# Designing the Future of Human Connection — Anick Beaulieu on AI, Creativity & C2 Experiences Episode 27 of AI with Sach, a podcast hosted by Sacha Gucciardo in Montréal, features Anick Beaulieu, CEO of C2, the experiential studio behind C2 Montréal. The CEO of C2 explains how her events team uses AI as a creative partner while betting on in-person connection, and why IP limits what clients will buy. - Show: AI with Sach, hosted by Sacha Gucciardo in Montréal (https://aiwithsach.com/) - Episode: 27 - Published: 2025-05-20 - Length: 30 minutes - Language: English - Page: https://aiwithsach.com/episodes/27-designing-the-future-of-human-connection-anick-bea/ - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY ## Guests - Anick Beaulieu: CEO of C2, the experiential studio behind C2 Montréal (https://aiwithsach.com/guests/anick-beaulieu/) ## Summary Sach talks with Anick Beaulieu, CEO of C2, an experiential studio that designs B2B events for brands like EY, Amazon and Meta and runs the C2 Montréal flagship. Anick says AI changes events and also doesn't: the goal is still to design meaningful human connections, and AI is a tool to do that better. She is skeptical of the pressure to adopt AI, noting that marketing makes everyone feel behind, and asks what a team is trying to achieve before asking whether to use AI. She sees AI speeding up the path from concept to prototype, but says it will shrink some teams, and that clients hesitate to buy fully AI-made creative work because ownership and IP are unclear. On data, she wants AI to measure emotion at events and trace their long-term effects, such as partnerships that start years later. As a leader, she says AI hasn't changed her style but adds urgency, and that she gives space to staff who know the tools better than she does. She tells a Nike ad story to explain why resisting change doesn't work. The episode ends with a quick-fire round and a plug for C2 Montréal. ## Key takeaways 1. Ask what you are trying to achieve before asking whether to use AI; the goal should drive the tool. 2. AI shortens the path from idea to testable concept, but the human still has to come up with the concept and own it. 3. Unclear IP ownership is a practical limit today: clients hesitate to buy fully AI-made creative work. 4. Leaders who are not tech experts can give space to team members who are, and let their roles grow beyond the original job description. 5. Resisting change outright blocks useful discussion; the productive question is how to adopt AI, not whether. 6. The hardest thing to measure about events is long-term impact, and emotion tracking is one area where AI could help. ## Verified quotes Each quote is checked word for word against the recording. > And there's still a lot of issues around IP. So clients are still reluctant to have fully baked AI creative work because they don't have ownership. And there are still like gray zones around that. So it's not like, you know, we can go out, pump up an event that's 100% AI and sell it right now. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 13:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=825s) > And then the beat comes on and you see snowboarders and free skiers and young girls killing it. And at the end, it's like, whether you want it or not, it won't go away. And to me, this was like, wow, change is change. And the wave is going to come and you're either like surfing it or you're going to be left behind or, you know, kind of struggling for your life. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 22:31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1351s) > I learned that a couple of entrepreneurs met at C2, fell in love, started a business and had a child. Oh, this is amazing. After being on a Ferris wheel thing together. And I was like, wow. So we've created a family and a business. That's kind of crazy. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 28:24 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1704s) > And I was even reading something where it was like, the marketing behind the technology was so good that it's making think everyone think that they're behind on integrating it. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 4:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=263s) > we want to do real human connections because we believe that humans do business together, not companies. And we think that if we pay attention to how people connect, the outcome of those connections will be better for businesses, will be better for society, > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 6:48 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=408s) > I think what will yield a lot of power and will kind of help justify investments in better experiences will probably be linked to facial recognition around emotion, being able to track how people feel, being able to trace what happens after these moments, right? > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 8:29 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=509s) > I also think there's something sometimes that you're like, oh my God, you don't feel alone. You know how sometimes you're like working and you're like, and I think we're developing some form of relationships with them. It's like, thanks, that was great. Why am I talking like that to my AI? > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 12:52 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=772s) > We're a fairly small team. So what we can achieve to me seems like it's really helping us. But then I think it's going to downsize some of the teams as well. So I think it's not a one size fits all. