OxGen AI summit 2025
16-17 October 2025, Jesus College Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub, University of Oxford

Our panel discussion
Why leaders are facing frustration with AI adoption
15:20 - 16:20, Thursday 16 October
What separates an organisation that's thriving with AI adoption versus one that's floundering? Recent research from The Adaptavist Group holds some key clues. Join host Sarah McCoy as she facilitates this discussion between AI Innovation Lead Neal Riley and guests about symptoms to look out for, and how to overcome the very human challenges that can block positive and profitable AI adoption.
You'll hear experts talk about
Symptoms of poor AI culture
How leaders can tell if their implementation may be underperforming
Research-backed AI insights
From studies completed by The Adaptavist Group
Training impact
The commercial difference that training truly makes
Enablement approaches
How organisations should be approaching training, tool access, and more
Panellists

Neal Riley
AI Innovation Lead, The Adaptavist Group
With a 15-year career in tech, Neal Riley has held significant roles within Silicon Valley giants like Atlassian and Apple, establishing himself as a strategic leader. Neal’s expertise and vision led him to The Adaptavist Group, where he progressed from Product Management to taking on the role of Group CIO. In this role, he was pivotal in scaling Adaptavist’s position and offerings through supporting platforms, technologies, data, and insights. This includes the AI platforms, frameworks, and infrastructure to meet The Adaptavist Group’s and its customers' needs in this rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Neal is also General Manager for Salable, part of The Adaptavist Group.

Sven Peters
AI Evangelist, Atlassian
AI Evangelist at Atlassian, Sven has been studying teamwork trends for the last 15 years, uncovering the cultural and technical attributes that help teams work effectively and drive innovation. Sven has made it his mission to inject modern ways of working and inspire people to transform their working lives.

Laura Gemmell
Founder, Taught by Humans
Laura Gemmell is the Founder and Technical CEO of Taught by Humans, a platform that helps organisations build safe, applied AI and data skills while using AI to personalise learning. She holds a PhD in AI Education for the Public from the University of Bristol and UWE, exploring how people and businesses can learn about AI and prepare for the future of work.Before founding Taught by Humans, Laura spent over a decade in tech and data, including roles at PwC, Worldpay, and Monzo, and has supported start-ups with technical and product growth. An experienced educator, she has taught thousands to code and build data skills through organisations such as Code First: Girls and Decoded, and is known as the "money saving expert of AI".

Sarah McCoy
Senior Brand Marketing Manager at The Adaptavist Group
Sarah McCoy is an award-winning brand and content leader with 14+ years of experience shaping how companies and consumers come together—across SaaS, AI, publishing, and lifestyle. At The Adaptavist Group, she helps global organisations translate complex innovation into clear, compelling narratives that build trust with customers, investors, and teams. She also leads on flagship research initiatives, including Digital Etiquette: Unlocking the AI Gates, exploring how technology reshapes the way we work, connect, and create.
View full agenda and register now
Our research insights into AI
Who is thriving with AI in the workplace? What clear signs can leaders look out for as clues of a failing AI culture? The Adaptavist Group's Digital Etiquette reports hold the answers.
Unlocking the AI gates
Survey of 4,000 knowledge workers from across the UK, USA, Canada, and Germany.
Key findings include:
- The impact of earnings, seniority, and gender on AI outcomes.
- The levels of training and enablement required to unlock significantly better commercial outcomes around AI.
Uncovering the AI fault line
Survey of 900 leaders responsible for AI implementation from across the UK, USA, Canada, and Germany.
Key findings include:
- 42% of leaders believe their company's AI claims are exaggerated.
- Culture has a greater impact on successful AI outcomes than implementation spend.