June 2026 AI Dinner - Practical AI to Autonomous Scale
"The convergence of silicon and soul. An unforgettable evening of deep tech and high gastronomy."
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Member Only Summary
Please join us at the June AI Dinner on the 30th June 2026 in London. This intimate, high-calibre dinner brings together ambitious founders and business owners scaling £1M–£10M revenue companies. The evening focuses on moving beyond AI hype into practical, deployable autonomous systems that create real business advantage.
Conrad Ford - Chief Product & Strategy Officer of Allica Bank
AI in the real world: learnings from the UK’s fastest-growing company
Conrad is Chief Product & Strategy Officer at Allica Bank (www.allica.bank), which has been named by The Sunday Times as the UK’s fastest-growing company and by Deloitte as the UK’s fastest-growing financial technology (fintech) firm ever. Allica is bringing expert relationship banking back to established SMEs, supported by modern technology. Previously Conrad was the sole founder of Funding Options, an online business lending marketplace named in the 2022 Financial Times FT1000 list of Europe’s fastest-growing firms, now exited. Conrad is a Chartered Management Accountant, and prior to his career in fintech worked at leading banks.
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Rob Warner - Co-Founder - COO Red First
Build the Business That Builds Businesses
Rob is a seasoned entrepreneur. Leaving behind a finance career with KMPG, and subsequent CFO roles, Rob launched his first venture in 2010. That became a Google ads agency that grew to multiple 7 figures, and Google’s Channel Sales inner circle and a successful exit in 2021. The exit allowed Rob to do what he does best, build technology solutions for industry wide problems, firstly, ppdadlab - a google ads spy tool (imagine spyfu if it worked properly) which scaled to $1m+ and exited in 2024. Then agentic Google ads automation built on private datasets, proprietary processing and bittensor prediction modelling. Recently launchedthe worlds best Google Ads mcp server (proven, not an opinion). Teaming up with Mike on Red First we’re here to bring robust, scalable, secure agentic implementations to mid-size businesses worldwide.
View LinkedIn ProfileMike Jones - Co-Founder & CTO of Red First
Build the Business That Builds Businesses
Mike Jones is a seasoned builder at the intersection of marketing technology and autonomous AI systems. Starting with an Amstrad CPC 464 in the 1980s, he took an unconventional route into sales and marketing before finding his true calling in building tech that drives real commercial outcomes. In the digital agency world, Mike developed a deep expertise in B2B outreach automation. In 2016, he launched a LinkedIn-focused SaaS platform that has since helped clients generate more than $150 million in sales pipeline. When large language models emerged, he recognised that traditional SaaS was approaching its end and pivoted to create the next generation of autonomous business infrastructure. Today, as Co-Founder & CTO of Red First, Mike is developing RedOS — a platform that enables a single operator to spin up and run a fully AI-powered business in minutes, not months. His work focuses on bridging the critical gap between AI demonstrations and production-grade, profit-generating systems.
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Slide Deck
Full Transcript
AI Model Landscape: Regulatory rules limit access to advanced AI, pushing businesses toward diverse, often open-source models to avoid reliance risks. Red OS Platform: Offers a secure, multi-user AI system with central governance, memory, workflows, and tool management for enterprise needs. Alica Bank’s AI Growth: Fastest UK fintech targets SMEs using phased AI adoption, achieving 25% daily usage and 20+ agentic AI cases by 2025. Culture and Regulation: Strong leadership, clear AI goals, and UK regulations focus on customer fairness, cybersecurity, and data sovereignty. AI Literacy Initiatives: Hands-on programmes and efficient AI-powered event management lower costs and boost practical AI skills for businesses. Community and Learning: Weekly calls connect diverse topics, fostering open collaboration and continuous AI knowledge sharing beyond tech.
Notes AI Model Landscape and Strategic Implications This section outlines the recent shifts in AI model availability and regulatory impact on business use.
