HumanX Conference: A Focus on Human Connection Amidst AI Innovations

HumanX, an innovative new conference centered around artificial intelligence, took place in Las Vegas recently. Attendees, who invested between $995 and $3995 for their tickets, were seeking more than just technological insights; they desired genuine human connections. Alongside the main stage, the venue featured a speakeasy, a massage booth, and even a quaint dog park.

On a bustling Wednesday night at a Las Vegas nightclub, during the closing party of HumanX, musician Wyclef Jean exited the stage after delivering an energizing performance spanning over an hour. As he navigated through the jostling crowd, fans eagerly reached out to touch his shoulders and capture moments with selfies on their smartphones.

Within the atmosphere of an AI-focused conference, the multitude of attendees were driven by their desire for authentic interactions. This included encounters with notable personalities such as the Haitian rap icon, networking during lively happy hours celebrating emerging AI startups, and having face-to-face dialogues with reputed venture capitalists. “It’s unlikely a Midwestern CTO at a manufacturing company is ever going to be sitting in a room with Vinod Khosla,” stated Stefan Weitz, co-founder and CEO of HumanX, alluding to Khosla Ventures’ founder and early investor in OpenAI. “That’s really why you come to an in-person conference.”

Khosla was joined by industry titans such as Thomas Wolf, co-founder of Hugging Face, Rahul Vohra, founder and CEO of Superhuman, and Kevin Weil, CTO of OpenAI. They participated in intimate Q&A sessions that proved to be the most sought-after events at the conference, often drawing lines of over 400 eager participants hoping to engage.

“When my team first pitched me the idea, I thought there was no way our big speakers would engage in a Q&A with random attendees, but 100 said ‘yes’ on the spot,” Weitz recalled. “The ability to be in a room with Kevin [Weil], to look into the eyes of those using his product daily and answer their questions—that’s incredibly powerful.”

For those feeling overwhelmed by the energy of the conference, the environment offered respite. The speakeasy, massage booth, and a small dog park were right next to the main stage, providing opportunities for attendees to unwind and enjoy the company of friendly canine companions while absorbing insights from keynote speakers such as Mike Kreiger, CPO of Anthropic, Alfred Lin, a partner at Sequoia, and even former Vice President Kamala Harris.

“It was a good break to disconnect from the craziness of the conference,” noted Steffan Mos, a sales manager at Vectera, as he spent a few moments in the dog park alongside his CEO. “It brings the human element to the HumanX conference.”