This week, our founder Emily Keogh hosted and moderated a dynamic fireside conversation at The Ned, exploring “The Future of AI.”

In her role as both communications Founder at Palm and advisor to Sensay, Emily was joined by Sensay’s Michele di Cosmo and Behzad Hosseini for a thought-provoking  discussion that unpacked where AI is now, where it’s heading and what it means for businesses and consumers.

The conversation was split into three themes – the AI landscape today, what Sensay is seeing on the ground, and what the next 12 months could hold.

Emily opened the discussion by exploring what feels meaningful versus overhyped in AI right now. The panel agreed that while generative AI remains headline-grabbing, the more interesting shifts are happening in practical, embedded use cases – AI quietly streamlining workflows, surfacing insights, and powering new forms of interaction.

On chatbots and AI agents, Behzad highlighted how expectations have matured. Twelve months ago, there was an appetite for novelty – today, users want reliability, personalisation, and real value. In short, the bar has been raised.

Is it easier or harder to build something unique with AI now? Michele explained that while the tooling is improving and access to models is broadening, differentiation has become more complex. Simply “plugging in GPT” isn’t enough; building trust, brand identity, and nuanced interaction design is now the differentiator.

As an AI platform shaping the next wave of tools, Sensay is in a unique position to see what’s resonating with users. Michele noted that task-driven bots – those that help users solve specific problems quickly – are gaining the most traction.

We are seeing AI assistants becoming more embedded, multimodal and trustworthy.

Unexpected use cases are emerging too, from niche communities creating specialised assistants to bots being used for wellbeing and emotional support.

Emily reflected on how this human dimension adds a new layer to AI’s potential – and one where sensitive communications and trust are paramount.

What makes Sensay different? Sensay is designed to be modular, scalable, and human-centred,with an emphasis on giving users control while still delivering cutting-edge AI capability. Their new offboarding tool is a brilliant advancement for businesses not wanting to lose knowledge when key employees retire or exit the business, capturing information in an intuitive and seamless manner. Sensay transforms offboarding into living, interactive knowledge bases, accessible via Slack, Teams, or intranet, so organisations can prevent knowledge loss, accelerate onboarding and reduce costly disruptions.

Looking ahead, the panel shared an optimistic – but pragmatic – view of AI’s trajectory. Over the next 12 months, we can expect to see AI assistants becoming more specialised, more embedded in daily workflows – but still with the all important human touch and guardianship.

For founders and operators, the takeaway was clear: don’t chase hype. Instead, think carefully about where AI can genuinely add value to your business model, your customer experience and your brand story. Integration should be thoughtful, not tokenistic.

1. Don’t do AI for hype — solve real pain points.
2. Leverage unique data to build defensible advantage.
3. Partner smartly — build core IP, outsource generic AI layers.
4. Educate teams, experiment fast, measure ROI.
5. Have a responsible AI plan — governance, bias, human-in-loop.
   

“AI will touch every business process — start small, but start now.”

At Palm, we see AI as a transformative force not just for technology, but for hospitality, travel, food and drink and lifestyle industries. As Emily demonstrated at The Ned, the future isn’t about replacing the human element – it’s about augmenting it. The businesses that thrive will be those that use AI to make interactions smarter, faster, and more personal, while keeping human oversight, trust and creativity at the core.

Michele Di Cosmo is a tech lead at Sensay, where he drives the technical direction of API, Studio, and Chatbots architecture and system integration. With a background spanning software engineering and business coaching, he bridges technical execution with strategy.

His leadership focuses on creating cohesive, high-performing teams that balance precision with adaptability. Michele is particularly interested in building scalable, robust systems and fostering technical cultures that evolve through clarity, collaboration, and accountability.

Behzad Hosseini is the AI Tech Lead at Sensay, where he focuses on advancing the company’s knowledge base, RAG systems, and LLM-powered chatbots. He bridges research and real-world application to build scalable, context-aware AI assistants that feel both intelligent and human.

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