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 13:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=810s) > because I think that there's this utopia around, oh, my God, it's taking all the jobs and it's, you know, but at the end of the day, it's you can't sell it 100% right now, which means there's still a gap, I think, between what it can do and what you can actually monetize from. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 14:13 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=853s) > I'm not a tech expert. Like, this is not my field. So I have people in a team that are really good and that are leveraging the tools in ways that are so creative and productive. And so it's about making sure that you also give space for people to teach you, drive initiatives internally, you know. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 17:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1023s) > I don't think you can be like, oh, I'm against it. I'm against change. I'm against technology. And I think that this kind of behavior is detrimental to even having like constructive discussions about how rather than if. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 19:41 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1181s) > is it that I come into an experience without having to speak? I already know which sessions I should go to. What are the top 20 people I should be meeting during that event? > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 26:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1593s) > I think it is creating a sense of urgency around an unknown that we know we need to integrate. So it's not like I've changed, you know. I just think it's like an extra layer of things you need to think about that, like, is not business as usual. > — Anick Beaulieu, AI with Sach episode 27, at 15:55 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=955s) ## Transcript Automatic transcript; speaker labels are automatic. [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=0s) **Sacha:** Welcome back on AI with Sach. Today, I'm with Anick Beaulieu, the CEO of C2. And Anick, you have a very interesting and inspiring profile and you do a lot of stuff. So my first question for you would be, who is Anick Beaulieu? [0:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=15s) **Guest:** Well, thank you first for hosting me on your podcast. I'm really happy to be here. And I am doing a lot, especially this week, because we have C2 Montreal next week. So, you have an invitation, emails, scheduling, whatever. It's all happening in real time. Who am I? I come from a background of competitive sports. I'm a mom to a lovely two-year-old that's named Nala. I'm a wife. I'm a friend, a daughter. I am someone who really likes good wine, good food, and spending time with friends. I'm the CEO of C2. Do [1:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=60s) **Sacha:** you want, for those of us that don't know what C2 is, do you want to give a bit of an explanation of what you guys do? Give a little bit of context around the experiences that you provide and what's going on next week as well. Yeah, [1:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=78s) **Guest:** so we are an experiential studio. So we design mostly B2B experiences. We deploy all over the world, mostly for top brands. So we've worked with EY, BNP Paribas, Amazon, Twitch, Meta. So a large portfolio of pretty impressive brands. We're mostly known for our flagship, which is C2 Montreal. C2 stands for Commerce and Creativity. And so the flagship in Montreal is really about showcasing the talent and the creativity of the Montreal business ecosystem. And we do it in a way that's very experiential, that's very close to what I call the business culture in Montreal, which is kind of this mix of joie de vivre, intelligence, style, forward-thinkingness, but also in kind of a laid-back way, if I can. And so it's basically three days of content-filled, connection-filled experiences. [2:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=146s) And we welcome about 5,000 people from over 50 countries. And the mission behind C2 Montreal really is to create economic impact for our city, our province, our country. You've [2:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=161s) **Sacha:** pioneered generative experiences at C2. If AI is added to the mix, how do you think that changed the game? Or does it even change the game? I [2:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=173s) **Guest:** think at the end of the day, it changes it, but it doesn't. Because to me, great technology is seamless. It's enabling you to do what you do better, faster, more precisely. But at the end of the day, what we try to do is to architect meaningful connections through environment design, through experience design. And AI then becomes a great tool and partner to help us do that better, to touch the humans better, to have them connect better. And I think there's great possibilities with any technology that emerges that just, you know, some of it we know, some of it we don't know, because we're going to discover it whenever that is. But yeah, I think we're pretty optimistic about technology. [3:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=235s) We love to play, right? We love to explore. We love to test new stuff. So yeah. I've [4:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=243s) **Sacha:** read on one of your posts that you say we live in a world drunk on AI and automation. What's your filter for deciding when to lean into tech versus when to double down on the human touch? Yeah, [4:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=258s) **Guest:** I think when I say that, it's that I feel it's taking so much space. And I was even reading something where it was like, the marketing behind the technology was so good that it's making think everyone think that they're behind on integrating it. And then they