Over-optimization erases serendipity.

observation — attributed to James Lancaster

AI tools now schedule meetings, recommend sessions, and pre-map networking before attendees arrive. But many of the most valuable moments at conferences happen unexpectedly — a hallway exchange, a session attended on impulse, a debate that develops spontaneously on stage. Those moments are difficult to design in advance, and they are part of what distinguishes a gathering from a digital platform.

Lancaster's caution about AI-driven event design.

serendipity, ai, matchmaking, networking, design-restraint