AI Insights

Godel kicks off the summer season with their annual summer BBQ joined by tech leaders

Godel Technologies proudly celebrated their 3^rd Annual Summer BBQ in sunny London, joined by Tech Leaders from across the UK to celebrate the tech community and how advanced we have become.

The event made a return to the amazing rooftop terrace at 30 Euston Square in London, combining amazing company, delicious grilled food, free flowing drinks, interesting keynote speakers, and vibrant atmosphere where we celebrated our valued clients and our future opportunities.

The evening began with welcome drinks along with the opportunity to reconnect with any familiar faces, or perhaps to meet new ones.

AI and cyber threats/Security breaches

The highlight of the night provided 3 keynote speakers who all contributed with insightful presentations about the tech world and how Artificial Intelligence is adapting to physical existence.

The first engaging conversation was kickstarted by Peter James, Chief Product Officer at iProov. Peter is an experienced product leader with a background in development and presales, with over 14 years of experience across different industries including fintech. He expressed the threat of AI facial swap manipulation and how easy it is to create multiple versions of yourself and be able to attack multiple times, stating that, “Face Swaps are now the deepfake of choice among persistent threat actors”.

“It was a great event with a really diverse range of technology leaders that enables networking in a relaxed environment. I really enjoyed the speakers – Yahor was entertaining as well as highlighting the quality of your staff. All in all a great evening. I learned something interesting, I was entertained, I was fed and got to speak to some really interesting people – what more could you ask for!” – Peter James, CPO at iProov

Following on from Peter’s talk and an interesting Q&A our attention was redirected to Godel’s very own experienced Python Developer, Yahor Statkevich, who specialises in backend and data.

Yahor was formerly an industrial automation developer with a background in data science and electrical engineering. He shared his thoughts on “Trust in Open Source” and how a Microsoft engineer discovered a series of malicious code embedded in an XZ, which shocked the open-source community by how elaborately it was introduced. He also claims that “There are things that just make no sense unless they are open sourced like encryption. Imagine someone trying to sell your encryption algorithm that can process huge amounts of data in nano seconds, and it can’t be broken into”.

 “It was my pleasure to speak at this event and from my perspective it was a success. I’ve been to similar events before, but it was my first time seeing so many attendees sincerely interested in the talks and each other’s experiences. The warm and cosy atmosphere with all the scenery and music encouraged a lot of productive communication as well as casual chit-chat – it’s nice to see IT leaders finally put down their phones and computers for a little while. We all know how hard it is to do sometimes”. Yahor Statkevich, Python Software Engineer

Lastly, Jamie Shedley, Chief Technology and security officer at Oil Brokerage, has been busy delivering globally recognised technology solutions in both the shipping and derivatives industries.

He emerged a fascinating discussion about AI voice swap and how easy it is to fall for a phone scam, comparing parents and children to being the biggest victims as they would want their families to stay safe, therefore resulting to them falling for sharing their bank details. He explained that 16% of UK consumers have reported losing money to a phone scam, and on average that was £634. He insists that “A large part of our responsibility in the technology space, we need to invade, and it’s how mankind progresses – Innovation is what drives us. It is our responsibility to put safeguards in place. We need to make sure that we protect the world. We need to think back to what history has taught us and will we learn from our mistakes in the past, and that is down to us to make sure we do that”.

“I have worked with Godel for a fair few years and I go to them as they deliver quality and they never disappoint, and I am not just talking about their BBQ’s – Their staff are just as good! They have great support from big players in the industry and this shines through with the people who attend, be that existing or potential clients. The speakers (including myself) enjoy being a part of the journey with Godel, and the Godel team are not afraid of being roped into an on-stage demo… Bring on the 2025 BBQ!” Jamie Shedley, CTSO at OB

Once the talks ended, we moved to the rooftop terrace where we were greeted with the sounds of steel drum music. The UK weather blessed us on this lovely evening, and it allowed us to properly welcome the summer season. Everyone indulged in a delicious BBQ, enjoying a selection of beers and wines, along with a night filled of networking and some interesting game competitions of Jenga, and table football.

Easily one of the best events I’ve attended this year. Can’t thank you enough for the invite. I absolutely loved it. The talks were interesting and created some great conversations with the other attendees.

Many thanks to all the wonderful keynote speakers for the intriguing conversations and all the attendees for being so engaging and supportive at the Godel Summer BBQ 2024. The evening was very successful with some great feedback, and some already asking for the Godel Summer BBQ 2025 invitation.

If you would like to find out about future events at Godel, please get in touch.