Nolan Bushnell is a pioneering engineer and entrepreneur, best known as the founder of Atari, Inc. and the creator of Chuck E. Cheese's. In 1972, he co-founded Atari, revolutionizing the video game industry with the release of Pong, one of the first commercially successful arcade games.

In 1977, Bushnell established Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre, merging dining with arcade entertainment, which became a nationwide family destination. Over his career, he has founded more than 20 companies, including Catalyst Technologies, one of the first business incubators, and Brainrush, an educational software company leveraging game-based learning.

A recognized industry visionary, Bushnell has been inducted into both the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame. He is also known for Bushnell’s Law, which states that great games should be "easy to learn and difficult to master."

Bushnell’s work has left a lasting impact on the gaming, technology, and entertainment industries, shaping interactive experiences for generations.

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by the Economist. He is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 books -- including A Hacker's Mind -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter Crypto-Gram and blog Schneier on Security are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow, and an advisory board member of EPIC and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.

Fay Arjomandi is the Founder, CEO, and Board Member of mimik, a pioneering hybrid edge cloud company. She previously served as CEO of NantMobile and Vodafone xone, leading digital health, AI, and innovation initiatives. A serial entrepreneur, she co-founded three technology startups, including Mobidia and mimik. Fay holds multiple patents in telecommunications, edge computing, and mobile networks. Recognized as a Top 20 Canadian Tech Titan (2022) and Edge Woman of the Year (2020), she is a Forbes Technology Council member and advises startups and enterprises on digital transformation. A sought-after global speaker, she is passionate about digital equity and decentralized cloud technology. Fay holds a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University and has worked across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Doc Searls is a journalist, author, and leading figure in the open source movement, serving for 24 years as an editor for Linux Journal, finishing as editor-in-chief. He is co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto, and author of The Intention Economy: When Customers Take Charge, both of which have inspired pioneering open source development efforts, including Kwaai, which he serves as Chief Intention Officer.

Katherine Druckman is an Open Source Evangelist at Intel, where she enjoys sharing her passion for a variety of open source topics. She currently combines her enthusiasm for software security and emerging AI technology as the OPEA Security Working Group Lead and Co-Chair of the OpenSSF Marketing Advisory Council and Developer Relations Community. She is a long-time open source advocate, developer, and podcaster, and is currently the host of Open at Intel and co-host of the FLOSS Weekly and Reality 2.0 podcasts. Previously, Katherine spent over a decade at Linux Journal.

Michel Burger is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at mimik Technology Inc., where he leads the development of hybrid edge cloud and agentic AI solutions. With extensive experience in edge computing, cloud architecture, and IoT, Michel has been at the forefront of transforming traditional cloud-based AI into scalable, decentralized, and autonomous systems.

In his work, Michel focuses on solving challenges such as latency, privacy risks, and scalability limitations in AI. He champions Hybrid Edge AI, enabling devices to act as autonomous agents that perform local execution, AI-to-AI communication, and dynamic self-organization. Under his leadership, mimik’s hybrid edge platform empowers developers to deploy secure, offline-first AI systems that redefine the future of computing.

As an active thought leader and technologist, Michel shares his expertise on microservices, edge AI, and agentic architectures, helping businesses and developers build agile, intelligent, and scalable AI ecosystems.

Katelyn is an AI Integration Engineer passionate about creating seamless, efficient workflows using APIs and automation. With a strong background in operations and marketing, she excels at building strong client relationships and implementing tailored AI solutions that drive results. At Personal AI, Katelyn ensures that AI integrations work flawlessly within client systems—if something isn't functioning as expected, she’s the first to fix it.

Dave is a 30 year veteran of open source projects focused on privacy, security, and decentralization. He has worked on Second Life, Tor Project, Firefox, Hyperledger, and various applied cryptography projects. His recent research in decentralization opens up new possibilities in self-healing peer-to-peer networks that exist without any fixed infrastructure. He is currently the CEO of Cryptid and the libp2p Community Architect.

