Last year, a participant at Machine Learning Week Europe asked me, “Why is the conference called ‘Machine Learning Week’ when half the talks are about AI?”
I was puzzled and said something like, “But artificial intelligence is machine learning.”
He replied, “No, AI is for text; machine learning is for numbers.”
I answered briefly, because I had to introduce the next ML (or AI?) talk: “Embeddings translate text into numerical vectors, and ML then trains a model.”
In the end, he looked just as puzzled as I. We both learned something that day:
He: that at its core, every AI has a machine learning model.
Me: that we need to sharpen the profile of Machine Learning Week (MLW).
And that’s exactly what we did for 2026: A few things are changing, but that one thing remains the same as it has been for the past 12 years: the in-depth look into the machine (learning) room of AI at leading companies.
We are not an academic conference where the latest research in Transformer architectures is presented.
We are not a business conference where visionary keynotes are delivered on how AI is disrupting yet another industry.
We are the vendor-neutral, European expert conference on how applied machine learning drives business.
At MLW, there are no POC presentations, but case studies on real-world applications in production.
At MLW, there are no product pitches, but deep dives into tools and techniques that are actually used.
At MLW, there are no panel discussions, but table discussions where speakers and participants discuss together.
What’s changing:
✔️ More time for greater depth: Case studies last 45 minutes incl. 15 minutes of Q&A.
✔️ More interactive formats: such as Speed Solving, Tool Battle, Clinics, And Ask Us Anything.
✔️ Just 2 tracks: we want to create a more collaborative experience.
Machine Learning Week Europe is YOUR conference: over the past 10+ years, you’ve made the conference what it is today—a exclusive and excellent conference for the European ML community.
To ensure the event (in Munich, 17-18 November) receives just as much positive feedback this year, I need your support:
📢 The Call for Speakers is open! You can submit your proposals until mid-July.
👉 https://machinelearningweek.eu/call-for-speakers/
🗨️ Spread the word! Tell your peers and share it with your network.
👂 Give me feedback! What do you like, and what can I do better as Program Director?
💡 Let me hear your ideas! Write your topic proposals and speaker recommendations in the comments. 👇
Thank you! 🙏
