In 2012, Doug got bit by the search bug and he's still trying to keep up. From full-text search, to Learning to Rank models, to search agents that generate their own code, he knows the endless landscape first hand. Yet Doug wants to deeply understand the what / how / why, and help teams use these technologies practically, distinguishing hype from reality.

He’s led search at Reddit, Shopify, and Wikipedia, authored Relevant Search and AI Powered Search, and advised 100+ organizations over the years - all in pursuit of the same question: how does search actually work?

Eleanor Berger is an AI expert and technology leader with a track record of advising, building and leading high-performing AI engineering teams at Microsoft, Google and several start-ups.

At Microsoft and Google, Eleanor enabled top cloud customers, including startups, software vendors, and enterprises, to deliver impactful AI-first solutions. She has served in key advisory roles with a focus on applied AI and is recognised as a leading voice in the industry.

Today, Eleanor advises companies and empowers catalysts - leaders who drive AI innovation - by pairing deep technical expertise with hard-won managerial insight. Eleanor helps organisations build robust AI capability, integrate advanced AI and deliver powerful solutions that drive business value and strategic advantage.

- Cultivate sustainable AI-engineering muscle so wins are repeatable.

- Assess opportunities and risks in in-flight or backlog projects.

- Establish data-driven, iterative delivery frameworks tailored to context.

- Sustain engineering and leadership momentum with ongoing technical and strategic guidance.

Hugo Bowne-Anderson is an independent data and AI consultant who has advised and taught teams building AI-powered systems, including engineers from Netflix, Meta, and Amazon. He hosts Vanishing Gradients and has written for Harvard Business Review and VentureBeat. Previously Head of Developer Relations at Outerbounds, he has also taught at Yale University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, SciPy, and PyCon.