How to Transform to an AI-First Company: Inside EO’s 4th Global AI Summit

February 4, 2026

Published in:

Innovation & Technology

The 4th EO Global AI Summit is organized and co-hosted by Luis Cortés, Robert van der Zwart, Markus Wuebben, and Eduard Brink. Photo courtesy Robert van der Zwart

Contributed by Robert van der Zwart, an EO Netherlands member, who is a coach, keynote speaker, founder of AIPO Network, and a host and organizer of the virtual EO Global AI Summit #4: Transforming to an AI-First Company which will take place on 26 February 2026 (EO members register free).

AI is no longer a “nice to have” for forward-thinking companies—it’s quickly becoming the operating system of modern business. As tools like GPT-4o, Gemini, Claude, and autonomous AI agents continue to evolve, the real challenge for leaders isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how to transform their organizations quickly, responsibly, and at scale.

That challenge is exactly what inspired the 4th EO Global AI Summit, a virtual event open to all EO members, key executives, and EO Accelerators. The Summit is organized and co-hosted by Dr. Markus Wuebben (EO Berlin), Luis Cortés (EO Boston), Eduard Brink (EO European Bridge), and Robert van der Zwart (EO Netherlands).

Designed for EO members who want to lead, not follow, the Summit brings together entrepreneurs and AI experts from around the world for a global livestream experience featuring live panels, deep dives, and real-time audience Q&A. Whether you’re experimenting with your first AI use case or scaling advanced automation across your company, the 4^th Annual EO Global AI Summit will provide practical insights, proven frameworks, and real-world lessons.

We asked Robert van der Zwart to share his perspective on why becoming an AI-first company now feels less like an innovate act and more like a requirement for survival. Robert understands what it truly means to embed AI into the core of a business—from rethinking strategy and redesigning workflows to avoiding common missteps.

Here's what Robert shared:

1. Why is the 4th EO Global AI Summit especially relevant for entrepreneurs—and what business realities will it help them navigate?

We are witnessing the rapid pace of change in AI. As entrepreneurs, we often talk about exponential growth, and now it is happening right in front of our eyes. This powerful force is fundamentally changing the way we work and how we run our companies. And the speed of change is only accelerating.

2. Are you too late if you haven’t yet started with AI?

The answer is no. But the train is leaving the station, and you do want to be on it. If your company sells professional knowledge by the hour, you will need to rethink your business. Even if your company relies only on manual labor, it will be affected by AI. Business and operating models are changing, and we need to augment the skills of our staff with a new set of tools. The Global AI Summit will help you identify those tools.

3. What new understanding, capability, or mindset will Summit attendees gain?

Simply stated, we aim to inspire more members to start helping their teams use AI.

Attendees will gain new, actionable insights on how AI can help them. And remember: As a business owner, you do not need to become an AI expert. The Summit aims to help members ask the right questions to their staff. Leaders just need to know some basics to guide their teams in the right direction—and that is what the Summit will provide. We want to inspire members to ask the right questions of their staff. In the meantime, we aim to provide actionable, hands-on insights.

4. How does this 4^th Global AI Summit build upon past Summits?

For our first event in 2023, we teamed up with EO Netherlands and EO Berlin and had 500 registrants and 300 concurrent viewers, which we saw as a huge success. Little did we know that by our third event in 2025, we would grow to over 2,500 registrations, making it the largest member-led and initiated event in EO.

We have transitioned to a more hands-on approach focused on generating value for EO members and showcasing how to deploy AI in their businesses.

We follow AI developments closely and consult with industry experts and will also share our own experiences with AI. Based on these insights, we developed this Summit. We have also incorporated new topics and ideas that we did not focus on in previous years.

The format, a six-hour interactive webinar, has proven successful.

What’s different this year: Four of the eleven speakers will present in-person from our studio at Erasmus University in The Netherlands. We will also organize follow-up masterclasses. We determined that a TED Talk-style presentation is too short and listened to EO members’ calls for more in-depth discussions. That is something we will now provide.

5. Who should strongly consider attending?

The Global AI Summit is a must-attend event for every EO member, regardless of your prior knowledge or experience with AI. You do not need coding skills or to be an IT nerd to gain knowledge and insights from the EO Global AI Summit.

One way or another, you will have to work with AI if you want your business to continue to succeed; if you do not, your competitors will.

The good thing is, you do not need any technical expertise to attend. I always use this metaphor: As an entrepreneur, you are the conductor of your own symphony orchestra. You do not need to know how to play every instrument, but you do need to know the score by heart. That is where the Global AI Summit is beneficial: We will help you read the music and support you, so your team can play the music more beautifully than you ever imagined.

Ready to Become an AI-First Organization?

So, are you ready to rethink how AI fits into your business? We hope you will plan to attend the 4th EO Global AI Summit: Transforming to an AI-First Company, which takes place 26 February 2026, live from Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

The global livestream will bring together 11 leading AI and business thinkers focused on practical applications, real-world case studies, and the leadership shifts you need to make to build an AI-first organization. Expect live talks, actionable insights, exclusive demos, and honest conversations about what works, what fails, and what’s next.

The Summit will also feature the second edition of the EO AI Award, recognizing an outstanding AI use case shaping the future of business and leadership.

The 4^th Annual Global AI Summit is free via Zoom, worldwide for EO members, key executives, and EO Accelerators. Save your spot by registering to attend. You can find more details and the speaker lineup on the EO Global AI Summit website.