were giving like numbers around where companies are actually at with the state of implementation. And I, you know, as I said, I think we're pretty optimistic about technology. I think it's not a question of is it going to happen or not? It's there. We need to deal with it. And you need to seize the upside of any disruption that's coming along. So for me, it's not so much a question of like, are we using it or are we integrating it into our workflows or creative capabilities? But it's more like, what are we actually trying to achieve? And for us, it is creating amazing, deep human connections to move businesses, society and culture forward. [5:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=320s) So it's not like, are we using AI or technology or are we not? It's like, what are we here to do? And how does everything around us help us achieve that goal better? Then, you know, I think that for us, what we really like is those in real life connective moments for now anyways. But yeah, I think it's there, right? Under no circumstances. And that's what I was telling the team is like, you know, at the end of the day, we can't fight it. Like we need to find a way to make it work for us, with us. But it's there and it's probably there to stay, you know? It [6:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=365s) **Sacha:** seems to me that as much as the technology advances, we see kind of a return of in-person events and in-person experiences, which I'm really, really happy about as well, right? And you just mentioned as well that you guys are driving, what you're striving to achieve is deep human connections. I'm curious to get your take on what does real human connection mean in a world where we have GPTs and AI agents that can fake that pretty well? [6:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=396s) **Guest:** Yeah, well, I mean, I think since we like the IRL notion, once again, and like I'm kind of like a broken record, but just to go back, we want to do real human connections because we believe that humans do business together, not companies. And we think that if we pay attention to how people connect, the outcome of those connections will be better for businesses, will be better for society, and we'll have more transformative power for the humans and the organization that they represent. So that's why we're doing it. Then I think that, you know, from an event producer perspective, to have great agents and, you know, to enhance the customer experience or the participant experience leading up to event or when you're at an event is amazing. But this moment where Sasha and Anik are meeting around, you know, amazing content at an event or in a hallway next to a beautiful piece of art and get to exchange on something they both care about is really what we're trying to achieve. [7:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=463s) So that's what we're trying to do to make these richer while enhancing the customer experience leading up to those moments, I think is on the table for sure. [7:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=475s) **Sacha:** I'm also very curious to see what kinds of data do you think are most valuable in designing personalized and immersive events like you do at C2? [8:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=487s) **Guest:** Okay, so we've had like so many types of data, right? So we're trying to do a type of data that's kind of more, you know, that we know about. Attendance, you know, revenues, how much we're exporting on social, so UGC during the event, interactions during the event, so how many people did connect and whatnot. I think what will yield a lot of power and will kind of help justify investments in better experiences will probably be linked to facial recognition around emotion, being able to track how people feel, being able to trace what happens after these moments, right? Because one thing, okay, I'm just an anecdote. I'm in Austin for South by Southwest. I'm seeing a friend I hadn't seen in like four years, you know, COVID, I had a baby, mat leave, whatnot. Here I am four years later. [9:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=547s) It's like, oh my God, did you, do you remember last time we saw each other? I was at C2 in 2019. And I was with my friend and we ended up founding this new event that's really killing it right now. And I'm like, this is something that happened because we inspired them, because we provided the context for them to meet. But how am I going to trace back that moment and that value that was created and four years later? But I'm sure that AI will be able to help us kind of quantify or at least maybe develop models around the impact that those events have. And it's probably something that, you know, it's something I'm really interested to explore because a lot of what we do can be measured on site, on the spot. But just like great brand building campaigns or like initiatives, you know, it's really hard to monitor the impact that it's going to have over time on the value of your brand or the investment you're putting in it. [10:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=615s) And so to me, that's really one of the key aspects that I'm looking to unlock. And then emotions, because as humans, we react to emotion, right? Like a great movie, great music, culture is built on that. Sports is built on that. Brands are investing massively in those sectors because they know that they're going to touch people and they're going to get more value out of it. And I think that if we find a way through AI to monitor these things during experiences, it's going to bridge a gap around measurement. That's going to be interesting. This [10:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=652s) **Sacha:** is extremely