Conference: Data & AI Conference Europe 2026

Date: 3 or 4 November 2026 (conference days) - Time: to be announced
Track: to be announced
Location: etc.venues Fenchurch Street, 8 Fenchurch Pl, London, UK

Talk: Where AI Accelerates Data Modeling – and Where Human Expertise Remains Essential
Speaker: Dirk Lerner

About the talk: Data modeling forms the foundation of successful AI implementations, yet many organizations struggle to understand where AI genuinely helps—and where human expertise cannot be replaced.

Where AI accelerates: This session demonstrates through a live example how AI excels at transcribing requirements conversations, identifying business object patterns, and pre-populating definition templates—reducing initial requirements documentation from weeks to days and saving up to 70% of documentation time while maintaining accuracy through expert validation.

Where human expertise remains essential: Yet company-specific definitions of "customer," "product," or "contract" require business context that AI cannot provide. Domain experts must validate definitions, resolve ambiguities, and ensure models reflect organizational reality—not generic patterns.

Key Takeaways:

1. Where AI genuinely accelerates data modeling workflows – Specific tasks where AI delivers measurable time savings (transcription, pattern recognition, template population) and where documented results show 70% efficiency gains.
2. Where human expertise cannot be replaced – Why business context, organizational nuances, and validation of company-specific definitions require domain knowledge that AI fundamentally lacks.
3. How to integrate AI tools into existing workflows – A practical methodology demonstrated through live examples that you can implement immediately without replacing your current modeling processes.

About the speaker: Dirk is an experienced independent consultant and Managing Director of TEDAMOH – the Data Modeling Hub. He is regarded worldwide as an expert in BI and data architectures as well as data modeling, and is especially valued for his work on temporal data – including ground-breaking examples on his blog and in his training programs that explore the many facets of managing time in data and the corresponding solution approaches.

With a 25-year career focused on data modeling, temporal data, and automation, Dirk has consistently applied these disciplines to create flexible, lean, and extensible architectures.

As a pioneer of Data Vault and FCO-IM in Germany, Dirk has authored a range of publications and is a highly sought-after international conference speaker. Together with Roelant Vos he is co-author of the international book "Data Engine Thinking".

About the conference: The Data & AI Conference Europe 2026 – "Where Data Drives Intelligence and AI Builds Trust". This five-day IRM UK event is Europe's premier gathering for data leaders, AI innovators, and analytics professionals. At a glance:

• Audience – Data architects, data engineers, data modelers, data governance professionals, CDOs, IT strategists, data leaders, and analytics professionals from across Europe
• Format – Five days: 2, 5 and 6 November 2026 with workshops; 3 and 4 November 2026 with conference and exhibits. Five parallel tracks, over 60 speakers and keynotes, and more than 250 attendees
• Topics – Data quality, AI strategies, AI ethics, machine learning, advanced analytics, data management best practices, data governance, and responsible use of data and AI
• Character – Practical case studies from leading organisations, Industry Best Practice Awards, a curated program and intensive peer-to-peer networking in one of Europe's most established data conference series
• Program – 2 to 6 November 2026, etc.venues Fenchurch Street, London, UK

For years, the Data & AI Conference Europe has been one of the key meeting points for the European data community in London – with a clear focus on hands-on experience exchange, substantial content, and an atmosphere that many regulars describe as a "data hug".