Neil Patel
Co-Founder, NP Digital | Owner, Ubersuggest & Answer The Public | NYT Bestselling Author | Top 10 Marketer, Forbes & WSJ
Will.i.am
Nine-Time Grammy Winner & Black Eyed Peas Co-Founder | Founder & CEO, FYI.AI | Early Investor, OpenAI & Anthropic | UN Goodwill Ambassador, AI
will.i.am built one of music's most iconic acts, helped found Beats Electronics, and made early bets on OpenAI and Anthropic — long before AI was a boardroom buzzword. Today, as founder of FYI.AI and a UN Goodwill Ambassador for AI, he is one of the most credible and compelling voices on creativity, technology, and what it means to build an inclusive AI future.
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Will.i.am biography
will.i.am is one of the most genuinely cross-disciplinary figures of his generation — a nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician, tech entrepreneur, AI founder, investor, and education advocate whose career defies easy categorization. Born William James Adams Jr. in Los Angeles and raised in the Boyle Heights housing projects, he went on to lead the Black Eyed Peas to global superstardom, selling over 60 million singles worldwide and producing some of the most commercially successful records of the 2000s and 2010s. But the more enduring story of will.i.am may be the one unfolding in technology — where he has spent two decades building companies, making early investments, and arguing that AI is not a threat to human creativity, but its greatest amplifier.
Celebrity AI speaker will.i.am has been at the intersection of music and technology longer than almost anyone in entertainment. As part of the original founding team behind Beats Electronics, he helped build one of the most successful consumer electronics brands in history before Apple’s $3 billion acquisition. He went on to found i.am+, a technology company focused on AI, natural language understanding, and voice computing, and has made early investments in companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Pinterest, and Dropbox — a portfolio that reflects genuine conviction rather than celebrity opportunism. His flagship venture today is FYI.AI, a creativity and productivity platform for the creative community that integrates AI-powered communication, collaboration, and idea generation tools, including RAiDiO.FYI — an AI-powered interactive radio experience featuring culturally diverse AI personas that engage listeners in real-time conversation.
In 2025, will.i.am was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the AI Skills Coalition of the United Nations International Telecommunications Union — a recognition of his sustained advocacy for AI literacy, digital inclusion, and equitable access to the opportunities technology creates. He has partnered with Qualcomm to embed FYI.AI across its Snapdragon line of chips, reaching phones, PCs, and connected vehicles at scale. He hosts will.i.am Presents the FYI Show on SiriusXM, a weekly exploration of the intersection of creativity, technology, and culture featuring the platform’s own AI co-host FYIona. He is also joining the faculty of Arizona State University to teach a course on agentic artificial intelligence.
Education Advocacy and the Long Game
Parallel to his technology career, will.i.am has built one of the entertainment world’s most credible philanthropic platforms around STEAM education for underserved youth. Through the i.am Angel Foundation, he has funded scholarships, in-school programmes, and after-school STEAM initiatives for disadvantaged students from kindergarten through high school in communities like his own childhood neighbourhood. He serves on the boards of College Track, FIRST Global robotics, and the Smithsonian Science Education Center, and has been honoured with a TIME 100 Impact Award, the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, and an Honorary Fellowship from the Institution of Engineering and Technology in the UK. He co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Generation AI working group on AI, youth, and education.
As a speaker, will.i.am is unlike anyone else on the stage. He speaks from lived experience at the crossroads of creativity, technology, and social impact — bringing the energy of a performer, the analytical depth of a serial entrepreneur, and the moral clarity of someone who has never forgotten where he came from. Audiences leave not just inspired but challenged to rethink the relationship between human imagination and machine intelligence.
Will.i.am Speaking Videos
Will.I.Am at Tech Tranformers
Will.I.Am Speaking at closing of First Robotics Championship 2016
Will.i.am Keynote Topics
will.i.am has been arguing for years that artificial intelligence is not the enemy of human creativity — it is its next great amplifier, the way hip-hop was for a generation that had no studios, no instruments, and no gatekeepers to ask for permission. In this signature keynote, he draws on his dual career as a global music artist and AI entrepreneur to explore what the collision of machine intelligence and human imagination actually produces — and why the organizations that learn to work at that intersection will define the next era of culture, business, and innovation.
