AI is for everyone: Building a more inclusive future with Vend

Making AI adoption everyone’s opportunity

Antonia Brandberg Björk, EVP of People and Communications at Vend, introduced the company’s values: Uniting, Daring and Delivering, and shared how Vend is making AI learning accessible to everyone.

Through its Builder Program, internal Learning Lab and company-wide AI days, employees are encouraged to experiment and develop new skills, regardless of their role.

Once a month, Vend dedicates an entire working day to AI learning. No meetings. No Slack messages. Just time to explore, experiment and learn.

A powerful example of turning ambition into action.

Who is in the room when tomorrow’s AI is built?

Anna Strindberg, Head of Sustainability at Vend, explored the connection between responsible AI, sustainability and inclusion.

She raised an important question: Who is sitting at the table when tomorrow’s AI tools are being developed, and who is missing?

For marketplaces reaching millions of people, these questions affect everything from fair job matching to housing access.

The people who build technology shape how technology works for everyone else.

Diverse perspectives help us ask better questions and build better, fairer products.

Experiment, learn and dare to fail

In a panel moderated by Elin Eriksson, Maria Sandgren, CPTO, Ellen Widerstrand, Software Engineer, and Yevgeniya Nättilä, Senior Engineering Manager, shared their experiences of working in a rapidly changing tech landscape.

From AI-generated content lacking genuine human thinking to new opportunities in software development, the conversation highlighted both excitement and uncertainty.

A common theme was the importance of continuous learning, sharing failures and daring to experiment.

And as AI takes on more tasks, human judgement, creativity and collaboration become even more valuable.

Closing the AI gender gap

One of the final audience questions addressed a challenge close to Women in Tech’s heart: Why are women falling behind in AI adoption?

The discussion highlighted how early AI adoption can influence career opportunities, while many roles held predominantly by women face increasing automation risks.

The message was clear: Don’t wait for permission, a certificate or the perfect moment.

Start exploring. Ask questions. Experiment. Fail. Learn.

Because if women are not actively participating in building and adopting AI, we risk creating a future shaped by only part of the population.

The future of AI should not be shaped by a few. It should be shaped by all of us.

A warm thank you to Vend, all our speakers and everyone who joined us for a morning of learning, conversations and new connections!