interesting. I want to take us back a little bit in the past. When JGPT started, it seemed like the creative side of jobs or creative side of society was going to be the one most impacted. And it seems to me like that narrative has changed quite a bit. Do you see that AI is actually replacing creative jobs? Do you see that they're actually just augmenting them? Or what kind of change do you see happening right now because you're in that space? [11:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=690s) **Guest:** I think that there's different kind of creative work. And I think creative work in itself is probably going to evolve with the technology. Because let's say for us, what it allows us to do is to be much quicker to go from concept or idea to actually seeing the result, right? You can bounce back and forth with the machine. You can get to a point where you're close enough to reality to see, you know, is it feasible? Is it not? And then put the layer on it around texture and make it, you know, more aligned with the output and the product that we're trying to push forward. So a lot of the work is around briefing the machine. to tell it what to do and how to react and whatnot. And so I think it's definitely helping. It's making people more productive. [12:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=753s) It's making people, it's saving up a lot of time in the process. I think it's enhancing ideas because if you go quicker, then what you can actually achieve in a set amount of time can be greater. I also think there's something sometimes that you're like, oh my God, you don't feel alone. You know how sometimes you're like working and you're like, and I think we're developing some form of relationships with them. It's like, thanks, that was great. Why am I talking like that to my AI? So I think that's kind of a shift where it's not just about making, it's about exchanging, briefing, really having kind of a conversation with it. It feels where it's really taking some jobs. So I don't think it's equal. I don't think it's the same. We're a fairly small team. So what we can achieve to me seems like it's really helping us. [13:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=818s) But then I think it's going to downsize some of the teams as well. So I think it's not a one size fits all. And there's still a lot of issues around IP. So clients are still reluctant to have fully baked AI creative work because they don't have ownership. And there are still like gray zones around that. So it's not like, you know, we can go out, pump up an event that's 100% AI and sell it right now. You know, so that is also to be taken into consideration because I think that there's this utopia around, oh, my God, it's taking all the jobs and it's, you know, but at the end of the day, it's you can't sell it 100% right now, which means there's still a gap, I think, between what it can do and what you can actually monetize from. This [14:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=876s) **Sacha:** is actually extremely interesting. I would like, if you can, to elaborate a little bit more on that. So the partnership with your clients and can you elaborate a little bit on why they're reluctant and or give examples of maybe, you know, what stops them? [14:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=893s) **Guest:** It's just that when I, there's, you don't own what was done through an AI right now, 100%, right? It's just that when I think that there's a lot of ideas for us, we still need the human touch to come up with it. So it's not like, oh, the idea and then we decline it. I think the declination would be something that could be done, but we're not either like an ad agency. It's like we create experiences, our concepts, our mood boards, what we're actually going to build. It has to, you know, we need to have come up with it. [15:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=929s) **Sacha:** Very interesting. You've been the CEO of C2 for about two years and a half. And keep me honest, if I'm wrong in those numbers. Since you've joined C2, do you see that your leadership style or how you lead teams or make strategic decisions have changed because of AI? That's [15:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=951s) **Guest:** a good question. I don't think it's changed. I think it is creating a sense of urgency around an unknown that we know we need to integrate. So it's not like I've changed, you know. I just think it's like an extra layer of things you need to think about that, like, is not business as usual. And I think there's just no more business as usual in, you know, the current state of things. Like, between, you know, the environment, technology and geopolitics and what's not. Like, there's just so many things happening all the time, you know. So I don't think it's changed me, but I think it's changing the way I think of the work in the sense of, like, how quickly you need to adapt. How you need to embrace change more and more. [16:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1013s) How that needs to drive culture within the company as well. And then, you know, and I think I've always known this, but it's also, you know, I'm not a tech expert. Like, this is not my field. So I have people in a team that are really good and that are leveraging the tools in ways that are so creative and productive. And so it's about making sure that you also give space for people to teach you, drive initiatives internally, you know. And maybe you're a strategist, but maybe the impact you can have on the company because you're, you know, curious about tools or you have, you know, a certain interest in them that can expand your role behind what you were initially hired to do. So I think it's about keeping flexibility in how