AIRE Club #45: AI Reality: We’re further than we think, slower than we could be.

10.03.2026 • 16:00–19:00 • AIRE office (Akadeemia tee 15b, Tallinn)

Why do we say “yes” to AI, but act like “no”?

• The pilots are done.
• The tools are purchased.
• The management agrees.
• In real life, decisions are delayed, responsibilities are diffused, and workflows do not change as quickly as technology.
• The gap is not in knowledge – it is in behavior. 

AIRE Club #45 starts with a broader perspective – an overview of the eesti.ai initiative provides a framework for where Estonia’s national AI direction is today. We then get into specifics through two different experiences: LHV’s AI implementation in the financial sector and the reality of Estonia’s mechanical engineering and manufacturing sector. The focus is on the decisions, work organization, and accountability that determine whether AI usage moves from experimentation to real business value.

Why attend?

• eesti.ai framework: national AI direction and what’s next on the table – the context in which organizations make their decisions.
• You’ll get a clear picture of what “real AI implementation” is: how to go from pilot to daily work in a way that creates measurable value.
• LHV’s experience from the inside: decisions, metrics, and quality control practices that make AI use manageable.
• A view from the engineering industry: the logic and limitations of implementing AI in manufacturing and engineering – data, workflows, investment rationale, and responsibility.
• Three perspectives on AI transformation in one room: strategy (what for), technology (how), and culture (who actually uses it and how).
• Roundtable discussion with the audience: questions from participants and specific examples, not generic “AI talk”.

Panel: LHV, Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry and Portata.ai

The panel starts where the value is already there: in what jobs is AI actually being used, not just as a pilot?
– Will the benefits come in terms of speed, quality, risk reduction, or new opportunities that didn’t exist before?
– What led from testing to actual use – what decision, what change in work organization?
– From there we move on to questions that arise in every organization: why is there an understanding, but the way of working doesn’t change?
– What is the role of trust and the need for control – who decides, who validates, who is responsible?
– When is caution wise and when is it just inertia?

LHV’s experience provides a concrete view of implementing AI within an organization: what is decided, how is it measured, and how is quality maintained.
The engineering industry perspective brings a different reality to the table – manufacturing, engineering, investment rationale, and data availability.
The central question: how to make the use of AI manageable – clear accountability, metrics, quality control, and risk limits.

Discussion group with participants

Open discussion with the audience: Where does the “yes/no divide” arise in your organization? What obstacles recur the most? Is there a lack of better information, clearer accountability, better examples, smaller steps, or safer boundaries? The goal is to bring specific questions and concrete examples to the table.

Agenda

• 16:00–16:15 Gathering and introduction
• 16:15–16:25 Overview of the eesti.ai initiative + 1–2 questions (Kirke Maar)
• 16:25–17:30 Panel (75 min)
• 17:30–18:15 Discussion with participants (45 min)
• 18:15–19:00 Networking – free conversation and exchange of contacts

Speakers

Kirke Maar founded and served as CEO of the artificial intelligence and robotics center AI & Robotics Estonia (AIRE) and is now its Chief Visionary Officer. Her work as a technology and innovation leader has garnered attention, and she will become the CEO of Estonia’s artificial intelligence program Eesti.ai in April.
AIRE’s mission is to bring together Estonian entrepreneurs and scientists to use more technology, artificial intelligence and robotics in industry to make production more efficient and profitable. Kirke brings both a human and practical perspective to the discussions, encouraging collaboration and courage. She believes in collaboration, both within Estonia and between the Nordic countries, to keep the region at the forefront of technological development.

Kristi Loo – Product Manager of LHV’s Artificial Intelligence Customer Experience and former Head of Customer Service. During her leadership period, LHV was repeatedly awarded the title of the bank with the best customer service in Estonia, and today Kristi focuses on the practical implementation of AI and creating measurable value.

Andri Haran – Andri Haran has been active in industry-related fields for the past 20 years. Having worked both as an industrial policy maker in the public sector and as an implementer in the private sector, Andri has a good overview of what is happening in the industrial sector. Today, Andri is the CEO of one of the largest industrial associations in Estonia, the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry. What the alliance and member companies see when implementing AI: value propositions, assumptions, data, accountability, ROI.

Lembit Loo – Founder and strategist (moderator) of Portata.ai. Helps leaders connect AI implementation with a strategic, technology and cultural perspective: clear priorities, a solid foundation and people who actually use it. With over 20 years of technology and management experience (Oracle, Microsoft, IBM) and international digital development programs (GIZ, Smart Africa). Creator and host of the Estonian General Intelligence (EGI.ee) podcast.

NB! The event will be held in Estonian.