ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Afsaneh Fazly holds a PhD in AI from the University of Toronto and brings over two decades of experience advancing intelligent systems across academia, industry, and startups. She currently serves as AI Research Director at RBC Borealis. Her work spans foundation models, language and multimodal intelligence, and applied machine learning, with a focus on translating research into real-world impact. She has contributed extensively to the AI research community through publications and patents, and has led and mentored large multidisciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and researchers. Her career reflects a consistent ability to bridge scientific rigor with large-scale system design and deployment.
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ABSTRACT:
For the past two decades, enterprise software has largely followed the SaaS model: applications organize work through dashboards, forms, and APIs, while humans interpret information and coordinate tasks across multiple tools. Advances in large language models and agentic systems are beginning to change that structure. AI agents can now interpret user intent, retrieve context across systems, call tools, and execute multi-step workflows. As a result, software is gradually shifting from static interfaces toward systems that can actively perform work.
This shift does not mean SaaS disappears. Instead, applications increasingly become execution layers that agents interact with, while reasoning and workflow orchestration move into an agentic control layer above them. In legal workflows, for example, an agent can review large volumes of contracts, extract key clauses, compare them to internal policies, and surface potential risks for human review. In construction and engineering projects, agents can analyze plans, specifications, and contracts together to identify inconsistencies or obligations before they become costly issues in the field. The central question is therefore not whether AI replaces SaaS, but where durable advantage moves when software systems can reason over context and dynamically orchestrate work.
This talk explores how the emerging agentic stack is reshaping the software landscape and what it means for organizations building or deploying AI-driven products. It is intended for founders, product leaders, engineers, and executives who want to understand how AI agents are likely to transform software design, product strategy, and competitive advantage.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
Several practical lessons emerged from the work that led to this talk.
First, organizations should start with workflows rather than models. The greatest value often comes from augmenting complex, multi-step processes rather than introducing isolated AI features.
Second, agentic systems are most effective when built on top of existing infrastructure. Rather than replacing current systems, AI can orchestrate tasks across them, allowing organizations to unlock value without rebuilding their entire stack.
Finally, a strong understanding of the science behind LLMs and agentic frameworks helps leaders make better architectural decisions. Understanding how models reason, retrieve context, and interact with tools makes it easier to design systems that are reliable, scalable, and aligned with real business needs.
Business Leaders: C-Level Executives, Project Managers, and Product Owners will get to explore best practices, methodologies, principles, and practices for achieving ROI.
Engineers, Researchers, Data Practitioners: Will get a better understanding of the challenges, solutions, and ideas being offered via breakouts & workshops on Natural Language Processing, Neural Nets, Reinforcement Learning, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), Evolution Strategies, AutoML, and more.
Job Seekers: Will have the opportunity to network virtually and meet over 30+ Top Al Companies.
Ignite what is an Ignite Talk?
Ignite is an innovative and fast-paced style used to deliver a concise presentation.
During an Ignite Talk, presenters discuss their research using 20 image-centric slides which automatically advance every 15 seconds.
The result is a fun and engaging five-minute presentation.
You can see all our speakers and full agenda here