Dr. Michael Wu, Chief AI Scientist at PROS, discusses his transition from computational neuroscience research to applied AI in industry, emphasizing how his perspective without domain-specific baggage has enabled innovative problem-solving approaches. He explores the evolving landscape of AI agents and tools, highlighting the importance of Model Control Protocol (MCP) as a bridge between passive language models and actionable AI systems that can interact with existing enterprise tools. Wu emphasizes the need for organizations to create fail-safe environments that encourage AI experimentation while maintaining security, and advocates for balancing innovation speed with responsible development practices that prioritize safety, privacy, and legal compliance from the outset.

Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of Luminance, explains how generative AI transformed legal work by providing 10x improvements over traditional machine learning systems, enabling end-to-end contract automation rather than just document review. She emphasizes that trustworthy AI in legal contexts requires multiple models checking each other's work to ensure consensus, with systems reverting to human oversight when confidence thresholds aren't met, particularly crucial for high-stakes deals and regulatory compliance. Lightbody discusses how AI agents will evolve beyond assistants to proactively complete work and seek approval, fundamentally changing how professionals interact with software and potentially disrupting traditional workflows while creating new opportunities.