Explaining AI Track
What does it take to trust AI, and why does it matter more than ever?
Organized by the AI Innovation Center, the Explaining AI Track brings together leading companies and experts to tackle this question head-on. The morning program features sessions on integrating AI into industrial high-tech manufacturing, navigating digital sovereignty, and concludes with a deep dive into edge AI and how intelligent agents are entering the physical world. In the afternoon, the focus shifts to applying a human-and-virtual-companion approach to enable smart manufacturing, earning trust through GenAI-driven employee engagement, and ending with a powerful reflection on how to Remain Human in Times of Exponential Technology.
HOSTED BY
TIMETABLE
11:00 Coffee break and Expo
11:30 Arnaud Hubaux
12:00 Oscar Bastiaens, Ymke de Jong and Frank Rutgers
12:30 Willem Sanberg
13:00 Lunch break and Expo
14:15 Tom Acland
14:45 Maarten Kelderman, Hans Nikol, Paul Merkus and moderator
15:15 Cihangir Kocak
15:45 Wrap-up
Keynote: Arnaud Hubaux
Senior Product Manager AI, ASML
Keynote: Precision Over Hype: How AI Earns Its Place in the Fab
In the world of high-tech manufacturing, there’s no room for “close enough.” When every wafer printed by ASML equipment is worth tens of thousands of dollars and fabs produce tens of thousands of wafers per month, reliability isn’t a feature. It’s a promise. This keynote takes you behind the scenes of ASML’s journey to integrate AI not as a headline-chasing disruptor, but as a disciplined apprentice.
Bio
Arnaud Hubaux is a trailblazer at the forefront of AI innovation in high-tech engineering. As Senior Product Manager for AI at ASML, Arnaud spearheads transformative initiatives that harness AI to optimize cost efficiency and performance across product, application, and service engineering for semiconductor manufacturers. With a PhD in Computer Science and over a decade of experience in precision engineering, he brings a blend of academic rigor and industrial execution. Raised in a domain where physics is foundational and trust is earned through results, Arnaud is passionate about embedding generative and scientific AI into the core of holistic lithography.
Think of AI not as a prodigy, but as an apprentice: curious, promising, and in need of guidance. Like a parent shaping a child’s potential, we show how physics, domain expertise, and simulation discipline AI into a trusted partner. This is the story of how AI grows up, not in the lab, but on the factory floor. Not a revolution, but a quiet force of evolution earning its place, one wafer at a time.
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Panel: Who Owns the Algorithm?
Panelist: Oscar Bastiaens
Philosopher, Ethics & Technology and Head of programme Academy of Arts Maastricht
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Bio
As a philosopher of technology and ethicist, Oscar has been working on the topic of AI for some time. He has a keen interest in human-technology relations and is wary of the techno-optimists in the world today. For him, it is not a question of whether it is possible, but rather if it is desirable. In his current position, Oscar is head of programme at the Art Academy Maastricht.
Panelist: Frank Rutgers
Bio
Frank Rutgers is a Dutch attorney-at-law specialized in intellectual property, IT law and trade secrets. As partner at Louwers IP&Tech Advocaten, he advises technology-driven companies on amongst others innovation, software licensing, and emerging EU regulation such as the AI Act, Data Act and NIS2. Frank combines legal precision with a strong understanding of technology and business models, helping clients navigate the interface between compliance, IP strategy, and product development. His work spans sectors including Software, medtech, and industrial automation, often at the crossroads of law, ethics, and technological change.
Panelist: Ymke de Jong
Data&AI Expert , Accelerating Digital Innovation, Speaker & Moderator
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Bio
Ymke de Jong has a multidisciplinary background in data and AI, combining technical, legal, and strategic perspectives. Before joining NXP, she worked at Philips, where she led global programs focused on Data & AI strategy and partnerships. She also founded Your Data&AI Office, advising organizations on responsible and sustainable AI implementation. Her experience includes roles in corporate innovation, start-ups, and public-private collaborations, with a focus on sensitive data and regulated environments such as healthcare&wellbeing and deep tech. Ymke is a member of data and AI advisory boards for investment boards and start-ups.
Keynote: Willem Sanberg
Senior Research Engineer Embedded AI Systems at NXP Semiconductors
EdgeAI: Where AI and AI agents Meet the Physical World
By bringing agentic AI to the Edge, NXP Semiconductors provides opens new possibilities for robots, vehicles, and smart homes to perceive, interact with, and influence their environments.
Bio
Willem Sanberg works at NXP Semiconductors as a Senior Researcher at the CTO Al Competence Center and is member of NXP's AI Innovation Board. He scouts new Al developments, and defines, executes and evaluates related research projects to assess their relevance for and impact on NXP's technology roadmap. He holds a PhD degree from Eindhoven University of Technology on Computer Vision for ADAS.
