Along with approximately 70,000 other souls from around the globe, the NodeSource team attended Web Summit 2023 earlier this month. Famous for being the largest European tech event (or even the world), Web Summit was full of riveting AI conversations, more than 2,600 startups, and plenty of tasty food trucks and, of course, amazing local cuisine.

On the heels of this successful event, we’d like to share our team’s biggest event takeaways as we close this year on a strong note and get ready for what 2024 has in store.

#1 Everyone has a unique take on using AI.

From session topics to conversations with our peers, AI was all the buzz at the event and we were definitely not the only ones leaning into the AI movement. Startups across all industries are injecting AI into their products and services, and many are at different points in their adoption of the technology. While there are many who are only an inch deep into AI, some are using it in more advanced and compelling ways.

For example, Riccardo Semadeni, MediRapp AG’s CEO, is transforming ultrasound diagnostics and improving global patient outcomes by automating everything from data collection to diagnosis to reporting. With AI, MediRapp is making the entire process faster, more accurate, and more effective while significantly elevating patient care. This is a great showcase of how AI can process nearly unlimited amounts of data and provide analysis that significantly increases the quality of outputs and helps make better decisions.

On the other hand, another company, Harry, is using AI in a completely different way. Simo Alami explained how they are creating AI powered resources for companies. Do you need a content writer? SEO specialist? PR manager? Other marketing talent? Harry will create a customized AI resource for your organization. This is a very interesting use of generative AI to create meaningful value for small and even large organizations by augmenting teams with AI powered by data.

These two examples showcase how innovative leaders are identifying new ways to use AI advancements to transform their industries.

#2 Collaboration paves the way for continued transformation.

Our team traveled from all over the world to attend Web Summit—Seoul, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Utah, Seattle, Medellin, Bogata, Vancouver, and Berlin. With this in-person time together, we dove deep into ways we could continue to elevate our offering and customer experience. We discussed ways to evolve our recently open-sourced N|Solid Runtime and advance our AI powered Node.js Copilot, which we released on the first day of Web Summit. This time allowed us to gather essential insights from our community who shared the common consensus that NodeSource’s ability to open-source our runtime would be transformative for development teams.

Having dedicated time to come together as a team to bond, share, and test new ideas is critical to our success and we look forward to putting these plans into motion.

#3 Our industry is full of startup founders dedicated to making an impact.

On the event’s opening day, NodeSource was one of 300 startups selected for a special event, “The Gathering.” During the day, we participated in group sessions discussing a range of topics from leadership to raising capital to AI. While these discussions were full of great insights, what was even more notable was the ability to connect with fellow founders looking to make an impact.

Web Summit was full of lively conversation about taking our industry to the next level. We chatted with startup entrepreneurs, learned from headliners with unique stories, and shared exciting updates with investors, press, and customers. We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with founders and enterprise leaders whose digital products rely on Node.js and tech builders that leverage and build with Node.

Overall, NodeSource had a wonderful time at Web Summit and even had the opportunity to visit some local sites, like visiting CasCais by way of a winding trek along the coast and then up into the hills to the westernmost point of all of Europe at Cabo Da Roca. Heading into the new year, we can’t wait to attend Web Summit 2024!