From the City of Wisdom to the City of Light

As the crisp autumn air begins to settle in Europe, I’m privileged to be giving 2 sets of public lectures on AI this October. From Sofia—the Eastern “City of Wisdom,” to Paris—the Western “City of Light,” I found myself in two cultural capitals that shape the identity of their surrounding regions in their unique ways.

AI Public Lecture from Sofia to Paris

Paris has long been the artistic, intellectual, and fashion capital of Western Europe, with its museums, theaters, and cafés serving as gathering places for ideas that influenced the world. Sofia, at the crossroads of East and West, is Bulgaria’s cultural center and a rising center in the Balkans, blending ancient heritage with a vibrant contemporary arts and tech scene. Together, they showcase how culture defines not only cities, but also the spirit of entire regions.

Similarly, AI is becoming a cultural force shaping industries and societies. Just as these cities export ideas, styles, and traditions, AI technologies will export new ways of living, working, and thinking across the globe. And the way that companies use AI will shape the identity of enterprises, how they compete, innovate, and deliver value.

Sofia—the Eastern “City of Wisdom”

Sofia is often called the City of Wisdom because its very name comes from the ancient Church of Saint Sophia, whose name means “holy wisdom” in Greek. Over the centuries, Sofia has stood at the crossroads of civilizations, where the cultures of the Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Slavs have all left their mark. This layering of histories, philosophies, and traditions gave the city a reputation as a place where knowledge and cultural heritage converge. Today, the title reflects not only its past but also its role as a modern hub of education, research, and innovation in Southeastern Europe.

Here, I will be contributing two 90-min lectures at the Intelligent Enterprise Summit, a full-day event where business leaders, innovators, and AI experts gather to shape the future of the intelligent enterprise in Sofia. This event is organized by the Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS), which hosted my public lectures last year in Sofia. So this is the second year I am lecturing to this very wise audience.

In addition to BAS, this year we also onboarded VirTech as a organizer to expand the reach of these public lectures beyond academia to the startup and corporate community in Sofia. I hope event will help build up the AI practitioners community in Sofia, and that I can contribute to tradition of this City of Wisdom being the innovation hub of the Balkans Region.

Intelligent Enterprise Summit

Lecture 1 focuses on our current understanding of how LLMs work and its application within a business enterprise.

Title: Mastering LLMs Within the Enterprise: From Theory to Practice
Abstract:
AI tools, such as LLMs, are quickly becoming a standard within a company’s tech stack. Yet, many are still experimenting with their use cases as best practices that stand the test of time need time to develop. Therefore, innovative leaders must grasp the inner workings of these AI tools to outpace competitors and seize the enormous first-mover advantages. This session will provide you with a deep understanding of LLM, how it works, how to use it safely and productively inside an enterprise. Moreover, we will examine several categories of internal GenAI use cases, ranging from creative marketing use cases to technical IT applications. These cases will elucidate the guiding principles that are crucial for success. This session will equip you with the knowledge to shape the future of work and best practices for using the full spectrum of AI technologies within enterprises.

Lecture 2 focuses on the path from LLM to Agents, and how we achieve AGI/ASI and their greater societal impacts.

Title: The Agentic Era: The Bridge from Dumb LLMs to Artificial Super-Intelligence
Abstract:
Today’s LLMs are smart enough to tell you how to perform virtually any imaginable task, yet they can’t execute them. This session will show you the ingredients and how to transform dumb LLMs into smart agents capable of autonomously achieving your goals. Although intelligent agents capable of deep reasoning are crucial for problem-solving, they are only the first step towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). We’ll explore the blueprint to AGI and examine a new scaling law that drives exponential knowledge generation. As we race towards AGI, we must also understand its business and societal implications, so we achieve AGI responsibly. Finally, we will also get a glimpse of how we’ll reach artificial super-intelligence (ASI) post AGI. This talk will take you on a fascinating journey from LLMs to ASI. Understanding this trajectory is vital as we stand on the brink of intelligence beyond our own.

If you are in the greater Sofia area, you can still register for this event.

Paris—the Western “City of Light”

EPBS Masterclass Radical Business Transformation from Agent to AGI

Paris, on the other hand, is celebrated as the City of Light, a name that carries both a literal and symbolic meaning. In the 17th century, it became one of the first major cities in Europe to adopt widespread street lighting, transforming its urban life and safety after dark. Later, in the 18th century, Paris emerged as the intellectual heart of the Enlightenment, where philosophers and scientists promoted reason, progress, and new ideas. Together, these achievements gave Paris its enduring image as a city that illuminates not just its boulevards, but also the world with art, science, and thought.

Here, I will be giving a 2-hour masterclass at the Ecole des Ponts Business School (EPBS). This masterclass is part of the ReTech Center AI Specialization Track, and is open to anyone and everyone eager to understand what’s next for intelligence and business transformation.

I’m quite excited about this lecture, because it’s been a long time since I spoke at the EPBS Paris Campus. Since I was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at EBPS in 2019, I used to lecture more frequently with them. This cadence has since been interrupted by COVID, and now only lecture to cohorts that visit San Francisco for their study trip. I hope this masterclass will reinvigorate our collaboration, and allow me to illuminate industry leaders and entrepreneurs in the greater Paris area.

Title: The Radical Transformation of Business Beyond Agents to AGI
Abstract:
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are able to generate answers to known problems by predicting the next word, but they lack abilities to solve new problems. Although they can describe how to perform any known task, they can’t execute them. This session will show you the ingredients and how to transform dumb LLMs into smart agents capable of autonomously achieving your goals. Although intelligent agents capable of deep reasoning are crucial for problem-solving, they are only the first major step towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). We’ll explore the blueprint to AGI and examine a new scaling law that drives exponential knowledge generation. As we race towards AGI, we must understand the transformative implications to your business and organization. Post AGI, artificial superintelligence (ASI) will ensue rapidly due to the better scaling properties of silicon-based hardware. This session will take you on a fascinating journey from LLMs to ASI. Understanding this trajectory is vital as we stand on the brink of intelligence beyond our own.

If you are in the greater Paris area, you can still register for this event.

Conclusion

AI guided by wisdom and light

Just as these cities serve as cultural anchors for their regions, AI is emerging as an anchor technology for the 4th industrial revolution (i.e. the intelligence revolution). In this perspective, these two cities are more than just geographic destinations for my lectures, they are symbols.

Wisdom reminds us that the future of AI must be guided with responsibility and and human foresight. Light reminds us that AI has the power to illuminate the unknown, reveal hidden opportunities, and spark new innovations. Together, they provide the perfect backdrop for my lectures on AI, a technology that demands both wisdom in its application and light to guide its evolution. Whether it’s the East or the West, the questions remain the same: How do we channel this powerful AI in ways that generate wisdom, shed light, and ultimately shape a future that reflects the best of human culture?

I look forward to meeting you at these lectures!