AI tools are becoming easier to access every day. Knowing how to use them effectively, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter.
By now, most companies have experimented with AI in one way or another. However, far fewer actually understand where it genuinely creates value, where it falls short, or how to apply it confidently within their own role.
That’s exactly where SBC Summit’s AI Academy comes into play.
Taking place on Tuesday, 29th September, at the Sala Tejo, MEO Arena, the dedicated academy moves beyond theoretical concepts, instead focusing purely on hands-on learning.
Blending live demonstrations, Ask Me Anything sessions, case studies and practical workshops, the academy gives attendees the opportunity to experience AI first-hand. From testing AI agents and spotting deepfakes to building their own AI assistant, they won’t just hear about the technology; they’ll use it.
In this blog, we break down everything you need to know about the AI Academy, from what you’ll learn and the experts leading the discussion to the unique learning opportunities it provides for industry stakeholders.
What You’ll Learn Across the Academy
Rather than trying to cover every aspect of artificial intelligence, the academy focuses on five practical applications already reshaping betting and gaming.
Whether you work in marketing, customer service, payments, player protection, product development or leadership, each session has been designed to help you better understand how AI can be applied within your own role.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what each session has to offer.
Data and AI: Limits and Lessons
AI is transforming the way sportsbooks collect, analyse and use data. But where is AI best used and where does it fall short? In this live demonstration, Sportradar will show how to use AI to create richer sporting data and improve bettor understanding.
Key Takeaways
- Discover how AI is being used to analyse sporting events and bettor behaviour in real time.
- Understand the opportunities AI creates for richer data products and more personalised experiences.
- Learn where today’s AI technology still has limitations and requires human oversight.
When Agents Speak for You & The Future of Interaction
AI agents are quickly evolving from digital assistants into autonomous decision-makers. This live showcase explores what that shift means for betting and gaming, and how businesses can prepare for the next stage of AI adoption.
Key Takeaways
- Understand how AI agents differ from today’s AI assistants.
- Explore how agentic AI could reshape customer experiences.
- Learn what businesses can do today to prepare for the next wave of AI adoption.
AI Wearables, Robotics & Human Augmentation
AI isn’t confined to our screens anymore. Through live demonstrations of wearables, robotics and biometric technology, this session explores how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the physical world.
Key Takeaways
- Experience emerging AI hardware through live demonstrations.
- Discover how AI is moving beyond software into the physical world.
- Explore how wearable technology and robotics could reshape customer and workplace experiences.
Trust Test: Deepfakes, AI Fraud and the New Era of Impersonation
Deepfakes are becoming increasingly convincing and increasingly dangerous. Through live demonstrations and real-world examples, this session explores how businesses can identify and defend against the latest generation of AI-powered fraud.
Key Takeaways
- See how convincing modern AI-generated fraud has become.
- Learn how businesses can identify deepfakes and AI-enabled impersonation.
- Understand the latest cybersecurity risks created by generative AI.
- Take away practical strategies to better protect your organisation.
Build Your Own AI Assistant
Rather than talking about AI assistants, this workshop challenges attendees to build one. Whether you’re in marketing, CRM or analytics, you’ll leave with a practical tool that can immediately support your day-to-day work.
Key Takeaways
- Learn how to build an AI assistant tailored to your own role.
- Learn how to refine prompts and workflows for better results.
- Leave with a fully formed AI assistant that can be applied immediately within your own business.
Meet the Academy’s AI Leaders
The best way to understand AI is to learn from the people shaping it every day. That’s exactly what the AI Academy offers, bringing together the experts building, innovating and implementing AI across the industry.
From global sports technology leaders and cybersecurity experts to AI specialists, each speaker brings first-hand experience tackling real-world challenges and applying AI in practical, commercial environments.
Behshad Behzadi
Chief Technology Officer, Sportradar
Session: Data and AI: Limits and Lessons
As Chief Technology Officer at Sportradar, Behshad Behzadi leads the technology strategy behind one of the world’s leading sports technology companies. With AI already playing a major role in how Sportradar analyses sporting events and bettor behaviour, he is well placed to demonstrate where AI is creating genuine value and where its limitations still remain.