you see people's roles in the business, how you make sure that innovations are not, you know, staying in one department, but that are kind of, you know, making their ways to different areas of the company that they flow both horizontally and vertically. [18:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1082s) So it's just like you need to be on your toes, you know. Yeah. [18:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1089s) **Sacha:** And I can really resonate with that. A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece and the whole idea was that resilience is going to be key in the future, especially as we move on and get more and more. I mean, that the tech develops faster and faster. And again, today I saw a post by someone that I really like who was saying before it was, I am what I know. And now it's, I am how I adapt. And I think that really resonated with me. And it's also aligned with what you're saying here. I'm curious, how would you, how would you say that CEOs today should think about the balance between AI driven efficiency and more the slower, messier process of creativity and co-creation as you guys do at C2? I [18:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1137s) **Guest:** can't, like, I hate it when I'm asked, like, what do you think CEOs should do? I'm like, I don't know if it's, I don't know if I'm, I'm comfortable saying what CEOs should be doing. For us right now, I think that it's really more about enhancing it. I think it's about having a culture of being able to be open to change, to embrace it. And it's funny because I had a, I was taking a coffee with a friend, you know, and they were telling me, oh, parts of the team are really reluctant. And I'm just like, this to me is where I'm drawing the line. Like embracing, like, I don't think you can be like, oh, I'm against it. I'm against change. I'm against technology. And I think that this kind of behavior is detrimental to even having like constructive discussions about how rather than if. [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1201s) And so I think that the creative process is important. I think that it will change with technology. I think part of it you, we control, part of it we don't. And I also think that agency is important. Like, as a human, if what I need right now is to call someone, see someone, call a meeting, this is what I should be doing. Because I know what I have to achieve for my client, for my brand, for, you know, allowing me to reach my objectives and my needs as a human and feeling comfortable doing it and being, you know, true to how I need to perform and feel well about myself. And then do I need to just test some stuff and, like, play around and keep it to myself a bit? So, you know, I don't think it's always a one size fits all. I don't think you can over process everything. [21:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1265s) And at the same time, I think that you can use the technology to not feel alone, to bounce ideas really quick, to release pressure on having to do meetings with people all the time, you know. finding the balance and that might be different between one person and another. And that's fine as well. You know. [21:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1284s) **Sacha:** How can, can someone that's a bit reluctant to change, how can that person embrace change and finally, I'll keep it at that. How can you embrace change? [21:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1297s) **Guest:** I don't like, it's funny cause I've always, I think I came, I come from a family with a very entrepreneurial dad and he had great success, great losses. Change has been like, built in me from the very early age, I guess. I don't know, but I remember the one time where I was like, you know, there's something very important about always keeping that flexibility in the mind. I mean, I'm a skier and Nike came up with, and I'm probably like eight or nine years old when I'm seeing this. And Nike comes up with an ad, you know, like glorious days of Nike, you know, and the ad is like, you see a bunch of like older folks skiing in a very posh resort, you know. And then the beat comes on and you see snowboarders and free skiers and young girls killing it. [22:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1360s) And at the end, it's like, whether you want it or not, it won't go away. And to me, this was like, wow, change is change. And the wave is going to come and you're either like surfing it or you're going to be left behind or, you know, kind of struggling for your life. And so I think there's something beautiful about risk and change. And it's okay also to say, I don't know, and I'm scared and, you know, but fighting against it, I think is problematic. I think survival is like, if you don't accept change, you won't survive. [23:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1402s) **Sacha:** I agree. Do you think creativity is still a competitive advantage? Oh, for sure. And why is that? [23:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1410s) **Guest:** Look, I mean, even like how creative do you have to be to create open AI? You know what I mean? Like, I think it's just creativity to me is about stepping up to challenges. It's about, you know, having fun. It's about solving problems. It's about creating beautiful things. I just think that whatever the field you're in, if you're good at what you're doing, you have to be creative. So for now, at least, I think it's still very much a creative competitive advantage. You've [24:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1453s) **Sacha:** praised cities like San Francisco and New York for their bias for bold. Is Montreal missing something? And how do you push C2 to operate with that level of