Jaymes Davis is a seasoned and visionary product leader with over 25 years of experience in the computer industry, specializing in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and composable enterprise architecture. As the Chief Technical Evangelist at Kasm Technologies, he leads the product strategy and innovation team that delivers cutting-edge solutions for secure and scalable remote work environments.

Liam Broza is an engineer and multi exit founder in AI and XR. Notable projects include Ethereal Engine, BitScoop Labs, LifeScope and Laguna Labs. Companion Intelligence originated from project LifeScope in 2015 with the goal of building an open platform for anyone to personal digital memory database. In 2019, the LifeScope Time Machine was released to give anyone access to global travel into their history through AR and VR. In 2020 Laguna Labs founded Ethereal Engine with a core community of WebXR engineers building the most powerful 3D web engine. After exiting Ethereal Engine to Infinite Reality in 2024. Liam restarted the dream of Companion Intelligence and is now offering CI Private Servers allowing individuals and businesses to use personal private agents with confidence, trust, and control.

Greg Spektor is a program management leader, Six Sigma Greenbelt, and AI product strategist with expertise in engineering, product delivery, and operational process re-engineering. With a background in finance and organizational transformation, he specializes in driving efficiency, aligning KPIs with business goals, and advising C-suite leaders on execution strategies.

Currently serving as Product Team Lead at Kwaai, Greg is spearheading the early-stage vision and MVP definition for the Kwaai Personal AI Assistant, helping establish rigorous product management processes in an open-source AI environment. His skill set spans agile methodologies, budget oversight, stakeholder engagement, and delivery excellence, making him a key player in advancing scalable and efficient AI solutions.

Jon Connors, founder of restore-a-thon, brings together developers and AI enthusiasts to create solutions for real world social challenges. Through these high-energy hackathons, he helps technologists leverage artificial intelligence for action and policy innovation. Connors also co-founded Tax Free Gains, a startup tax advisory and serves as an AI advisor to early-stage startups, combining his passion for technology with sustainable business growth.

Dr. Diego Galeano is a Machine Learning Researcher at the Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FIUNA) in Paraguay. Dr. Galeano’s research focuses on developing machine-learning models for applications in drug discovery and medicine. He has contributed to studies on predicting drug side effects and developing ML frameworks for pharmacological countermeasures on the impact of space radiation on human health.

Daryle Serrant is a research scientist at Kwaai and a seasoned software engineer and data science professional with over 12 years of experience working on software development, analytics, and AI projects for startups and large tech companies. He is also an educator and course author on Generative AI and Data Analytics, sharing his expertise with professionals and aspiring learners worldwide.

Brian Ragazzi is a technology leader, entrepreneur, cloud architect, and distributed systems engineer specializing in data management, AI/ML security, and privacy. With a deep background in mathematics and computing, he has led critical initiatives in AI, cloud infrastructure, and distributed systems across multiple industries.

As Distributed Systems Lead at Kwaai, Brian focuses on building decentralized AI training and inference systems with an emphasis on privacy, security, and performance. Previously, he has held key roles at companies and systems integrators architecting cloud-native solutions, automation frameworks, and AI-driven platforms, including a provably accurate medical technology infrastructure.

A passionate advocate for open-source technology, Brian co-founded the San Fernando Valley Linux User Group (SFVLUG), fostering a community of engineers, developers, and technology leaders. His commitment to AI and real-time computing dates back to SCALE5X in 2007, where he and his team demonstrated an AI-powered real-time voice agent—a testament to his long-standing contributions to the field.

After Running the world's first co-working hacker- space in the 90's, Vitka has a career throwing events from raves to unconferences, while working on alternative economies and organizing direct action. He believes the personally-owned digital twins may the post-hierarchy  solution he has long sought.

