Canva, Microsoft, NatWest and FreeAgent have been confirmed for a Milton Keynes AI conference examining how artificial intelligence is changing the everyday operation of small and medium-sized businesses.
The four organisations will be among the partners contributing to the fifth Accelerating AI Conference at Unity Place on Tuesday, October 13. The free event forms part of MK Tech Week and is expected to attract around 300 delegates.
Canva’s involvement is a significant addition to the programme because of the platform’s widespread use by smaller businesses for marketing, design and content creation. With more than 400 designs published every second on Canva around the world, the company has seen remarkable growth and has been expanding its artificial intelligence, marketing and business tools.
Its appearance alongside Microsoft, NatWest and FreeAgent also reflects the conference’s move beyond AI as a subject principally associated with technology companies.
The programme will examine its application across creative work, workplace productivity, finance, accounting, funding, marketing, software development and automation. Cybersecurity, regulation and the risks associated with the growing use of AI by smaller businesses will also be addressed.
Lionel Naidoo, co-organiser of the Accelerating AI Conference and managing director of Dragon Information Systems, said: “A business does not experience AI in just one department. It is already changing how companies create content, manage money, serve customers, protect data and organise everyday work.
“Having Canva, Microsoft, NatWest and FreeAgent involved gives SME leaders the opportunity to hear how AI is developing across several essential areas of business, rather than looking at it solely as a technology issue.”
The conference is being co-organised by Lionel alongside Andy Paul of Fliweel.tech and Matthew Rigby-White of qoob. Steve Lloyd of Exhibition Mastery is assisting with its delivery.
Other confirmed partners and sponsors include the South Midlands Growth Hub, South East Cyber Resilience Centre, University of Bedfordshire, Federation of Small Businesses, Milton Keynes City Council and Silverstone Technology Cluster. Business MK is also supporting the event.
The South East Cyber Resilience Centre will bring a policing and cybersecurity perspective to the programme, including the risks facing smaller companies as more employees begin using artificial intelligence tools at work.
The October event follows four previous Accelerating AI conferences held at MK:U, Aiimi and The Ridgeway Centre. More than 400 people attended the first three events in the series, with the most recent taking place in June 2026.
Research conducted around the June conference found that 63 per cent of pre-event survey respondents described their organisations as either exploring AI or conducting early experiments. Live polling on the day placed approximately three quarters of the room at a similar stage.
The findings have helped shape the October programme, which will focus on practical applications and examples from organisations already incorporating artificial intelligence into their work.
Registration for the Milton Keynes AI conference is free at acceleratingai.co.uk.