Growing up in the Boyle Heights housing projects, will.i.am was not supposed to be a tech entrepreneur. This keynote is his most personal — and one of the most powerful origin stories in the business world. He traces the journey from East Los Angeles to founding Beats, investing in OpenAI, and building FYI.AI, exploring what unconventional paths teach about risk, creativity, resilience, and the kind of thinking that disrupts industries precisely because it comes from outside them. A keynote for organizations that want to understand what genuine innovation actually looks like — and who it comes from.
As a UN Goodwill Ambassador for AI and the founder of the i.am Angel Foundation, will.i.am has spent years arguing that the most important question in the AI revolution is not whether AI is powerful — it clearly is — but whether its benefits will be distributed equitably. In this keynote, he addresses the responsibility of technology leaders, corporations, and governments to ensure that AI amplifies the voices and opportunities of communities historically excluded from innovation. Grounded in his own biography and his work in STEAM education, this session challenges senior audiences to think about inclusion not as a compliance issue but as the defining competitive and moral question of the AI era.
What happens to creative industries when machines can compose, design, and produce? will.i.am's answer is not dystopian — and it is not naïve. Drawing on his experience producing music alongside AI tools, building AI personalities for FYI.AI, and co-chairing the World Economic Forum's Generation AI working group, he maps a future in which human creativity becomes more valuable, not less — but only for those who learn to collaborate with the technology rather than compete against it. A must-see keynote for leaders in media, entertainment, marketing, and any creative industry reckoning with generative AI.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Will.i.am
Why will.i.am?
Booking will.i.am for your event means securing one of the most compelling and genuinely credentialed voices at the intersection of creativity, technology, and social impact. He is not a musician who dabbles in tech — he is a nine-time Grammy winner who was part of the founding team of Beats Electronics, an early investor in OpenAI and Anthropic, the founder and CEO of FYI.AI, and a UN Goodwill Ambassador for AI. His ability to hold an audience is extraordinary: he brings the presence of a world-class performer, the analytical clarity of a successful entrepreneur, and a life story rooted in real adversity and genuine transformation. Whether your event focuses on AI, innovation, diversity in technology, the future of creativity, or education, will.i.am delivers something no slide deck can — a keynote that audiences will be talking about long after the event ends. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check availability.
What is FYI.AI and what does will.i.am's company do?
FYI.AI is will.i.am's creative technology company, built around an AI-powered productivity and communication platform designed specifically for the creative community. The platform integrates messaging, video collaboration, and AI-generated idea tools, and has expanded to include RAiDiO.FYI — an interactive AI radio experience featuring culturally diverse AI personas that engage listeners in real-time conversation. In 2025, FYI.AI announced a partnership with Qualcomm to embed the platform across its Snapdragon chip line, extending its reach into phones, PCs, and connected vehicles globally. will.i.am has described FYI.AI as his attempt to ensure that AI reflects and empowers all communities — not just the ones already privileged by technology.
What investments has will.i.am made in technology?
will.i.am has built one of the most credible tech investment portfolios in the entertainment world. He was part of the original founding team of Beats Electronics, which Apple acquired for $3 billion. He made early investments in OpenAI, Anthropic, Pinterest, and Dropbox — bets that reflected genuine conviction and foresight years before these companies became household names. Through his company i.am+, he has also invested in and developed businesses across AI, natural language understanding, voice computing, automotive, consumer electronics, fashion, and telecom. His investment track record is not the story of a celebrity lending his name — it is the story of someone who has consistently identified transformative technology early and committed to it.
What topics does AI speaker will.i.am cover at events?
As a keynote speaker, will.i.am covers the future of artificial intelligence and creativity, the democratization of technology and AI inclusivity, the intersection of music and machine intelligence, STEAM education and opportunity for underserved communities, entrepreneurship and building tech companies from unconventional starting points, and the ethical dimensions of AI development. He is particularly effective for events in technology, media and entertainment, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and corporate culture. His keynote can function as an inspiring main-stage opener, a provocative fireside chat, or a high-energy closing session that leaves audiences energized. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss how to make the most of will.i.am's appearance at your event.
How to book Will.i.am as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Will.i.am as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Will.i.am's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Will.i.am or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Will.i.am speaking fee?
Will.i.am speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Will.i.am to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Will.i.am.
How can I contact Will.i.am?
We only work with Will.i.am on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Will.i.am and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Will.i.am speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Will.i.am for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Will.i.am for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Will.i.am is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Will.i.am for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
