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Insights and debates from a day dedicated to transforming AI experimentation into measurable business impact.
Rewire LIVE started with a vision: to create an interactive event where participants from the business community could openly share their experiences with AI. Last week in Amsterdam, business leaders and innovators gathered to make that vision a reality.
The result exceeded expectations.
Through debates, workshops, and keynotes, attendees collectively explored what it takes to move from experimentation to meaningful impact with AI.
The next stage in the evolution of AI: introverted thinking
The day opened with a thought-provoking keynote by Wouter Huygen, Rewire CEO, who explored the paradox at the heart of Generative AI: it’s both incredibly smart and... surprisingly stupid.
Figure 1. ChatGPT, waxing digital.
So... “Are we building on shaky foundations and quicksand?”
His answer: no. Despite the limitations of current models, there is a massive opportunity overhang. With emerging toolkits and rapid innovation, today’s GenAI represents years of transformative potential.
Perhaps one of the most surprising insights was the emergence of “introverted thinking” in reasoning models – enabling transformers to refine their internal states before producing an answer. This leads to higher performance on complex reasoning tasks with smaller, more energy-efficient models. As Wouter noted, the bitter lesson of AI has, in the end, often tasted quite sweet.
Successful AI adoption: it’s all about speed and leadership
Moderated by Joe van Burik, tech editor at BNR Nieuwsradio, participants were invited to respond to a series of questions that revealed how they view AI adoption in corporate environments. Key insights included:
- 87% disagreed with the idea that AI is “just hype.”
- Most agreed that AI adoption should start with leadership, ideally from the boardroom down.
- The consensus was that it’s better to be a fast follower than a slow pioneer. Speed consistently emerged as a key success factor.
Participants then debated a range of topics, from build vs. buy strategies to regulation and productivity gains.
Figure 2. Joe submitting the audience to intense questioning.
The discussion concluded with a deceptively simple question:
What do you hope AI will bring to society?
We’ll leave you to ponder the resulting word cloud (below).
Figure 3. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Data & AI in action with hands-on workshops
The day featured four practical workshops, each tackling a different dimension of AI transformation:
- From GenAI demo to production, by Simon Koolstra & Mirte Pruppers (Rewire). Participants began with a GenAI demo and collaborated to solve the challenges that typically emerge when moving from demo to production. The exercise highlighted a hard truth: many can build demos, but scaling is where most fail.
- Reimagine your business with data, by Freek Gulden & Nanne van’t Klooster (Rewire). This session challenged participants to reimagine their businesses once data is viewed as a value stream rather than operational exhaust.
- Decentralized data leadership, by Daniëlle Bourgondië (PGGM Investments). Daniëlle led a lively discussion on what it takes for business domains to take ownership of their data and drive AI strategies. As she aptly put it: “This is not optimization. It’s reimagination.”
- Roles & responsibilities in digital transformation, by Sam van Kesteren (Royal Terberg Group) & Ties Cabo (Rewire). This workshop explored how to align business and technical roles & responsibilities to overcome some of the trickiest barriers to large-scale transformation.
Figure 4. Working out GenAI best practices: One team. One dream.
Real-world lessons from the corporate world
The day wouldn't have been complete without guest speakers detailing how AI is transforming their organizations from the inside out.
- Maarten Kramer, Chief Data Officer at a.s.r., demonstrated how agentic AI is reshaping complex insurance processes, starting with personal injury claims involving over two million documents annually. Their approach: treat AI agents like employees, with training, performance management, and oversight.
- Tim Prins, Program Director of Autonomous Operations at KPN, outlined how KPN aims to deliver the best customer service in Europe while halving costs. Agentic AI plays a central role in this ambitious transformation.
- Finally, Winifred Andriessen (VP of AI Excellence Center at KPN), Maarten Kramer (Chief Data Officer at a.s.r.), and Laura Brandwacht (Partner at Rewire) joined a panel discussion on AI’s impact on the workforce. They explored how AI is reshaping roles, the need for reskilling and upskilling, the enduring importance of human skills, and the leadership and culture required to make AI a success. The conversation underscored that AI transformation is as much about people and leadership as it is about technology.
Figure 5. Not just talk: the people who are transforming businesses with AI.
Key takeaway
The day concluded with drinks and conversations went well into the evening. Reflecting on the event, two themes stood out. First, we’re at a pivotal moment in history where the playbooks for leveraging AI are still being written. Second, collaboration is key. Joining forces is the best way to reimagine your business.