Anthropic's Fable Model and Regulatory Restrictions marked a turning point with its release on June 9th, followed by its swift removal due to US export restrictions, demonstrating national security concerns limiting access to cutting-edge AI (14:14)
Fable was a constrained version of the Mythos model, distributed only to cybersecurity and OS vendors globally. Its abrupt withdrawal highlights uncertainty in access to advanced AI tools critical for business innovation. This regulatory environment forces businesses to reconsider reliance on proprietary models controlled by governments. OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.6 Rollout under Government Scrutiny shows increased oversight with three model variants going through US government relief processes before deployment (14:14)
This cautious release signals tighter controls on model usage and availability. Businesses face challenges adapting to changing access rules and approval delays, affecting AI integration timelines. Rise of Open Source AI Models from China presents a growing alternative with models like GLM, Quinn, and DeepSea offering competitive performance at far lower costs (15:30)
DeepSea runs at less than $1 per million queries, significantly cheaper than Claude's higher cost for similar output. Large corporations are increasingly adopting these open source options, signalling a shift in market dynamics and cost structures. This trend could drive innovation but also presents sovereignty and data control considerations for businesses. Strategic Caution on Model Dependence is advised as ever-changing rules from major providers introduce risks to business continuity and model reliability (11:38)
Mike and Rob emphasised the volatility in API access and model behaviour changes. Businesses must diversify AI model usage and maintain sovereignty over data and tooling choices. Red OS: Building a Business-Focused AI Operating System This section details Red OS’s approach to solving enterprise AI deployment challenges with a multiplayer, secure, and governed platform.
Red OS Addresses the ‘Single Player’ AI Problem by creating a shared organisational memory and governance system designed for multi-user business environments (42:27)
Current AI tools like ChatGPT are optimised for individuals, not teams, leading to rogue builds and security risks in enterprises. Red OS centralises access controls, auditing, and permissions to prevent data leaks and orphaned AI tools. This approach ensures data sovereignty and scalability, critical for growing businesses. Six Building Blocks of Red OS Provide a Comprehensive AI Platform including external/internal listening, workflows, agents, memory, and unified interface (52:35)
External listening filters noisy signals from social media and competitors to what matters most. Internal listening captures corporate knowledge from documents, chats, and meetings for just-in-time access. Deterministic workflows enforce consistent and auditable AI outputs vital for business processes. Agents are budget-controlled and access-managed, allowing businesses to deploy AI responsibly. Memory systems grow with the organisation, avoiding tech debt and maintaining context quality. Red Command offers a single surface for managing AI activity, insights, and governance. Red Forge Enables Safe Custom AI Tool Creation allowing businesses to build AI tools aligned with their goals without risking uncontrolled deployments (48:04)
It imports and productionises existing AI skills, upgrading and fixing bugs within governance gates. Ensures businesses own their data and tools, not renting them from external providers with shifting policies. Certified Consultant Programme Targets Mid-Sized Businesses focusing on scalable, trusted AI adoption support (01:04:48)
The programme offers accredited training to deploy Red OS effectively, fostering recurring revenue for consultants. It aims to build a marketplace for AI tools and shareable expertise, increasing value and sellability. This addresses SME market needs where AI adoption is growing but expertise is scarce. Weekly Growth Call and Community Engagement This section summarises the purpose and strategic value of the weekly AI Dinner community calls.
Weekly Calls Foster Cross-Topic Discussions Connecting AI, Quantum, Education, and Culture highlighting AI’s broad business and societal impact (23:49)
Speaker Tom explained the call’s unpredictable but productive flow, covering diverse challenges under the AI lens. The calls help participants understand how AI affects leadership, education, and societal issues, not just technical topics. Calls Promote Problem-Solving Beyond Dinner Tools encouraging participants to share challenges and solutions collaboratively (24:59)
The emphasis is on practical issues and business transformation rather than pure AI hype. This community engagement supports continuous learning and strategic alignment across industries. Use of AI Tools for Meeting Transcripts and Summaries improves accessibility and participation for members unable to attend live (23:49)
This approach enhances transparency and knowledge sharing within the community. Alica Bank’s AI-Driven Growth and Cultural Transformation This section captures insights from Conrad Ford on how Alica Bank integrates AI into its growth strategy and organisational culture.
