Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X and author of Scary Smart, will deliver the ISE 2027 Business Keynote on Tuesday 2 February, from 13:30 to 14:15, in room CC4.1 at Fira Barcelona Gran Via. His session, When Human and Artificial Intelligence Unite: Building a Future Worth Living In, is free to attend, according to the official session page.
Gawdat’s name had already appeared in the keynote line-up the organisers previewed in late September. The official announcement on 22 October added the title, focus, time and room of the talk.
The session opens the first day of Barcelona’s integrated systems show, which runs from 2 to 5 February 2027 under the theme When Worlds Unite.
A keynote on the pace of change and responsibility in AI
The talk will assess the current impact of artificial intelligence on organisations and society, raising bigger questions about the speed of change, responsibility and human behaviour, as well as how businesses should respond.
ISE frames it as a chance to step back from individual products and look at the bigger picture: where AI is heading and what role people should play in shaping it.
“Mo Gawdat brings a rare combination of business leadership, technological insight and human perspective to the conversation around AI.”
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events
Blackman places the session at a time when the disciplines around AV are increasingly interconnected, and expects it to challenge the ISE community “to look beyond the hype and consider how AI can be applied responsibly”.
From Google X to Scary Smart: Mo Gawdat’s career
Gawdat’s career spans more than three decades at companies including IBM, Microsoft and Google, where he was Chief Business Officer of Google X. He has co-founded more than 30 businesses and is a four-time international bestselling author, writing about happiness, artificial intelligence and the future of humanity.
After Solve for Happy, his first book, Scary Smart: The Future of AI and How You Can Save Our World established him as one of the leading voices in the international debate on AI, with a focus on how the technology will evolve and how businesses can adopt it. That thread continues in Emma.love, an ethical AI coaching platform designed to help people build meaningful personal and professional relationships, and in his forthcoming book, Alive: A Human’s Guide to Living in the World of AI, due in 2027.
When Worlds Unite and a run of AI keynotes at ISE
The 2027 theme refers to the convergence of AV, digital content, immersive experiences, smart buildings and live events. According to the organisers, Mo Gawdat’s keynote will explore how AI can help those worlds keep coming together without losing the human connection.
AI has featured prominently among ISE keynotes since 2025, though in different formats. In 2025, Brian Solis gave the opening keynote, focused on the role of AI in how businesses evolve. In 2026, Sol Rashidi spoke about the challenges of putting AI to work in organisations. In 2027 the subject reaches the Business Keynote, with Mo Gawdat shifting the focus towards responsibility and the human factor, while AI is also one of the six themes of Megatrends, the session programme in the CC5 conference centre.
The ISE 2027 keynotes and how to attend
The official programme features three free keynotes in the CC4 conference centre. According to trade publications Installation and Inavate, Tuesday’s Business Keynote will be followed on Wednesday 3 February by a Partner Keynote in which Crestron will bring Miriam Ferrando, CIO of FC Barcelona, on stage to discuss the role of technology in a major sport and entertainment environment. The Creative Keynote on Thursday 4 February is yet to be announced, and the organisers have not yet published the time or room for these two sessions.
ISE 2027 visitor registration has been open since 1 October. The visitor guide linked at the top of this article brings together the official registration form with the instaliaeu code, which provides a free ticket, along with opening hours, the floorplan and directions to the venue.
For integrators, manufacturers and technical managers already working with AI features, Tuesday’s session may offer a business and responsibility perspective rather than a product one. AI’s place in the keynote programme, as in the two previous editions, suggests it will remain one of the show’s defining themes.
