AI & Retail Futurist · Keynote Speaker · Builder

The AI
revolution
in retail
is now.

Daniel Bobroff is one of the world's leading keynote speakers on AI and the future of retail - and the founder of Cognaris, the AI commerce platform turning retail conversations into sales. He doesn't just speak about AI in retail. He builds it.

Book Daniel See Cognaris →
Daniel Bobroff
100+
Keynotes delivered
30+
Years at the frontier
Marketing
In-Game Advertising
Pioneered in-game advertising - an in-game ad market now worth $8 billion globally.
Entertainment
Game Development
Developed chart-topping video games selling over 50M+ units on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo.
Retail & Fashion
Venture Capital
Pioneered FashionTech as a category. Built one of the first dedicated corporate VC arms in retail.
Technology
AI Commerce
Pioneering conversational AI - where every customer question becomes a sale.
“
Daniel travelled the world for ASOS to scout the latest technologies. His passion, experience and knowledge, combined with a desire to share, has helped many to go on the same journey.
Nick Robertson Founder, ASOS
ASOS Ventures website
ASOS Ventures - Daniel co-founded the VC arm of ASOS
The Builder Credential

He doesn't
just talk
about AI
in retail.
He builds it.

Daniel doesn't just speak about AI in retail - he builds it. As founder of Cognaris, he has direct, hands-on experience designing and deploying conversational AI in a live commercial environment: connecting to retailer catalogues, understanding customer intent, and taking the full journey from question to purchase.

That experience gives his keynotes a depth and credibility that no amount of research can replicate. When Daniel talks about where AI in retail is heading, he speaks as someone who has wrestled with the real technical, commercial and behavioural challenges of making it work.

Visit cognaris.ai →
58%
of shoppers now use an AI assistant to help with purchasing decisions - and the share is climbing every quarter.
Salesforce · Connected Shoppers 2026
3×
Higher conversion when AI recommendations come from a retailer's own first-party assistant versus a generic AI.
Cognaris pilot · retail cohort, Q1 2026
1/400
Your site appears in 1 in 400 AI answers. Every other question routes to a competitor - unless you own the conversation yourself.
£Bn
In category revenue at risk across UK retail as generic AI becomes the default discovery surface.
IMRG · UK Digital Commerce Review
Watch Daniel Speak

See Daniel
in action

Daniel Bobroff keynote
AI Keynote Themes

Six talks.
One mission:
Make AI real
for your audience.

01 / 06

Agentic AI & the Next Retail Frontier

We've moved beyond chatbots. Agentic AI takes action - autonomously pricing, forecasting, ordering, personalising. Daniel maps what this means for every retail function and what leaders must do right now to stay ahead of it.

Strategy · Operations · Technology
02 / 06

Hyper-Personalisation at Scale

81% of consumers prefer brands that personalise. AI now makes true 1:1 personalisation possible at every touchpoint - from product discovery to post-purchase. Daniel explains who is winning, and exactly how they're doing it.

Customer Experience · Marketing · Loyalty
03 / 06

Own the Question, Own the Sale

Consumers stopped browsing - they started asking AI. The brand that answers the question owns the sale. Drawing directly on Cognaris, Daniel shows audiences exactly how conversational AI commerce works and why first-party AI is non-negotiable.

Commerce · AI · First-Party Data
04 / 06

Platform Models & AI Marketplaces

The most profitable retailers of the next decade won't just sell products - they'll operate platforms. Daniel decodes why Next made £1B in profit and what the platform revolution means for brand strategy, supplier relationships and revenue models.

Business Models · Revenue · Strategy
05 / 06

AI & the Intelligent Supply Chain

From demand forecasting to last-mile delivery, AI is rebuilding the supply chain from scratch. Daniel reveals where the real efficiency gains are, which technologies are delivering ROI now, and what the AI-first supply chain looks like in practice.

Operations · Logistics · Efficiency
06 / 06

Everyone a Game-Changer

Daniel's signature keynote - a personal, bold, and deeply motivating case for radical human agency in the age of AI. From pioneering in-game advertising to building AI commerce platforms, he shows that disruption is a choice, and everyone can make it.

Leadership · Culture · Change
The A.I.
Reality in retail, right now
01

Is your brand in the AI answer
or invisible?

02

Who owns the customer
conversation
in your category?

03

Are you building for the
shopper of today
or tomorrow?

About Daniel

Thirty years
building at
the frontier

Daniel Bobroff
Daniel Bobroff · Retail AI Futurist · London
Cognaris AI
Co-founder
Coded Futures
Founder
HTEC Group
Special Advisor
ASOS Ventures
Co-founder & Investment Director
AD
Penguin - world's first in-game ad, 1991

The world's first in-game advertisement
Penguin Biscuits · 1991

Daniel Bobroff's authority on AI in retail comes from one place: he's been building it, investing in it, and talking about it for three decades - long before it became the hottest topic in every boardroom.

As Founder of Cognaris - the AI commerce platform turning customer questions into retailer sales - and Coded Futures, his creative technology advisory firm, Daniel operates daily at the intersection of AI, commerce, and human behaviour. As Special Advisor at HTEC Group, a global engineering powerhouse, he works with some of the world's largest retail organisations on AI-driven transformation.