Alica Bank is the UK’s Fastest Growing Fintech, Outpacing Revolut with a focused SME customer segment overlooked by large incumbents (28:44)
Their niche targets mid-sized businesses too complex for consumer banking but too small for corporate coverage. This ‘soft underbelly’ segment represents a third of the UK economy and a key growth opportunity. Phased AI Adoption Strategy Balances Speed and Stability with three phases: initial tool adoption, agentic use cases, and full business reinvention (36:23)
Phase one drove 25% daily AI usage in targeted teams, mainly software developers, by end of 2025. Phase two focuses on deploying 20+ live agentic use cases that deliver tangible benefits and integrate across teams. Phase three plans a new AI-native bank platform built via multiple ‘moonshots’, balancing risk and innovation. Agentic AI Use Cases Demonstrate Practical Business Value such as automated PDF data ingestion to speed loan assessments (40:11)
Dual-model checks reduce hallucinations by escalating disagreements to human review, ensuring accuracy. Cross-functional squads empower frontline teams to build and deploy AI tools, avoiding departmental silos. Culture and Leadership Are Critical to AI Success with clear values, accountability, and flexible vision underpinning transformation (46:09)
Leaders send unambiguous messages prioritising AI adoption and continuous improvement. Transparent OKRs align individual work with strategic AI goals, enabling adaptive progress. A design team intern improved design system speed by 10x, illustrating rapid productivity gains. Regulatory Environment Supports AI While Emphasising Customer Conduct and Cybersecurity under UK principles-based regulation (57:18)
Regulators demand fair customer treatment and strong cyber defences without stifling innovation. Banks must manage AI risks proactively, particularly regarding data sovereignty and automated decision-making. Alica uses Microsoft Azure enterprise tools to ensure data safety and compliance. AI Literacy and Practical Skill Development Initiatives This section highlights efforts to upskill individuals and businesses in AI tool usage.
‘Ship an App in a Day’ Programmes Offer Hands-On AI Application Building for non-coders starting with a business idea and ending with a deployable app (11:34)
Upcoming sessions scheduled for 7th July and 14th August provide accessible entry points into AI development. Partnerships with Claude Code ambassadors enhance community reach and technical support. Educational Emails and Seating Assignments Enhance Event Interactions by informing attendees about tablemates and suggested discussion topics (01:44)
AI-powered orchestration via Claude Code and Codex manages bookings and engagement deterministically, reducing token costs from $50 to about $4.35 per event (19:13). This approach demonstrates how controlled AI workflows can improve event efficiency and participant experience. Weekly Growth Calls and Dinner Community Events Foster Ongoing Learning beyond tool use to include leadership and societal impacts, encouraging diverse perspectives (23:49)
Speakers encourage participants to join calls for collaborative problem-solving and networking. Blogs and Knowledge Sharing Document AI Journeys and Lessons Learned with detailed, honest accounts of challenges and strategies (51:11)
These resources support deeper understanding and informed adoption across industries.
Action items Eric Promote and share details of upcoming "Ship an App in a Day" sessions on 7th July and 14th August, including distribution of the coupon code to attendees (11:34) James Continue optimisation and operationalising of the Dinner workbook solution for event and guest management, including planning future enhancements with post-event feedback integration (16:57) Mike Jones & Rob Warner Expand the Red OS Certified Consultant programme, develop a marketplace for agent tools and consulting revenue streams, and continue refining Red OS operating system components (53:46) Conrad Ford Continue publishing detailed blog series on Allica Bank’s AI scaling journey and foster culture and leadership around AI adoption within Allica (01:50:00) All attendees Participate in networking sessions to strengthen industry connections and consider involvement in weekly Dinner growth calls for ongoing dialogue and learning (22:23)