AI Fundamentals: How Executives Are Cutting Through the Noise

The best leaders right now aren't the ones who know the most about AI. They're the ones who know the right questions to ask and how to act on the answers. AI is already on your board's agenda, and you’re registered for this event, you're already thinking about it the right way. This session is about sharpening that thinking. The shift to SaaS didn't require executives to understand the code, it required them to know when and how to move. AI is the same call. We'll cut through the noise on what AI actually is. The difference between machine learning, predictive AI, and generative AI isn't just technical; it changes how you evaluate investments, manage risk, and ask the right questions of your team. We'll also look honestly at where GenAI is creating friction inside organizations today and what smart leaders are doing about it. From there, we'll get into the frameworks that make AI decisions easier: risk tiers, data governance, and a checklist you can bring back to your leadership team. We close with a panel featuring a CFO, an advisory expert, and a technologist sharing what they're seeing on the ground. You’ll get a real perspective from people navigating the same decisions you are. You'll leave with: An understanding of how AI is shaping our culture A mindset shift around embracing AI as the modern-day industrial revolution Practical insight on where GenAI friction shows up and how to get ahead of it Clarity on the types of AI and how to use that knowledge in boardroom conversations Where to look in your business to find the most approachable processes to improve with the highest ROI Most importantly, you’ll leave knowing what not to do. In a space moving this fast, the advantage isn’t in reacting; it’s in making the right calls while others are still figuring it out. This session will help you lead that conversation internally with more clarity and confidence. Speaker Johnny Than, MBA, is the Founder and CEO of Appficiency and AskCipher. With over 30 years of enterprise IT experience, he has guided Appficiency to become a globally recognized digital transformation consultancy, Oracle NetSuite's Canadian Alliance Partner of the Year in 2025, and launched AskCipher, an enterprise AI platform that sits as an intelligent layer across ERP, CRM, and digital ecosystems. A McMaster MBA graduate, Johnny has consulted with over 300 organizations and oversees solutions serving 1,000+ clients worldwide. Panellists Alex Miles, MBA, is a Partner at 180 Systems, an independent technology consulting firm based out of Toronto, ON, Canada focused on system selection and implementation for mid‑market organizations. Alex has led technology selections and implementations across industries including financial services, professional services, food & beverage, manufacturing, distribution, and construction among others. He has been a featured speaker at the National Technology Forum, presenting on implementation execution, transition to sustainment, and AI/emerging technologies; an industry expert speaker on Epicor’s In Today’s Market series, covering AI, supply chain inflation, cloud ERP trade-offs, and change management; and a recurring speaker at Project Summit BA World, where he has presented on technology project management versus project leadership. Gareth Doherty, Ph.D., M.S.M., is an executive leader with public and private sector experience in strategy, data science, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and behavioural research — with a passion for leading high-performing teams that fuse science and creativity to solve complex business problems. A recipient of the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal for his leadership developing a Total Health and Wellness Strategy for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, Gareth's academic research explored cognitive psychology, human reasoning, and the application of AI to human cognition. He also dabbles in cognitive security and disinformation research with industry leaders — though his wife and three daughters think he needs better hobbies. Shayan Rastgou, MBA, is the co-founder of AskCipher and the creator of its agentic AI system, a platform that sits between enterprise users and business applications like NetSuite and Salesforce to automate complex workflows. An early adopter of agentic AI models, he has spent the last several years architecting production-grade systems on LangGraph for enterprise environments, with a particular focus on how autonomous agents can be reliably deployed inside regulated, mission-critical operations. His approach is shaped by an unusual academic foundation: an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Psychology from the University of Ottawa, from which he draws heavily applying scientific methodology to agent evaluation and system design, and bringing principles from cognitive and behavioural psychology to how agents reason, recover from error, and interact with human operators. He also holds an MBA from McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, where his focus was the intersection of AI capability and enterprise adoption. Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 26–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com.