BrainTrust Partners, an Austin-based firm specializing in AI and data readiness, has stepped up as the founding title sponsor of Waco's inaugural AI conference, the YOU × AI Summit. The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts & Community Center in downtown Waco. This sponsorship underscores the growing importance of AI for businesses in the region and the need for practical guidance in navigating the AI era.
Tim Hayden, CEO of BrainTrust Partners, will deliver a key talk titled "Your Data, Your AI, and Your Future" at 9:50 a.m. He plans to share with Waco business owners how to assess their current operations and identify AI use cases before making further purchases. Hayden emphasizes that many companies overlook the value of their existing data. "You have intelligence sitting somewhere within the pipes of your business," he said. "That's your brand. It is your brand DNA that can shape AI in your brand voice."
Hayden founded BrainTrust in 2016 to help companies structure and make sense of their data for personalization and analytics. He notes that a decade later, most companies still have not fully unified and structured their data, which is essential for AI to work effectively. "Data resolved, unified, structured and labeled has AI work stronger for your brand," he said. Skipping this step, he warns, will cost more in both budget and accuracy when implementing AI.
Hayden also challenges the assumption that businesses need to rely on popular AI models like ChatGPT or Claude for all their needs. "There's no reason why you have to look at ChatGPT or Claude to run everything," he said. He points out that open-weight models can be trained on a company's own data, run privately, and cost a fraction of enterprise subscriptions. This approach offers security and control that generic models lack.
The conference features two prominent keynote speakers. Opening the event at 8:20 a.m. is Bryan Eisenberg, who helped coin the term "conversion rate optimization" and is a bestselling author. His keynote, "Before the Algorithm, There Was Your Story. That Hasn't Changed," emphasizes the enduring power of storytelling. "People don't buy rates. They buy stories they can see themselves in," reads his session description.
Closing the day at 4:05 p.m. is Dr. Hope Koch, who holds the Godfrey Sullivan Endowed Chair of Information Systems and Business Analytics at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business. Appointed to the Texas Artificial Intelligence Council by the Lieutenant Governor, her session titled "HOPE" (Human Opportunity and a Period of Exponential Change) is designed for those without technical backgrounds, showing them how to leverage their business knowledge into practical AI tools.
Between the keynotes, attendees can choose from 23 speakers across four concurrent tracks: Build, Get Found, Sound Like You, and AI Safety. Sessions cover a wide range of topics, from AI and crime with Joseph Scaramucci to practical AI building with Chrissy McDannell, who will guide participants in creating an AI assistant during her hour-long workshop. Other speakers include Dariia Isyk of AdmitAI, Dr. Mito Diaz-Espinoza of the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Russ Henneberry of theCLICK.ai. Many sessions are hands-on, so attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop to leave with working tools.
The summit's name includes a multiplication sign to convey the idea that AI is a multiplier, not an equalizer. Fernando Labastida, co-organizer and founder of the Viral Genius Institute, explains: "Most people think AI is the great equalizer. It's a multiplier, and multipliers widen gaps. A business with nothing to say brings a 1, and AI takes it to 2. The competitor with a real point of view brings a 10, and the same AI takes them to 20. Same tools. Bigger gap." He adds that Dr. Koch's message—that AI plus humans is better than AI alone—captures the summit's essence.
Tickets are $99, with discounts for teams of 10 or more at $69 per seat through September 10. Session recordings can be purchased as an add-on for $99. Registration is available at youxai.live. As Waco's first AI conference, this event aims to equip local businesses with the knowledge to harness AI effectively, emphasizing the human element in an increasingly automated world.
