker
An immersive keynote that brings AI and creativity to life through storytelling, live demonstrations, music, and real-world experience, helping audiences understand what’s changing and feel ready to participate in what comes next.
“We have never witnessed audiences so engaged and reignited during our keynotes. And then, for them to take the time to write-in all these great comments...unheard of!”
Sandra DelVecchio • Xerox Director of Global Events
Creativity, AI, and the Courage to Change
Why Creative Thinking Is Your Competitive Advantage in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Why David is perfect for this moment of change.
Founder and CEO of Reimagine AI since 2018
4× Juno Award Winner
Multi-platinum Selling Musician
Best-Selling Author, Let the Elephants Run
Trusted by Google, Cisco, SAP, Pepsi
David is not just talking about change, he has lived it. He moved from a successful music career into hands-on work building AI systems years before today’s adoption wave. He understands both creative transformation and technological disruption from the inside.
Motivating audiences to adapt, experiment, and move forward with confidence.
What your audience experiences:
Live demonstration of AI in real time
Music + storytelling (not just slides)
Frameworks they can apply immediately
A shift in how they think about change
The result is a talk that is both intellectually sharp and emotionally engaging, audiences don’t just understand the ideas, they feel them.
“We use a lot of external speakers and the feedback from our audience was that David was the best they ever have seen! I agree. His message is perfect for this moment in our industry where we need to move quickly and innovate our way forward.”
Andrew Sage • Cisco Systems Vice President
I’ve never believed in talking about change from the sidelines. More than a decade ago, I became convinced that artificial intelligence was going to fundamentally reshape creativity and innovation, and I didn’t want to stand on a stage talking to companies about the future without understanding the technology firsthand. So I started building with it. 10 years ago, my first major AI project was Lyric AI with Google, building AI agents that collaborated with humans to write song lyrics. Eight years ago, I founded Reimagine AI, where we’ve continued building AI-powered virtual beings and AI interfaces. That hands-on experience shapes everything I bring to an AI and creativity keynote today: not theory about where the world might be going, but what I’ve learned by experimenting, building, failing, adapting and living through the change myself. - David Usher
Frequently Asked Questions About David Usher’s AI & Creativity Keynotes
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David Usher is an AI and creativity keynote speaker, multi-platinum selling artist, best-selling author and AI entrepreneur.
He is the founder and CEO of Reimagine AI and SecondEcho and author of Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything. His perspective combines decades of professional creative experience with more than a decade of hands-on work building and experimenting with artificial intelligence.
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Yes. David Usher speaks at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creativity, innovation and technological change.
He brings together two careers that rarely exist in one speaker: decades as a professional creator and more than ten years working hands-on with AI.
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David Usher has more than a decade of hands-on experience building and experimenting with artificial intelligence.
He became involved with AI because he believed it would become one of the most important changes to creativity and innovation in our lifetime, and he did not want to speak about that future without experiencing the technology himself.
His first major AI project was Lyric AI in collaboration with Google, creating AI agents that could collaborate with humans writing song lyrics. In 2018, he founded Reimagine AI, where his team has continued building AI-powered virtual beings, conversational interfaces and intelligent products.
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David Usher speaks about artificial intelligence, creativity, innovation, AI literacy, curiosity, technological change and the future of work.
His keynote explores how AI is changing the way we work and create, why creativity becomes more valuable as powerful AI becomes available to everyone, and why curiosity, experimentation and continual learning are essential for navigating revolutionary times.
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Creativity, AI, and the Courage to Change explores how artificial intelligence is transforming creativity, innovation, business and the way we work.
David combines creative-thinking methodology with live AI experimentation, conversation, storytelling, humour, music and audience participation to help people understand the changing landscape and become active participants in it.
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David combines first-hand AI-building experience, decades of professional creativity and an experiential approach to live speaking.
He does not talk about technological change from the sidelines. He has spent more than a decade building, experimenting, failing, adapting and learning with AI while continuing to work professionally as an artist, author and entrepreneur.
That allows him to connect what is happening in artificial intelligence with what it actually means for creativity, innovation and people.
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We live in a world of endless YouTube videos, podcasts and talking heads. David believes that if people come together in a room for a keynote, it should give them something they cannot get from watching another screen.
People cannot be inspired to learn or change if they are not paying attention first.
David uses every medium available to capture that attention: conversation, humour, storytelling, music, live AI experimentation and audience participation. A piece of a song might demonstrate an idea about AI. An audience member might become part of an experiment. A new technology might be tested live in front of the room.
The goal is to make complex ideas visceral, living, emotional, funny and memorable, so people leave excited to learn, experiment and explore.
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David Usher has spoken for major organizations including Google, Cisco, SAP, Pepsi, 3M, Ubisoft, TD and Deloitte.
His keynote work has also received strong feedback from senior corporate leaders. Cisco Vice President Andrew Sage said audience feedback rated David “the best they ever have seen,” while Xerox Director of Global Events Sandra DelVecchio described unusually high levels of audience engagement.
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As AI makes information, ideas and content increasingly abundant, access to powerful technology becomes less of a differentiator.
Creativity becomes the competitive advantage.
The ability to ask better questions, see things differently, make unexpected connections, recognize opportunities, exercise judgment and decide what is worth creating becomes increasingly valuable when everyone has access to similar AI tools.
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Curiosity, experimentation and continual learning are essential for navigating revolutionary periods of change.
You do not have to embrace every new AI technology. But you do need to explore the changing landscape enough to understand what is useful, what is not, and what belongs in your work and life.
Creative thinking creates curiosity. Curiosity keeps you exploring. Learning allows you to make informed choices about what comes next.
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Understanding the language of artificial intelligence is becoming essential for participating in the future.
You do not need to become an AI engineer, but without understanding AI’s basic capabilities, limitations and language, it becomes increasingly difficult to participate meaningfully in the conversations and decisions shaping your organization and industry.
The goal is not to adopt everything. It is to understand enough to decide what to use, what not to use, what to explore and why.
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Yes. Live AI experimentation is a central part of David Usher’s keynote.DAVID USHER
Rather than relying only on slides or prepared examples, David uses AI live and sometimes brings audience members into the experiments.
That turns concepts that can feel abstract or technical into moments people can see, experience and remember. description
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Yes. David’s AI and creativity keynote is designed for business leaders, executives, corporate audiences and people who do not need a technical background in artificial intelligence.
He uses stories, demonstrations, music, creative frameworks and real-world examples rather than technical jargon.
The objective is not to make everyone an AI expert. It is to give people enough understanding of the landscape to participate confidently in what comes next.
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Audiences leave with a clearer understanding of artificial intelligence, a practical methodology for creative thinking and greater curiosity about what is possible.
But information alone is not the goal.
David uses music, humour, storytelling, experimentation and participation to create moments people feel and remember. He wants audiences to leave energized, curious and inspired to learn, experiment and explore, because people are much more likely to participate in change when they are excited about what might be possible.
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David Usher speaks at corporate conferences, leadership events, industry conferences, innovation summits, association meetings and events focused on artificial intelligence, creativity, innovation and the future of work.
His keynote is particularly relevant for organizations trying to understand how AI is changing their world and how their people can respond with greater creativity, curiosity and confidence.
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David Usher is available for corporate conferences, leadership events, association meetings, innovation events and keynote speaking engagements.
To inquire about availability or book David Usher for your event, contact Melanie Roy at Speakers Spotlight at Melanie@speakers.ca.