Javier Troncoso
CEO & Co-Founder, Insightplay.ai
Session: When Agents Speak for You & The Future of Interaction
Javier Troncoso leads Insightplay.ai, a company focused on applying AI to customer behaviour, automation and business decision-making. His experience developing practical AI solutions makes him an ideal speaker to explore how AI agents could evolve from digital assistants into autonomous representatives.
Jeffrey Haas
Managing Director, ID8 Global Gaming Business Accelerator
Session: When Agents Speak for You & The Future of Interaction
Jeffrey Haas leads ID8 Global Gaming Business Accelerator, helping promising startups bring emerging technologies to the betting and gaming industry. Having worked closely with companies developing the next generation of AI-powered products, he offers a valuable perspective on how agentic AI could reshape customer experiences and business models.
John Caldwell
Co-Founder, i3Soft
Session: AI Wearables, Robotics & Human Augmentation
John Caldwell co-founded i3Soft, a technology company specialising in AI, immersive technologies and digital gaming. His hands-on experience developing next-generation gaming experiences makes him the perfect guide to showcase how AI is moving beyond software and into the physical world.
Shelley Langan-Newton
Co-Founder & CEO, SQR
Session: Trust Test: Deepfakes, AI Fraud and the New Era of Impersonation
Shelley Langan-Newton leads SQR, an award-winning leader in digital identity, cyber security and fraud prevention. Working at the forefront of identity verification and AI-powered security, she brings first-hand experience of the growing risks posed by deepfakes and AI-enabled impersonation.
Donald Tabone
Chief Information Security Officer, Betsson Group
Session: Trust Test: Deepfakes, AI Fraud and the New Era of Impersonation
As Chief Information Security Officer at Betsson, Donald Tabone oversees cybersecurity for one of the world’s largest online betting and gaming operators. His experience protecting a global business against evolving cyber threats gives attendees a practical understanding of how organisations can defend themselves against AI-driven attacks.
Roberta Nicholls
Head of Chapter, AI Collective
Session: Trust Test: Deepfakes, AI Fraud and the New Era of Impersonation
Roberta Nicholls helps connect businesses, innovators and AI professionals through the global non-profit organisation AI Collective, promoting the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence. Her work exploring the ethical, strategic and governance challenges surrounding AI adds an important perspective to discussions around trust in an AI-driven world.
Lluis Mora
Chief Security Officer, Entain
Session: Trust Test: Deepfakes, AI Fraud and the New Era of Impersonation
Lluis Mora has spent more than two decades helping organisations navigate increasingly complex cybersecurity challenges, and now serves as Chief Security Officer at Entain. His experience securing digital platforms in highly regulated environments makes him ideally placed to explore how AI-powered fraud, deepfakes and digital impersonation are changing the cybersecurity landscape, and how businesses can respond.
Mayank Pachauri
Founder & CEO, FalconDive
Session: Build Your Own AI Assistant
Mayank Pachauri leads FalconDive, helping businesses implement AI through automation, workflow optimisation and custom AI solutions. Having worked closely with organisations embedding AI into day-to-day operations, he is ideally placed to lead a workshop that attendees can immediately apply in their own roles.
Secure your place at the AI Academy
Access to the AI Academy is available exclusively with an Education+ Pass.
Available as a €249 add-on to all SBC Summit and Affiliate Leaders Summit ticket types, the Education+ Pass provides access to one Academy or Masterclass of your choice, including the AI, Marketing & CRM, Web 3, and Player Experience academies, as well as the Sportsbook Trading, Responsible Gaming Marketing and Electronic Gaming Masterclasses.
To upgrade, email [email protected] with your current ticket type to receive your dedicated payment link.
Find out more about the Education+ Pass here
To view the full range of SBC Summit ticket types, click here.
Want to purchase an Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass? Click here.
Final Thoughts
AI has quickly become a defining factor in how betting and gaming businesses compete today. Those who understand where it truly creates value will be those leading the charge in the years to come.
The AI Academy is designed to help answer those questions. Whether you’re looking to build your own AI assistant, understand the next generation of AI agents or protect your business from emerging threats, you’ll leave with practical knowledge that can be put to work immediately.
