Secret message from Lisbon: What really happened at VEGAS goes international Vol. 2

From keynote speeches to digital spies and a special mission

What happens in Vegas, famously stays in Vegas.

But THIS ONE time we have to make an exception. 

On March 10, 2026, a not-so-secret women's association opened its doors, not, as the name suggests, in a casino in the Nevada desert, but in the middle of Lisbon. Code name of the operation: "VEGAS goes international Vol. 2 – Women, AI and a global network!" Five colleagues from the ranks of Volkswagen Group Digital Solutions report from the Inner Circle. 

The opening by Anika Paul and Dr. Ina Offergeld was followed by Felix Krüger as host and CEO of Volkswagen Group Digital Solutions [Portugal] on stage and swore those present to a great event. The intro to the event was crowned by a video message from IT Director Hauke Stars, who emphasized the expectations and hopes she has for the executives who had traveled to the event.

The core message: Future is now

The intellectual heart of the day was delivered by Sophie Vassarotti with her keynote speech. Their thesis was as clear as it was uncomfortable: the bias of the training data works against them, so if women do not actively shape the development of AI, AI will be shaped without them. 

Gabriela Vogel from the management consultancy Gartner then deepened with her presentation on the "Golden Path to AI". Among other things, she talked about the bias she encountered as a female user of a digital twin tool tested in her company.

This was followed by a panel discussion that more intensively elaborated on the focus of the topic, where AI actually creates disruption and creates new value beyond the hype. 

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