BrainTrust Partners has signed on as the founding title sponsor of the YOU × AI Summit, Waco's inaugural artificial intelligence conference, set for Saturday, September 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts & Community Center in downtown Waco. The summit aims to equip local business owners with practical AI strategies, focusing on data-driven approaches and the responsible deployment of generative AI.
Tim Hayden, CEO of BrainTrust Partners, will deliver a keynote at 9:50 a.m. titled "Your Data, Your AI, and Your Future." His presentation will guide attendees on examining their current operations to identify use cases before making further AI investments. Hayden emphasizes that many companies overlook the value of their own internal data. "You have intelligence sitting somewhere within the pipes of your business," he said. "That's your brand. It is your brand DNA that can shape AI in your brand voice." Since founding BrainTrust in 2016, Hayden has helped companies structure and interpret data for personalization and analytics. He notes that a decade later, most firms still haven't fully unified and labeled their data, a step that is critical for AI to work effectively. Skipping this foundational work, he warns, will lead to higher costs and reduced accuracy when adopting AI tools.
Hayden also cautions against the widespread reliance on generic AI platforms. "There's no reason why you have to look at ChatGPT or Claude to run everything," he argues. Instead, he advocates for open-weight models that can be trained on proprietary data, run privately, and cost significantly less than enterprise subscriptions to models trained on public data. This approach ensures greater control, security, and alignment with a brand's unique voice.
The conference will open with Bryan Eisenberg at 8:20 a.m., a pioneer in conversion rate optimization and bestselling author, whose keynote is "Before the Algorithm, There Was Your Story. That Hasn't Changed." The day will close with Dr. Hope Koch at 4:05 p.m., who holds the Godfrey Sullivan Endowed Chair at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business and serves on the Texas Artificial Intelligence Council. Her session, "HOPE: Human Opportunity and a Period of Exponential Change," is designed for non-technical attendees to turn their business knowledge into practical AI tools.
Between these keynotes, the summit offers a main stage and four concurrent tracks: Build, Get Found, Sound Like You, and AI Safety, featuring 23 speakers. Sessions include hands-on workshops where attendees can build an AI assistant or develop marketing systems. Notable speakers include Joseph Scaramucci on AI and crime, Dariia Isyk on AI in education, and Russ Henneberry on AI marketing operations.
The summit's name reflects its core message, according to co-organizer Fernando Labastida: "Most people think AI is the great equalizer," he said. "It's a multiplier, and multipliers widen gaps. A business with nothing to say brings a 1, and AI takes it to 2. The competitor with a real point of view brings a 10, and the same AI takes them to 20. Same tools. Bigger gap." Dr. Koch's assertion that "AI plus humans is better than AI alone" encapsulates the event's philosophy.
The YOU × AI Summit is produced by the Viral Genius Institute and Rogue Media Network, with sponsorship from BrainTrust Partners. Tickets are $99, with discounts for teams of 10 or more, and session recordings available as an add-on. Registration is open at youxai.live.