As artificial intelligence begins to control these systems, it gains the ability to operate autonomously in dynamic, real-world settings. But what lies at the core of these AI systems? How can such complex functionality run on compact edge devices? And most importantly: how do we ensure these intelligent systems operate safely?
Tom Acland
CEO of 3DEXCITE at Dassault Systèmes
Live Demo: Trust Me, I'm Your Digital Twin
The demo will consider how to combine accurate representation of products with generative story telling. It will showcase how generative AI can contribute to enhance the Human experience of our customers by enabling them to create the representation of their products based on their storytelling and insights, which therefore supports first the human needs and creative experience enhanced by AI to deliver more accurate results in the product representation.
Bio
Before joining Dassault Systèmes, Tom served as a startup founder and in managerial roles at large enterprises, including Microsoft, Publicis Groupe, and Bosch; leading pioneering programs enhancing real-world products with virtual experiences or working on IoT architecture to connect hardware systems with user experiences in light electric vehicles.
Now, as CEO of 3DEXCITE at Dassault Systèmes, Tom leads a global team of technologists and creative experts dedicated to developing and delivering virtual commercial twins for industrial companies. 3DEXCITE provides software and solutions that enable manufacturers to create high-fidelity virtual representations of products for customer and end-user applications.
Dassault Systèmes will develop a dedicated demo and presentation for the AI Summit. In the meantime, you can view an example of how our technology is applied via the following link.
Panel: How to earn trust with Generative AI projects, driving employee engagement and adoption
Panelist: Maarten Kelderman
R&D IT Director at NXP Semiconductors
Maarten Kelderman is the R&D IT Director at NXP Semiconductors where he is responsible for the EDA design infrastructure environments that are used globally for hardware design. Maarten has more than 20 years of experience leading IT solution development programs and transformations in the high-tech industry.
Panelist: Paul Merkus
Head of the Research Support Office at TU/e
Paul Merkus joined the TU/e in 2018 after 30 years of industry experience in high-tech R&D within the Brainport region. Next to being head of the Research Support Office of the TU/e and coordinating public-private partnership projects of the TU/e, he is also active in EAISI, the Eindhoven AI Systems institute. Paul is also active within EAISI (Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute) and is a passionate AI enthusiast. As an early adopter of responsible generative AI in research and innovation, he is actively exploring how to harness the AI wave for both academic and societal benefit—while remaining vigilant about its risks.
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Panel Moderator: Felipe Augusto Chies
Head of Generative AI & ML GTM Europe North at AWS
As a leader in Generative AI and Machine Learning at AWS, Felipe Chies bridges the gap between cutting-edge technology and business impact. Felipe drives go-to-market strategies in the Benelux, Nordics, and Baltics, empowering customers to unlock the full potential of AWS's AI stack.
Keynote: Agentic AI: Cihangir Kocak
Principal Business & AI Strategist – Benelux & Middle East
From AI Consumer to AI Creator - Because renting intelligence is not a strategy
Rented intelligence is borrowed power, which always comes with a cost. Each time you lean on someone else’s AI, you trade away pieces of your data, your IP, and your competitive advantage. This keynote challenges us to flip the script and reclaim that power, shifting from simply borrowing intelligence to becoming creators who shape, own, and protect it.
Cihangir Kocak is an expert in business strategy and AI advisory. He is known for creating opportunities and building strong ecosystems that empower businesses to thrive. Cihangir has successfully guided numerous organizations through the challenges of digital transformation and strategic business development.
He is appreciated for his ability to simplify complex concepts and inspire actionable insights. Cihangir is passionate about enabling business growth in the AI industry for HP, its customers, and partners, ranging from emerging startups to established enterprises.
Arnaud Hubaux
Senior Product Manager AI, ASML
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Bio
Arnaud Hubaux is a trailblazer at the forefront of AI innovation in high-tech engineering. As Senior Product Manager for AI at ASML, Arnaud spearheads transformative initiatives that harness AI to optimize cost efficiency and performance across product, application, and service engineering for semiconductor manufacturers. With a PhD in Computer Science and over a decade of experience in precision engineering, he brings a blend of academic rigor and industrial execution. Raised in a domain where physics is foundational and trust is earned through results, Arnaud is passionate about embedding generative and scientific AI into the core of holistic lithography.
