BMet Champions Human Element in Tech with Landmark ‘HI in AI’ Conference

BMet hosted its groundbreaking “Human Intelligence in Artificial Intelligence: Skills for the Future Workplace” (HI in AI) conference this week at Matthew Boulton College.

Held deliberately during Birmingham Tech Week, the event brought together high-profile employers and around 100 16-to-19-year-old students across the college – from BMet’s Greater Birmingham Professional Services Academy (GBPSA) and related business, digital and IT sectors.

The pilot conference served as a vital exploration of why human capabilities—such as commercial thinking, data interpretation and authentic communication—remain entirely irreplaceable in an increasingly automated world.

The event also established a direct link to Monday’s Future Leaders Conference, forming a week-long narrative focused on the responsible use of AI and its shifting role in modern recruitment.

Designed to be highly interactive, the conference moved away from traditional presentations to engage students in live debates, ethical case studies and practical workshops. Industry experts led sessions tailored to show young people how to critically combine AI efficiency with human judgment.

The conference featured an elite lineup of regional business leaders and digital transformation specialists:

• Opening Keynote: Alex Zarifeh (Futures Readiness) set the stage by exploring why human skills like adaptability and leadership are essential as AI continues to evolve.
• Commercial Thinking: Chris Weston (NashTech) challenged students to identify where AI “runs out of road” and human judgment must take the wheel.
• Project Management & Oversight: Ann Ramsay (One Advanced), alongside her colleagues Hasan Idrees and Evjehiya Fedoseeva, demonstrated how human oversight solves problems when algorithms fail.
• Data Thinking & Analysis: Vita Woods (BNP Paribas Personal Finance) trained students to spot patterns, errors and biases in incomplete data.
• Presentation & Communication: Craig Matthews (WAA Chosen) focused on how to refine and adapt AI-drafted content for diverse professional audiences.
• AI in Recruitment: Julia Von Klonowski (Digital Skills Consulting) provided crucial insights into how students can use AI responsibly to support job applications without losing their authentic voice.

The event concluded with a high-impact employer panel discussion exploring the exact traits businesses look for in future recruits—including curiosity, resilience and integrity.

The panel featured Clare McKee (WM5G) alongside Chris Lake and Porchevi Kihela-Polesa from Gateley. Porchevi, a former BMet student and celebrated GBPSA alumnus now working at Gateley, served as a powerful real-world example to current students of how professional services academies bridge the gap between education and elite regional employment.

The panel heavily underscored the core theme shared with the Future Leaders Conference: while AI can assist in drafting CV’s, employers are actively looking for the genuine human insight, evidence and accountability that applicants bring to the table.

Here are what some students had to say:

Zachary, Business Student:

“The event changed my opinion of AI and taught me a lot of things that I wasn’t aware of before. As a result, I can now implement such knowledge effectively when it comes to preparing for interviews and creating CV’s that are likely to attract employers.”

Mariam, Digital T Level Student:

“It was a very interactive event that enabled me to hear different perspectives on a range of current topics relating to AI. We heard how to AI can be used positively and negatively and the importance of critical thinking.”

Taha, Engineering T Level Student:

“I learned that AI is a good tool, if used sensibly. It has many benefits that can help people to progress, but we shouldn’t rely on it. AI has improved a lot over the years and will continue to in the future.”

Roya: IT Student:

“The event was amazing and I was able to learn many new things. I now have a stronger idea of how AI can play a part in gaining employment. I liked how the day was broken up into different parts and offered various sessions to widen our knowledge of AI and see how it can give us new opportunities.”

Kawtar, Business Student:

“It was a very interesting event, which reinforced a lot of what I already knew, whilst also enabling me to discover how best to use AI whilst using human thought and creativity. I particularly liked the question-and-answer session with the expert panel.”

Following the success of today’s event, BMet plans to roll out this pilot conference framework across its other college campuses. Future iterations will be tailored to address the intersection of human intelligence and AI across other vital regional industries, including engineering, healthcare and medical sciences.

BMet continues to place huge significance and value on T Levels and STEM subjects, for the benefit of students and the college as a whole. This includes partnerships with key likeminded organisations around the region and beyond.