The city of Medellín is scheduled to host the second edition of the “WOBI on AI and Business Transformation” summit on April 28, 2026. The event, which will take place at Plaza Mayor, represents the sixth major collaboration between the Alcaldía de Medellín and WOBI since the partnership began in 2017. This year’s forum focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence into corporate leadership and operational strategy, reinforcing the city’s status as a Special District of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Martha Lucía Maldonado Nieto, Managing Director of WOBI Colombia, detailed the evolution of the event series, noting that previous editions held between 2017 and 2019 attracted more than 4,300 business owners. “Since last year, we have shifted these digital transformation conversations toward an unavoidable topic: Artificial Intelligence,” Maldonado stated. She emphasized that the summit is designed to analyze how AI supports macro-management themes rather than providing purely technical instruction. “WOBI is not about providing technical content. Our goal isn’t to teach people how to operate a specific AI tool, but rather to support them in their roles as leaders.”

“We are certain that only by sensitizing our leaders will we achieve real changes in organizations.” — María Fernanda Galeano Rojo

The upcoming summit features a lineup of international speakers covering diverse facets of the technology. Terry Gutiérrez, the General Manager for Tesla (TSLA) in Mexico and Latin America, will present on leadership algorithms. Nathan Furr, a professor at INSEAD, is set to discuss using AI to scale business models. Other speakers include marketing expert Giuseppe Stigliano and Andrew Mayne, a former prompt engineer at OpenAI, who will provide insights into the development of ChatGPT. Maldonado noted that the curation of this content is managed by WOBI’s team in New York to identify global trends relevant to executive decision-making.

María Fernanda Galeano Rojo, the Secretary of Economic Development for Medellín, will also address the assembly on the role of “Cities that Think.” Galeano Rojo highlighted the city’s commitment to ensuring high-level technological discourse reaches multiple sectors of the local economy. “We will have 600 leaders, more than 70% of whom will be from our city,” Galeano Rojo said. “At the same time, we will have parallel activities where we will be talking with these same speakers, as well as with entrepreneurs and university students. What we want is for all this knowledge to reach different sectors of our city.”

The event structure has transitioned to a membership model as of 2024, though individual tickets remain available. Maldonado confirmed that the average cost for participation is approximately $1,990,000 COP. The summit aims to build on the success of the inaugural AI edition, which saw 800 attendees from 350 companies and has since been exported to Madrid and Milan. “Artificial Intelligence is not just another trend; it is a new reality,” Maldonado added. “It is going to change and impact us in much the same way that the internet at some point changed the way we function.”

The Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico continues to prioritize digital skills and AI training as part of its broader economic strategy. According to Galeano Rojo, the objective of the Alcaldía de Medellín is to use these international platforms to drive social and organizational transformation. “We are betting on digital skills training and AI training,” she remarked. “We are certain that only by sensitizing our leaders will we achieve real changes in organizations.”

The one-day academic session will begin at 9:00 AM. Key regional entities including Rappi, McKinsey, and Procter & Gamble (PG) were cited as background for the expertise being brought to the stage, reflecting the professional trajectories of the invited speakers.

The event aims to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) transforms organizations and, based on this, define the keys that will enable them to adopt successful leadership in this new digital era.

Those interested in attending can find details here.

“We are very pleased to announce from the Mayor’s Office of Medellín that WOBI is returning to the city, this time with a very important theme: artificial intelligence, a joint effort to bring topics that align with our vocation of Science, Technology, and Innovation. This is the opportunity to strengthen the knowledge of our business leaders and entrepreneurs, so that together we can continue transforming and consolidating our city and companies, generating valuable jobs, and, above all, understanding what it means to lead new technologies brought by the fourth industrial revolution,” said the Secretary of Economic Development, María Fernanda Galeano Rojo.

800 people are expected, including CEOs, C-level executives, area directors, and managers. Photo credit: WOBI.

Participants will learn strategies to integrate AI into organizational culture, customer experience, and foster brand loyalty; the role of leadership in the digital age; and how to prepare employees for new responsibilities with practical cases that demonstrate how this tool drives decisions and creates business opportunities. Some guests include Zack Kass, former director of Go-To-Market at OpenAI; Randi Zuckerberg, former director of marketing at Facebook and founder of Zuckerberg Media; Mitchell Weiss, professor at Harvard Business School and expert in innovation and generative AI; Jesús Cochegrús, entrepreneur and technology expert who has worked in the video game industry and developed projects for companies such as Nike and Coca-Cola.

“It is a true pleasure for me to announce that WOBI is returning to Medellín after five years. This time we are bringing an event called AI & Business Transformation, which, as its name suggests, couldn’t be more relevant at this time. We intend to show business leaders how artificial intelligence is changing and transforming the way we lead, develop strategies, connect with our clients, and manage and lead companies,” said WOBI Colombia’s Executive Director, Martha Lucía Maldonado.

One of the district’s goals is to continue positioning Medellín as a destination for events and business. For this reason, we support these events, in which people from all over the world participate, helping to position the city as a benchmark for business tourism and meetings.

Also See: WOBI Interview – Management Guru Ram Charan On How Colombia Can Go From A Resource To A Knowledge-Based Economy

Also See: WOBI Interview – Medellín Has Tech Talent – Colombia Now Needs a Support System for Startups to Scale

Photo credit: WOBI.

While Colombia as a whole saw a decline in business creation, Medellín strengthened its business network, especially in sectors such as commerce, restaurants and hotels, insurance and finance, and the manufacturing industry, which showed greater dynamism during 2024.

“According to data provided by the Medellín Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia, we will close 2024 with a business base of 118,441. That represents an increase of 3.5% compared to 2023. This means that, in a context in which the country has been declining in business creation, Medellín shows strong entrepreneurial and business dynamics and, above all, a capacity for collaboration between universities, businesses, and the state. Furthermore, it allows for continued job creation, as well as economic and social dynamics, which translates into well-being for citizens and their families,” said the Secretary of Economic Development, María Fernanda Galeano Rojo.

Between January and December 2024, 21,480 new businesses were created, according to figures from the Medellín Chamber of Commerce for Antioquia. This growth demonstrated renewed confidence in the city and the commitment of local entrepreneurs. Business creation is a fundamental pillar for generating well-being in the community and for Colombia’s progress from the regions, driving economic and social development.

These results reflect the commitment, innovation, and determination of local entrepreneurs, who continue to invest in job creation in Medellín. This has been reflected in the last four DANE surveys, in which the Antioquia capital recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the country, reaching 6.5% in the October- December quarter.

Photo credit: City of Medellín.