Hold Onto Humanity: Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

On July 16th at WeWork, Canary Wharf, Vention is hosting an exclusive roundtable event with Ime Akpan, VP of Data at Blankstate, centred on a question that's becoming harder to ignore: how do we adopt AI without losing our ability to think for ourselves?
As AI becomes more embedded in how we work, there's a growing risk of defaulting to it, not just for execution, but for judgment. This session will dig into that tension. Ime will explore why critical thinking remains one of the most important human advantages, and how we ensure it doesn't erode as reliance on large language models grows.
Ime is a Data and AI leader with deep experience building high-performing data organisations in global financial services, most recently as Head of Data Engineering in the CDAO organisation at Vanguard. Over the last decade, he has led teams designing modern data platforms, orchestrating complex pipelines, and implementing robust governance for safe, scalable AI deployment. His expertise sits at the intersection of AI, data engineering, and regulated industries, creating architectures that are cloud-native, explainable, and compliant by design.
Beyond his core roles, Ime is an AI evangelist, public speaker, and executive advisor, speaking regularly on AI in financial services, data culture, and the practical realities of deploying frontier models in production.
What to expect
A morning session bringing together senior leaders across data, engineering, and product. Ime will cover:
• Staying human‑led while working alongside intelligent systems
• The art of framing problems with clarity and purpose
• How different modes of thinking shape real‑world outcomes
• Protecting the quality of our judgment as AI advances
Why this matters
The huge momentum behind AI often lacks an appropriate reflection. The real AI challenge goes beyond showcasing tools: it's about how we're using them, and whether they're helping us think critically enough.
Having recently joined Blankstate's global leadership team, Ime thinks a lot about how AI shapes decisions, and what we risk if we disengage from that process.
That's the same AI mindset we apply here at Vention. To deliver engineering peace of mind, we need humanity in the loop.
About Vention

Vention is a leading provider of global bespoke software development and AI innovation services, delivering transformative solutions to the world's most successful tech-empowered enterprises and Fortune 500 companies, industry innovators, and startups.