risk appetite? Look, [24:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1467s) **Guest:** I think we're, how to say, we've always had international ambition or bold ambitions, I think, at C2. Like, that's what initially drove me to the company, that we had a product that's like best in class point. Not best in class for Canada, not best in class for anywhere. It's just best in class. We see the world as our market. We deliver experiences everywhere. And so I think it's not just about appetite for risk. It's about competing on the global scale of just being good or great. So I'm very much like that. And I've chosen a company that had that as a ethos. And I think I'm carrying it on. [25:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1531s) Yeah. [25:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1532s) **Sacha:** What do you think does the future of business gathering look like if AI agents start showing up and participating alongside humans? [25:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1543s) **Guest:** I think it's generative. I think it's transformative. I think it's seamless. I think it's multiple entry ways. Like from a media perspective, let's say experiences are IRLs aren't one thing. Then, you know, you might consume some by social, some by, you know, other forms of media. And I think they become very fluid. But I think that IRL in real life. Sorry, I'm using like, are kind of like the peak engagement moment of communities. And they become enhanced by a bunch of really cool stuff. You know, we were talking facial recognition. We were talking AI agents. You know, is it that I come into an experience without having to speak? I already know which sessions I should go to. What are the top 20 people I should be meeting during that event? [26:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1606s) I think, you know, the best of what we're seeing in media, in, you know, retail will kind of all make its way to the way we actually produce and think of experiences. And I think they're going to be a big catalyst for growth for businesses moving forward. Because also, like, you know, the way we work is much more dispersed. It's harder to get some face time with clients. But at the end of the day, we're still doing business with people. And we're facing challenges that are multiple. We were talking about it earlier. And so those moments of coming together to solve stuff and get to know one another and develop trust is going to be so important. [27:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1660s) **Sacha:** Anika, I really appreciate all those insights. I want to do a quick fire to wrap things up if you're down. [27:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1666s) **Guest:** Let's do it. [27:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1667s) **Sacha:** Do you think AI is a threat, tool or partner? A partner. One word to describe the future of events. Generative. Last time you said, we're not doing this anymore. [27:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1677s) **Guest:** Like an hour ago. [28:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1681s) **Sacha:** What are some human traits no AI will ever replace? [28:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1685s) **Guest:** I don't know if it's traits, but like taste. Senses, you know? [28:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1691s) **Sacha:** Most surprising thing you've learned from attending, from an attendee at C2? [28:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1696s) **Guest:** Oh my God, I've learned so many things from so many people. Oh, well, that's not. It's very unexpected. But I learned that a couple of entrepreneurs met at C2, fell in love, started a business and had a child. Oh, this is amazing. After being on a Ferris wheel thing together. And I was like, wow. So we've created a family and a business. That's kind of crazy. [28:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1724s) **Sacha:** I mean, this is peak immersive events. This is peak. What scares you more? A bad idea or a safe one? [28:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1732s) **Guest:** A safe one. [28:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1733s) **Sacha:** And then last one. Finish this. AI will never replace? [28:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1738s) **Guest:** I don't know. I would say meeting people like face to face. We'll see, I guess. [29:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1746s) **Sacha:** Anik, I would like to give you the floor for any last word stuff. Maybe I haven't asked you something that you'd like to share as well to close this interview off. Well, [29:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1755s) **Guest:** it's been really refreshing because, you know, thanks for inviting me. And at first I was like, what am I going to say there? You know, like, and I told you coming in, I was like, I'm so not an AI expert. I'm still trying to figure it out. But it's been just good to introspect a bit and like take time to reflect on these things. And thank you for inviting me. And whoever's there, if you don't have your passes for T2, this is my shameless plug. Get it. May 20th, the 22nd. [29:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1791s) **Sacha:** Anik, thank you so much. It was a real pleasure for me to have you on. And I will plug also a promo code that was shared by your team for this. So for anyone that hasn't had the time to buy their tickets yet, then there it is. It is your chance. Thank you so much, Anik. This is where I love my team. Amazing team. Thank you so much, Anik, for coming on. [30:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxSNN5rkyY&t=1811s) **Guest:** Thank you. Thank you.