Richard Whitt is a public policy attorney, technology strategist, business advisor, and entrepreneur with over three decades of experience shaping telecom, internet, and AI policy. He spent 11 years at Google (2007–2018), including four years as Corporate Director for Strategic Initiatives, leading efforts on digital governance, open internet policy, and emerging technologies. More recently, he served as Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy at Twilio (2022–2024) and was a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Mozilla Foundation (2018–2022). His career also includes leadership roles in tech and telecom policy at MCI Communications (1994–2006) and legal practice at Washington, DC-based technology law firms (1988–1994).

In 2018, Richard founded the GLIA Foundation, launching GliaNet, a trust-based Web overlay designed to reshape the digital landscape. His book, Reweaving the Web, outlines a vision for ethical AI and internet governance. He currently leads the GliaNet Alliance, a coalition of technology companies advancing Net fiduciaries and Personal AI agents, and runs NetsEdge, a consultancy advising Silicon Valley startups on ethical governance models.

Richard holds a Juris Doctor (cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Science (magna cum laude) from James Madison University. He is a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy. Originally from Washington, DC, he now resides in Emerald Hills, California.

AI is becoming an integral part of our daily lives, assisting with everything from organization to decision-making. But if we're not careful, personal AI will once again be locked behind proprietary platforms, exposing users' most sensitive information to privacy and security risks. As the performance of personal AI systems improves with more (and more recent) data, maintaining complete control has never been more important.

This session will explore why open-source AI is essential for ensuring personal AI remains private, working for you rather than commercial vendors. We’ll discuss the risks of proprietary AI, the growing need for data sovereignty, and how open-source AI offers a secure, customizable alternative. We will also introduce pAI-OS, our own open-source personal AI operating system, designed to empower users with AI they can trust.

About Matt Small

Matt Small is a founding Officer and Board Member of Kwaai.ai, an open-source AI lab focused on personal AI empowerment. He is an avid community builder and technology enthusiast. As a seasoned technology leader with over 15 years of experience at pioneering cloud technology and AI ventures. He has held leadership roles at Flexera, Pulumi, Tackle.io, VMware, Bitnami and RightScale, specializing in cloud strategy and digital transformation. As the Founder & CEO of Stable Pathways Group and Co-Founder of Lucid Cradle, Matthew is at the forefront of legal psilocybin services and mental health innovation in Oregon. 

Matt enables technology, business and personal transformation, he leads tech and philanthropy communities in Bend, Oregon, and speaks globally on cloud, AI, and ethical technology.

Reza is Chair of Kwaai. Prior to Kwaai, as the CTO of RealNetworks, he guided their technology pivot from streaming media roots to becoming a leader in AI. His pioneering innovations range from digital movie editing systems that earned Technical Oscar and Emmy awards, the world’s first VOD server, to cochlear implants and bionic eyes. His serial start-up career includes two exits to Google. Reza gained a B.Sc. in Physics from King's College London, has numerous patents, several papers published and remains a significant code contributor.

Ruth Rassool is a COC and UCLA Alumna. Her degrees focus on literature, particularly British, American, and Comparative. Ruth has incorporated GenAI into her course content by participating in Kwaai’s Beta project. Integrating Penny, the Virtual Teacher’s Assistant, as a resource for students has refined the course content and given students 24/7 access to relevant material. When she is not teaching at College of the Canyons, Ruth Rassool enjoys being at home in Santa Clarita or traveling - especially back to England; she is an English English instructor!

Matt Small is a founding Officer and Board Member of Kwaai.ai, an open-source AI lab focused on personal AI empowerment. He is an avid community builder and technology enthusiast. As a seasoned technology leader with over 15 years of experience at pioneering cloud technology and AI ventures. He has held leadership roles at Flexera, Pulumi, Tackle.io, VMware, Bitnami and RightScale, specializing in cloud strategy and digital transformation. As the Founder & CEO of Stable Pathways Group and Co-Founder of Lucid Cradle, Matthew is at the forefront of legal psilocybin services and mental health innovation in Oregon. 

Matt enables technology, business and personal transformation, he leads tech and philanthropy communities in Bend, Oregon, and speaks globally on cloud, AI, and ethical technology.