Panel: Who Owns the Algorithm? A conversation on AI, power, and sovereignty
Panellist: Oscar Bastiaens
Bio
As a philosopher of technology and ethicist, Oscar has been working on the topic of AI for some time. He has a keen interest in human-technology relations and is wary of the techno-optimists in the world today. For him, it is not a question of whether it is possible, but rather if it is desirable. In his current position, Oscar is head of programme at the Art Academy Maastricht.
Panellist: Ymke de Jong
Bio
Ymke de Jong has a multidisciplinary background in data and AI, combining technical, legal, and strategic perspectives. Before joining NXP, she worked at Philips, where she led global programs focused on Data & AI strategy and partnerships. She also founded Your Data&AI Office, advising organizations on responsible and sustainable AI implementation. Her experience includes roles in corporate innovation, start-ups, and public-private collaborations, with a focus on sensitive data and regulated environments such as healthcare&wellbeing and deep tech. Ymke is a member of data and AI advisory boards for investment boards and start-ups.
Panelist: Frank Rutgers
Bio
Frank Rutgers is a Dutch attorney-at-law specialized in intellectual property, IT law and trade secrets. As partner at Louwers IP&Tech Advocaten, he advises technology-driven companies on amongst others innovation, software licensing, and emerging EU regulation such as the AI Act, Data Act and NIS2. Frank combines legal precision with a strong understanding of technology and business models, helping clients navigate the interface between compliance, IP strategy, and product development. His work spans sectors including Software, medtech, and industrial automation, often at the crossroads of law, ethics, and technological change.
Keynote: Willem Sanberg
Senior Research Engineer Embedded AI Systems at NXP Semiconductors
EdgeAI: Where AI and AI agents Meet the Physical World
By bringing agentic AI to the Edge, NXP Semiconductors provides opens new possibilities for robots, vehicles, and smart homes to perceive, interact with, and influence their environments.
As artificial intelligence begins to control these systems, it gains the ability to operate autonomously in dynamic, real-world settings. But what lies at the core of these AI systems? How can such complex functionality run on compact edge devices? And most importantly: how do we ensure these intelligent systems operate safely?
Bio
Willem Sanberg works at NXP Semiconductors as a Senior Researcher at the CTO Al Competence Center and is member of NXP's AI Innovation Board. He scouts new Al developments, and defines, executes and evaluates related research projects to assess their relevance for and impact on NXP's technology roadmap. He holds a PhD degree from Eindhoven University of Technology on Computer Vision for ADAS.
Tom Acland
Live Demo: Trust Me, I'm Your Digital Twin
Applying a human and virtual companions approach to enable manufacturing, life sciences and infrastructure projects
Panel: How to earn trust with Generative AI projects, driving employee engagement and adoption
Panellist: Maarten Kelderman
R&D IT Director at NXP Semiconductors
Maarten Kelderman is the R&D IT Director at NXP Semiconductors where he is responsible for the EDA design infrastructure environments that are used globally for hardware design. Maarten has more than 20 years of experience leading IT solution development programs and transformations in the high-tech industry.
Panellist: Hans Nikol
Head of IoT at Signify
Hans Nikol has been with Signify and before Philips for close to 30 years and is currently responsible for Open Innovation and IoT. Signify IoT connects over more than 100 M devices in consumer and professional lighting segments.
Panellist: Paul Merkus
Head of the Research Support Office at TU/e
Paul Merkus joined the TU/e in 2018 after 30 years of industry experience in high-tech R&D within the Brainport region. Next to being head of the Research Support Office of the TU/e and coordinating public-private partnership projects of the TU/e, he is also active in EAISI, the Eindhoven AI Systems institute. Paul is also active within EAISI (Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute) and is a passionate AI enthusiast. As an early adopter of responsible generative AI in research and innovation, he is actively exploring how to harness the AI wave for both academic and societal benefit—while remaining vigilant about its risks.
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Panel moderator: Felipe Augusto Chies
Head of Generative AI & ML GTM Europe North at AWS
As a leader in Generative AI and Machine Learning at AWS, Felipe Chies bridges the gap between cutting-edge technology and business impact. Felipe drives go-to-market strategies in the Benelux, Nordics, and Baltics, empowering customers to unlock the full potential of AWS's AI stack.
Keynote: Cihangir Kocak
From AI Consumer to AI Creator - Because renting intelligence is not a strategy
View profile on LinkedIn
Bio
Cihangir Kocak is an expert in business strategy and AI advisory. He is known for creating opportunities and building strong ecosystems that empower businesses to thrive. Cihangir has successfully guided numerous organizations through the challenges of digital transformation and strategic business development.
He is appreciated for his ability to simplify complex concepts and inspire actionable insights. Cihangir is passionate about enabling business growth in the AI industry for HP, its customers, and partners, ranging from emerging startups to established enterprises.