As co-founder and Investment Director of ASOS Ventures, Daniel built an exceptional network of AI innovators and retail tech pioneers, investing in game-changing technologies years before the mainstream caught on. His keynotes draw directly on that operator experience - not theory.

But the story goes further. Daniel pioneered in-game advertising in the 1990s - "selling Mario to the admen" - creating what is now an $8 billion global market. He then built Deibus Studios into a leading game developer, with titles for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo achieving over 50 million sales. That track record of building entirely new markets from scratch is what gives his talks on disruption their singular authority.

2024–Now
Cognaris - Founder, building AI commerce platform. Conversational retail, from question to basket.
2016–Now
Coded Futures - Founder, creative technology advisory focused on the future of retail.
2018-2025
HTEC Group - Special Advisor. Head of Retail from 2021.
2014-2017
ASOS Ventures - Co-founder & Investment Director. Built ASOS's venture capital arm.
1996-2006
Deibus Studios - Founder, game developer. 50M+ sales on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo.
1990-2010
Microtime / In-game advertising - pioneered a medium now worth $8 billion globally.

Organisations Daniel has spoken for

Berenberg Capital Markets Bring CenturyLink Criteo Facebook Google Inviqa Mastercard Mayfair Capital Retail Institute Italy Salesforce UKFast Worldpay Zurich Berenberg Capital Markets Bring CenturyLink Criteo Facebook Google Inviqa Mastercard Mayfair Capital Retail Institute Italy Salesforce UKFast Worldpay Zurich
Testimonials

What
audiences say

"

An incredible keynote. Completely blown away - the depth of knowledge and the clarity with which Daniel makes complex AI technology accessible and relevant was remarkable.

Senior Director
Global Technology Conference
"

A compelling and engaging presenter whose industry insight and storytelling approach truly brings his subject to life. He made a lasting impression on every person in the room.

Programme Director
Retail Innovation Summit
"

Daniel knows a thing or two about change. His unique background across gaming, venture capital, and retail gives him a perspective on disruption you simply don't find anywhere else.

Managing Partner
Global Strategy Consultancy
"

Motivational and visionary, but always provides a roadmap. That balance - ambition grounded in practical strategy - is what makes Daniel's keynotes genuinely actionable.

Head of Digital Transformation
European Retail Group
"

An extremely engaging and visual talk. He made a lasting impression. The team left energised and focused - with a concrete understanding of what AI in retail actually means for us.

Chief Marketing Officer
Leading UK Retailer
"

Daniel has a rare gift - he makes the complex feel urgent and the future feel achievable. Our leadership team left with a completely different view of what AI means for our business.

Chief Executive Officer
Global Retail Group
Talk Topics

Every keynote
is tailored
to your audience

01The AI-Powered Future of Retail
→
02Own the Question, Own the Sale
→
03Hyper-Personalisation at Scale
→
04Agentic AI: Beyond the Chatbot
→
05Platform Models & AI Marketplaces
→
06AI & the Supply Chain
→
07Retail's Digital Transformation Roadmap
→
08Everyone a Game-Changer
→

The AI-Powered Future of Retail

A panoramic and practical view of how artificial intelligence is restructuring retail from the inside out. Daniel maps the technology shifts underway, shows who is winning, and gives audiences a clear lens on where to direct their energy and investment.

  • Why AI is retail's most consequential technology shift since ecommerce
  • Where AI delivers ROI fastest: operations, pricing, personalisation, discovery
  • Case studies: Next, ASOS, Amazon and the retailers pulling ahead
  • A practical readiness framework for leaders at any stage of AI adoption
Beyond AI

AI is the focus -
but not the only story

01

Leading the Way in Retail Tech

Daniel stands out as a retail futurist and thought leader. His presentations delve into the future of the industry and how businesses can adapt to a rapidly changing landscape - with practical strategies, not just vision.

02

The Gamification of Retail

Having pioneered in-game advertising and developed chart-topping video games, Daniel brings a creative perspective no other retail speaker can match. He explores how gaming mechanics, engagement loops, and immersive experiences are transforming how people shop.

03

The AI Shopping Revolution

Daniel explores how AI is reshaping customer experience - and how empowered consumers, driven by intelligent technology, require fundamentally different engagement. Drawing on his work building Cognaris, he makes these insights immediately actionable for any organisation.

04

Empowerment Through Knowledge

Daniel's keynotes and workshops go beyond inspiration - they equip teams with the knowledge they need to thrive in the digital era. Highly interactive and tailored to your audience, they leave people with a clear sense of what to do next.

Watch Daniel Speak

Putting the Customer First:
Time To Play

Daniel Bobroff - Putting the Customer First: Time To Play
Putting the Customer First: Time To Play A keynote exploring how the most disruptive retailers think about customer experience - and what the rest of the industry can learn from the world of gaming.
Book Daniel

Let's bring
AI clarity to
your next event

Daniel delivers keynotes, workshops, seminars, and board sessions worldwide - every one tailored to your sector, your audience, and the AI moment your organisation is navigating. He is available for in-person and virtual events globally.

Location London, United Kingdom - available worldwide
Agents Speaking Office ↗
Formats Keynotes · Workshops · Seminars · Panels · Board Sessions
Cognaris Interested in the AI commerce platform? Visit cognaris.ai →
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