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David Usher

AI Keynote Speaker | Creativity Expert | Multi-Platinum, Juno Award-Winning Musician

David Usher
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Opening Up to A New Set of Creative Possibilities
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Creativity is Your Secret Weapon in the AI Revolution
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We Could Be Human Exhibit
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Getting Your Creative Mindset Working
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Avoiding Past Mistakes with Revolutionary Tech
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Harnessing AI to Alleviate Loneliness
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David Usher
Speaker Reel
Usher Thumb 1
Opening Up to A New Set of Creative Possibilities
Usher Thumb 1
Creativity is Your Secret Weapon in the AI Revolution
Virtual Speaker Reel
We Could Be Human Exhibit
Usher Thumb 2
Getting Your Creative Mindset Working
Thumb 3
Avoiding Past Mistakes with Revolutionary Tech
Usher Thumb 4
Harnessing AI to Alleviate Loneliness

When innovative companies like Google, 3M, Cisco, Pepsi, Rogers, and SAP want to help their leaders and teams understand and get excited about AI and the opportunities it brings, they call David Usher. He is the founder of the AI venture studio Reimagine AI, a bestselling author, and the lead singer of Moist, with more than 1.4 million albums sold and four Juno Awards. Usher draws on his unique background to deliver dynamic, interactive presentations that blend live music, storytelling, and onstage AI demonstrations to explore what’s really happening with AI, where it’s heading, and why human creativity matters now more than ever.

Usher’s perspective on AI comes from building it. In 2014, long before ChatGPT, he created his first AI agent with Google: a system that collaborated with humans on writing song lyrics. In 2018, he launched Reimagine AI, where he and his team develop AI platforms across memory, healthcare, and entertainment, including SecondEcho, an AI-powered living-memory archive.

More than a decade of building at the forefront of AI has given Usher a practitioner’s view of both its extraordinary opportunities and challenges, including trust, safety, and increasingly autonomous systems. His message is simple: AI is too important to leave only to technologists. The more of us who understand it, the better the future we’ll build with it.

Usher is the author of the Globe and Mail bestseller Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything and co-creator of the Climate Clock, which tracks global warming in real time. Audiences leave his keynotes with a clear understanding of AI’s potential, practical ways to think more creatively, and the confidence to become agents of change.

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

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Client reviews

  • David’s insightful take on how to both unleash and control one’s own creativity is particularly relevant in today’s world, where new ideas and innovation are becoming a key part of our everyday lives.

  • David was a showstopper! His performance had our Conference trending across Canada, on social media almost from the minute he stepped on stage. People are still talking about it. David created an exceptional experience for our audience. He brought the ‘WOW’ factor to a whole new level.

  • I knew we needed a keynote speaker whose ideas laddered up to our event messaging; someone interesting, edgy, and unexpected for Xerox. We couldn’t have imagined it going any better…beyond our expectations! We have never (in all the years we have been managing events) witnessed audiences so engaged and reignited during our keynotes. And then – for them to take the time to “write in” all these great comments…unheard of!

  • We use a lot of external speakers and the feedback from our audience was that David was one of the best they ever have seen.  I agree.  His message is perfect for this moment in our industry where things are moving quickly and we need to innovate our way forward.

  • The event was amazing, everyone loved David and Jonathan. Not only are they extremely talented but they are very down to earth. Their message resonated with the crowd. I briefly looked at the surveys this morning and all rated the event as excellent. They were both really great to work with. They spent more time answering questions than expected and stayed to talk to all after the book signing.

    I was told this was the best event I’ve put on – all thanks to David and Jonathan!

  • With a full house of over 800 guests!  We were amazed that David was able to captivate the audience through his story telling and perspective, while incorporating his creative path thoughts and entertaining us with his greatest hit songs!

    It was a great evening and David added great value!

  • We asked for a WOW!!! and that is exactly what we got.

  • “I’ve had the pleasure of having David speak at two events and he always delivers. Too many business people see creativity as something that is best left to the artists. David proves that artists can demonstrate the value of creativity in the workplace. He’s smart, original and delivers a unique perspective that is humorous, memorable and actionable. With the addition of his musical interludes and performances, it’s an event that any company or organization will not soon forget. I know we haven’t.”

  • “Music was a bonus but presentation was awesome.”

    “Highly innovative content – embracing new sources of learning and expand breath of exposure.”

    “David was very engaging, highly relevant and inspiring.”

    “It was great to get a perspective from the inside and someone who is experiencing it. A very important topic in today’s society.”

    “Excellent format and interaction.”

    “David was very well spoken and knowledgeable beyond the music community. Very interesting and relevant. His real life experience helped drive many key points home. Very inspirational.”

    “I had never made the connection between the music industry and marketing before, many parallels and incredibly relevant.”

  • David is an engaging, educational and inspiring speaker. His combining of interactivity, personal insight and music brought a truly unique and compelling perspective on the subject of creativity and technology. Surprising, honest and polished. David brought the same intensity and strength to his presentation as we’ve come to know in his musicianship. David is an excellent, unique keynote speaker. I recommend him highly.

  • David is a gifted performer and his presentation at The Art of Marketing was extremely well received.  I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of professional speakers and David brought something to the stage that I had never seen before. His ability to both educate and entertain had the audience completely engaged and we look forward to working with him in other cities.

  • If you’re struggling with innovation in your business, David Usher’s notes should be music to your ears.

  • David is a gifted and charismatic performer and speaker. He has a brilliant and disciplined mind for business, and a unique view and understanding of technology. This unique combination of specific skills and creative instincts is rare. His experiments with audience interactivity and his curiosity and thoughts on the next reach of technology in entertainment are ahead of the curve, and a valuable commodity for both businesses and creative companies. He has a sharp eye for where the new opportunities lie within the converging landscape of art, technology and commerce. All of this makes him an exceptional leader and collaborator.

  • I have to say that without doubt, David’s keynote “experience” was the best that we have ever experienced. David entertained, educated and inspired the crowd like no one I’ve ever seen do. It was absolutely perfect.

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