Monkigras 2024

London, United Kingdom March 15, 2024, March 16, 2024

https://monkigras.com/
Tags: Llm, Prompt engineering, Art and technology, Chatgpt, Generative ai, Google bard, Gemini

CFP closed at  February 18, 2024 17:37 UTC
  (Local)

Monki Gras, the tech conference about craft and tech culture returns March 14th/15th 2024. The theme this year is Prompting Craft: examining and discussing the art of the prompt in code and cultural creation. We’ve entered the era of generative AI, so we’re running a conference to look at the skills, approaches required by creators and the cultural implications. As ever at Monki Gras talks will span disciplines – we’re a tech conference, so we’re all about software, but we’re also interested in art, writing, and music.

CFP Description

We are looking for talks that you won’t find anywhere else. Given our theme is Prompting Craft, we’re obviously interested in proposals that talk explicitly to prompt engineering as a theme, but that’s also shorthand for interesting talks about generative AI and how to use it, what the implications are of this new technology, and we can all become more effective as builders using it. Monki Gras is fairly unique in that we’re just as interested in the social, cultural, and governance aspects of tech adoption as the tech itself. Obviously, with Gen AI there are some exciting possibilities, but also some cultural downsides - given, for example, the dangers of copyright infringement and the fact that some jobs may be under threat. Don’t be afraid to propose a talk about the dark side of prompt engineering, and what kinds of guardrails we need. We’re about a thoughtful discussion of topics, not mindless boosterism. We also love talks that go Meta. Perhaps you have a story with a historical perspective about how prompt engineering should remind us of the conversation about textile process automation in the 19th century. Historical allusions, and stories, personal or historical, always work really well with our community. What can we learn from other disciplines?

But yes, experiences of how you use prompt engineering on a daily basis, and how that helps you, that’s absolutely the kind of talk proposal we’d love to see

We’re very interested in talks about interesting ways you’re using Chat-GPT, Midjourney, Bard, Q, Anthropic Claude, or any of the gamut of AI services out there, perhaps used in combination.

Prompt engineering is a new set of disciplines and a new job title - we’re seeing it pop up even in traditional industries such as legal. We’d love to know how and why your organisation set out to take advantage of LLMs, AI, and prompt engineering.

Or maybe you just want to explain what prompt engineering is, from the ground up. We like a good primer.

For would be speakers our main advice is straightforward: “be good.” One of the things all our conferences have in common is the uniform excellence of our speakers. Talks at RedMonk events are not only creative and compelling, they are prepared, rehearsed and engaging.

As for topics, that’s up to you. But remember there are two rules:

  1. Go meta - always try and find ways that one discipline informs another.
  2. No product talks, sponsor or otherwise

From there, we’re open. We’ve had first-time speakers, we’ve had people who’ve been doing it for years. At the end of the day, we’re simply looking for excellent talks you wouldn’t hear at any other conference. In a perfect world, you’ll make the attendees think about the world they’re a part of and their role in it.

Be interesting, be insightful, be original.

FAQ:

Q: What’s the deadline? A: Technically, there is no hard deadline. That said, as a single track conference, our slots are extremely limited.

Q: How long are the talks? A: 30 minutes.

Q: Should I assume deep technical knowledge? A: The majority of our audience is fairly technical, but they come from very different backgrounds and disciplines. If you want to go deep on one technology only, your best bet is to head to a conference about that technology.

Q: I’d like to purchase a speaking slot, how can that be arranged? A: You can’t. We do not sell speaking slots at the conference.

Q: Can I nominate someone else I’d like to hear speak? A: Certainly! We always appreciate suggestions, particularly where potential speakers might be enticed by the best beers in the world.

Q: I’ve already been asked to speak - do I need to submit a proposal? A: If we’ve talked separately, you’re all set.

Q: Where can I get an idea of the kinds of talks that have appeared previously? A: You can view past talks at Redmonk tech events.

Attendees (1)