Plug — find your perch

About

CTRL+SHIFT is a proud event partner of Toronto Tech Week! Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. SIGNALS VS. NOISE For Vol. 12, we're partnering up with Pluto, a fourth space for creatives, for a session that attempts to separate signals from noise. In a world full of constant chatter and speed, we'll take a moment to discern what AI updates we should really be paying attention to and why it matters not just for our work but for our lives. Speakers Mei Chen Mei Chen works across machine learning, art and human-AI interaction, building systems that explore how intelligence can be extended. Her work spans agentic AI tools, interface design, cognitive computing and brain-computer interface research. She moves between engineering, producing music and experimental creative technology. She is the founder of Free The Agents. She will be offering an esoteric take on agentic AI and digital sorcery and the new shape of relationship forming between humans and machines. Patrick Keenan Patrick Keenan has spent his career designing the space between digital tools and the real world. Across Google, Facebook, Sidewalk Labs and Meta, his work has touched everything from note-taking and travel to events, urban infrastructure, AR, AI and wearable developer platforms. Outside of Meta, Patrick co-created Secret City Adventures, one of Toronto’s pioneering immersive experience companies, and hosts The Machine Is the Message, a podcast exploring AI, design, creative tools and the future of human interaction. His work is rooted in a long-running curiosity around how technology helps people gather, create, collaborate and experience the world differently. Stef Hutka Stef Hutka, PhD, is a UX practitioner, author, and educator. She is currently the Head of Design Research at Sendfull, a boutique consultancy for emerging technology teams. Previously, Stef led design research and strategy for 0-to-1 product launches at Adobe, Meta, and DAQRI. She also teaches UX, systems thinking, and vibe coding at UC Berkeley, and is the author of Designing Automated Futures, coming this Fall with Rosenfeld Media. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto. ctrlshift.community https://www.instagram.com/ctrlshift.to/ Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 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

CTRL+SHIFT Vol 12 @ Toronto Tech Week