Biography

Book Michelle Lee through The Keynote Curators.

Michelle Lee is an AI keynote speaker, technology and leadership expert, and the founder and CEO of Obsidian Strategies. As the former VP of Amazon’s Machine Learning Solutions Lab, Michelle advised Amazon’s biggest clients on how to implement AI, GenAI, and machine learning into their business. Now, as founder and CEO of Obsidian Strategies (“Architects for AI-Driven Strategies”), Michelle shows business leaders how AI is being applied to increase productivity, enhance customer experiences, and drive revenue across a wide range of industries. Michelle was also an executive at Google during their formative years and she brings unique perspectives based on her time in Silicon Valley.

Michelle Lee is a frequent speaker on AI, innovation, digital transformation, and board governance and has spoken at The World Knowledge Forum, South by Southwest, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Conference, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Michelle Lee has spent her career building and advising some of our country’s most innovative AI/data-driven companies (Amazon and Google), which gives her unique perspectives on the opportunities and applications of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.

As the CEO and Founder of Obsidian Strategies (“Architects of AI-Driven Strategies”), she helps Fortune companies identify and implement their highest return-on-investment AI opportunities. Previously, she was a senior executive at Amazon and the Vice President of the Machine Learning Solutions Lab at Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

At AWS, she led a global team of business consultants and data scientists who worked with clients from a broad range of industries to spot and implement their most fruitful AI/machine learning applications. She also played a key role in addressing policy, regulatory, and ethical risks associated with AI services and applications and was the founding business executive lead for AWS’s responsible AI efforts. Through both her industry and government experiences, Michelle has a unique understanding and ability to balance the opportunities and risks in AI, an area of active interest to regulatory and legislative bodies as well as society.

Michelle is an MIT AI Lab-trained computer scientist and has worked at the MIT AI and Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratories. She has been featured in The Wall Street JournalBloombergNPR, and the MIT Sloan Management Review. For her expertise, she has testified before Congress about 10 times and received numerous awards for her leadership and professional accomplishments.

Before Amazon, Michelle served as the presidentially-appointed Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, one of the largest intellectual property offices in the world, where she brought AI and data analytics to the agency to enhance operations. As the head of the 200-year-old U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, she led over 10,000 people to implement an agency-wide AI strategy, increasing the quality, speed, and consistency at which patents were issued.

 

Contact us for Michelle Lee’s fees and availability. 

Read More

Videos

Michelle K. Lee, USPTO - Enterprising Women of Commerce Speaker Series

2016 State of the Valley conference: Michelle Lee keynote speech

Request Availability

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

AI: THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE AND PRACTICAL AND 7 LESSONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AI IN YOUR COMPANY

AI is one of the most transformative technologies of our generation. Computers can now create, “see,” “hear,” predict, and perform a wide variety of human tasks. Recent developments in AI (including generative AI, computer vision, machine learning, and robotics) will impact every business and aspect of our lives with both positive and negative effects. As a result, every organization needs to ask itself, what is its AI strategy? Michelle Lee is an MIT AI Lab-trained computer scientist who has spent her career advising some of our country’s most innovative AI/data-driven companies (Amazon and Google), which gives her unique perspectives on the applications of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. In this engaging talk, Michelle cuts through the hype and brings the high-level talk down to reality with concrete examples and recommended actions. Audiences will come away with the 7 lessons for AI implementation that can help their companies increase operational efficiencies, enhance customer experiences, and generate new revenue.

REAL IMPLICATIONS OF GENERATIVE AI: THE PROMISE AND PERILS OF AI AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN AI-CENTRIC WORLD

AI is powerfully transforming virtually every aspect of our business and personal lives including the way we analyze data, make predictions, generate content, delight our customers, grow revenue and increase operational efficiencies. However, there are challenges to using generative AI for organizations in terms of accuracy, copyright, bias, regulations, and more. Just because something can be achieved by AI doesn’t mean it should. Based upon her unique multi-disciplinary experiences from the top levels of technology, business, law and government, Michelle Lee shares with her audience concrete examples of incredibly powerful business applications of AI, some associated risks, and how to balance the two to lead organizations to leverage responsible, reliable and trustworthy AI applications. For this thought-provoking yet practical talk, Michelle Lee draws upon her experiences as a technologist and AI expert who has spent her career building and advising the most innovative AI/data-driven companies like Amazon and Google, her time as a top-ranked governmental official (Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office) and her experiences as a lawyer and policy maker to examine the practical implications of Generative AI for organizations. Audiences will come away understanding where to lean-in on AI and Generative AI, where not to, and how to leverage AI for competitive advantage.

Testimonials

Michelle, thank you for coming all the way here to present. There was so much interest in your content and you also had so much energy on stage. Thanks again. Cheers!
It was a pleasure to have you as a speaker at our conference. Your insights were invaluable, and I believe our attendees greatly benefited from your expertise.
The AI talk. Michelle is great!

Blog Posts

Best Artificial Intelligence Speakers for Healthcare Conferences (2026)

Discover the best Artificial Intelligence Speakers for Healthcare bringing innovation, ethics, and technology to modern medicine.

Read More

Purpose-Driven Leadership Lessons That Keep Elite Teams Aligned Under Pressure

Purpose-driven leadership expert Marc Koehler shares battle-tested strategies from nuclear submarines to transform how your team makes daily decisions.

Read More

Best Leadership Speakers for Real Estate & PropTech Conferences (2026)

Find the Best Leadership Speakers for Real Estate & PropTech Conferences. Book proven voices in AI, sustainability, and growth leadership today.

Read More

Why Your Event Network Matters More Than Your Runbook (The Hidden Success Factor)

Network strength decides event success more than any runbook—discover why trust between people creates unforgettable audience experiences.

Read More

Best Leadership Speakers for Construction & Infrastructure Conferences (2025)

Discover the Best Leadership Speakers for Construction & Infrastructure Conferences in 2025—experts in safety, culture, resilience, and operational excellence.

Read More

Why Top Event Planners Choose Authenticity Over Polish, with Anthony Scaramucci

Authenticity drives audience trust and engagement. Learn how keynote speakers use real talk to transform events with insights from our guest Anthony Scaramucci.

Read More

Related Artificial Intelligence Speakers

Contact Us Today

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Fill out the form so we can best understand your needs.
    A representative from The Keynote Curators will reach out to you.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form