After the success of last year’s theme, "Decoding Generative AI", the Q-Day Conference is back to explore what remains to be said and, more importantly, implemented in this field. That’s why the 15th edition of Q-Day brings the theme “Generative AI: from Buzz to Business” to the stage.

In 2023, we discovered that Generative AI is doubly decodable: on the one hand, it’s not magic, but a science and skill that everyone can understand and use; on the other, it automates software development, shifting the focus away from coding (decoding), freeing people and organizations for more strategy, solutions, and results.

This edition goes far beyond prompts, LLM, and NLP, among other current buzzwords. We will not merely discuss what Generative AI is and how it has exponentially evolved in the past twelve months. Instead, we will demonstrate practical and real applications of how this technology is being used to create value and drive innovation, efficiency, skills, and sustainable growth in Portugal and worldwide.

The future appears technologically promising, with substantial gains and positive impacts in areas such as healthcare, education, economy, transportation, communication, and sustainability. AI-driven companies are proliferating, AI specialists are increasing, and everything we see and hear seems to be generated by AI. However, appearances can be deceiving. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to distinguish pioneers from those riding the hype wave, separate true innovation from mere marketing ploys, and reward projects that genuinely change the world from those that are simply promises or opportunists. This is what Q-Day 2024 aims to do: help you to find the differences.

In the view of João Paulo Carvalho, Co-founder and Senior Partner of Quidgest, this 15th edition of the Q-Day Conference is doubly special – not only because of the high-level program it brings this year but also because of the milestone it represents in the history of Quidgest and all those who have accompanied it over the years: speakers, clients, employees, partners, media partners, and participants:

"I have had the honor of witnessing the evolution of the Q-Day Conference, an event that, edition after edition, has played a fundamental role in anticipating and defining the major trends in digital transformation. From the early debates on innovation, export, or strategic intelligence to the most recent discussions on sustainability or generative artificial intelligence, the Q-Day Conference has been a privileged platform for discussing the future and inspiring real change.

This year, to introduce the theme ‘Generative AI: from Buzz to Business’, we are honored to have the Secretary of State for Modernization and Digitalization in Portugal, Prof. Alberto Rodrigues da Silva, present a strategic vision on the role of AI in Portugal's future. In addition to the opening session, we will have four panels – two in Portuguese and two in English – led by renowned speakers and moderators, where the challenges, opportunities, and best practices that generative AI brings to various fields will be discussed from a multidisciplinary perspective. From the economy to governance, the role of software in organizational strategies, digital empowerment, or the future of the labor market, the debate promises to be highly enriching.

We are also excited about the return of the session dedicated to the guest country, Denmark, this year, where we will bring together companies, entrepreneurs, and investors to explore the synergies in Portugal-Denmark relations, focusing on AI and other technological innovations. To crown an event that honors pioneers, visionaries, and those who make a difference, we will have the Co-Innovation Awards ceremony, a celebration of the digital initiatives and solutions that stand out the most in the Quidgest ecosystem –and this year will feature new categories highly relevant to the current context. I invite everyone to participate in this special edition and to be part of this story, which now spans 15 editions dedicated to digital transformation. Here’s to many more to come”.

08:30 am | Participants Reception
09:00 am | Opening Session
09:40 am | Panel 1 – Global Vision with Local Execution (in Portuguese)
10:30 am | Coffee break
11:00 am | Panel 2 – Purpose and Value for Society (in Portuguese)
12:00 pm | Co-Innovation Awards
01:00 pm | Networking lunch
02:30 pm | Panel 3 – Business and Innovation Ecosystems (in English)
03:30 pm | Session with guest country – Denmark (in English)
04:30 pm | Coffee break
04:45 pm | Panel 4  – Future-Proof Skills (in English)
05:45 pm | Closing Session

The first Q-Day Conference began at 9:00 am on 09/09/2009 and symbolically lasted 9 hours. Since then, the Q-Day has been the stage where the major digital transformation trends of our time are debated. Each edition has brought themes that not only reflected the challenges of the moment – and we faced many in these 15 years – but also anticipated the changes that would shape the future of people and organizations.

In 2009, amidst an economic crisis, we started by exploring "Innovation Against the Crisis", highlighting the urgent need to find innovative solutions to overcome adversity. This debate laid the groundwork for 2010, when, under the theme "AAA+ Innovation", we learned how innovation, technology, and knowledge could gain the recognition they deserve on a demanding global scale.

With the need to restore confidence, in 2011, we faced fears with "Overcoming the Adamastor", a metaphor for the significant challenges facing Portugal that required courage and technological disruption to overcome. This pioneering spirit continued in 2012 with "The Export Route", where we discussed how companies could expand their horizons beyond borders, taking Portuguese innovation to the world.

In 2013, under the theme "Building the Future", we explored ideas on how to build a more digital and sustainable future. And, in 2014, we launched the debate on informed decision-making with the theme "Making Better Decisions". The long-term dimension was further explored in 2015 with "Strategic Intelligence".

2016 was a year of celebrating Portuguese potential with "Portugal: Sun, Sea & Software", an ode to our natural and technological competitive advantages. This vision of the future culminated in 2017, when we declared "The Year of Digital Transformation", a milestone in which digital technology became definitively associated with transformation, and we saw technology serving transformation rather than technology for its own sake.

With digital transformation underway, 2018 brought to the forefront the methodologies that accelerate such change: "Hyper Agile, Lean & Machine Learning". In 2019, we delved even deeper into the theme with "The New Spring of Artificial Intelligence and Models", addressing artificial intelligence's resurgence and modeling's role in software development to translate the high complexity of business in the digital age. In 2020, the Q-Day Conference was suspended due to a global event that redefined everyone's priorities: the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, as the world recovered and focused on broader and more ambitious goals, in 2021, we took on the responsibility and mission to discuss the "SDG 2030 – Sustainable Development Goals", positioning sustainability at the heart of organizations' strategy and purpose. In 2022, we turned to "Innovation from Within”, a theme that led us to reflect on how changes originating within organizations impact not only their culture but also societies and nations.

In 2023, we bet on "Decoding Generative AI", unveiling its key concepts, schools of thought, and tools like Genio and ChatGPT, which can be combined, learned, and harnessed to do more, better, and with fewer resources. It was a return to the roots, as Quidgest and Genio were founded more than three decades ago under the sign of artificial intelligence.

Now, in 2024, we move forward with "Generative AI: From Buzz to Business", and we will show how this new technological frontier, more than a source of fascination or curiosity, is already a reality creating tangible value that is redefining business paradigms, transforming public services, and driving individual and collective productivity.

Throughout these 15 editions, the Q-Day Conference has established itself as a reference event in the national calendar, gaining space and credibility by marking the rentrée of events in September with a day of open and accessible debate for all. This gathering, which brings together experts, leaders, and thinkers from various fields, has become synonymous with reflection and anticipation of the most relevant topics of our time. At Q-Day, the country finds a privileged stage to discuss the innovations and critical players decisively and digitally transforming our present and future.

For more information on the Q-Day Conference 2024 and to register, please click here.

Quidgest is a global technology company of Portuguese origin, with 36 years of history. A pioneer in modeling and automatic software generation through its Generative AI platform – Genio, Quidgest develops complex, urgent, and specific systems, ready to evolve continuously, flexible, and scalable, for various technologies and platforms (web, cloud, and mobile). Partners and major organizations, such as governments, multinational companies, and global multilateral institutions use Quidgest's solutions to achieve their digital strategies. More information at Quidgest.com.