Fab Dolan

Today, we stand at a crossroads. Do we use AI to do more work that ultimately blends into the crowd? Or do we use AI to do better work—work that stands out, sets us apart, and ultimately leaves a legacy?

Fab Dolan knows that the AI “easy button” will change the work of not only marketers, but accountants, leaders, CFOs, and everyone else. “We can use AI to create a flood of derivative nonsense, or we can use AI to create novel, strategic, memorable work,” he says. And he’s showing us how to unlock the true potential of AI to amplify human ingenuity and drive impact.

In this thought-provoking keynote, Fab reveals how AI “easy buttons” impact the creativity of human teams, how agencies and consultancies are reinventing their business models, how CFOs should think about AI investments, and much more. This talk is a must-listen for anyone looking to use AI to get ahead.

The first wave of AI has arrived, and it’s brought a flood of low-quality, high-volume “slop.” The reason is simple: you can’t create world-class results from average ingredients.

In this dynamic, accessible talk, 12-year Google veteran Fab Dolan argues that this flood of mediocrity doesn’t devalue experts. Instead, it makes them the only scarce resource that matters. True quality in AI is only possible when an expert teaches the machine. This puts the expert at a powerful crossroads: will they give their knowledge away to large corporations, or will they use it to build their own future? With his signature optimism and practicality, Fab provides a clear playbook for this new era, revealing low-cost methods for experts to finally own their legacy, build their own “digital apprentices,” and disrupt the old business models forever. This talk offers a simple story about the future of quality in a world of artificial noise, and a guide for anyone who believes in the power of human mastery.

At the intersection of human expertise and artificial intelligence lies an untapped opportunity for strategic thinking. Fab Dolan explores this frontier through the lens of what he terms “Strategy DNA”—a research-based approach to decoding how expert marketers think and how their strategic processes can be transformed into technology.

Drawing from his work at 99Ravens building AI agents for expert marketers and his conversations with industry leaders on his podcast X Becomes Software, Fab shares insights about the patterns, frameworks, and mental models that drive effective strategy—and why these elements are largely missing from conventional AI systems. Through engaging case studies and interactive examples, he demonstrates how the most valuable strategic thinking can be transformed into scalable software systems while preserving the irreplaceable human elements.

This talk challenges the prevailing narrative that AI will simply replace human strategists, instead proposing a more nuanced future where technology elevates human intelligence and democratizes expertise. Fab explores the boundary between what can be encoded as software and where human ingenuity still prevails, offering practical frameworks for identifying and enhancing your own strategic strengths.

Attendees will gain perspective on:

• The unique value of human strategic thinking in an AI-driven world
• How expert insights can be transformed into scalable intelligence
• Why preserving human judgment while scaling strategic capabilities creates competitive advantage
• Practical approaches to balancing technological efficiency with strategic depth

For organizations seeking to thrive in the age of AI, this forward-looking talk provides both philosophical grounding and practical wisdom for evolving strategic work beyond traditional limitations.