Educate and inspire with engaging, insight-rich presentations about consumers, marketing and AI

A woman holding a microphone, wearing a white jacket, speaking in a conference setting.

Woman with a microphone speaking at a conference with a yellow "Shoptalk" backdrop.

Four people sitting and talking at a panel discussion event, with a background displaying text and the word 'network' visible. A floral arrangement is on the table.

Woman giving a presentation in front of a slide with key points about education, transparency, ethics, and community leverage.

Woman holding a microphone and smiling, wearing a floral patterned blouse, with a blurred wooden background.

Debra is an engaging, honest speaker who can illuminate important marketing concepts with data, humor and empathy. Her speaking credits include the Association of National Advertisers, Shoptalk, VidCon, Reddit and many more.

Book Debra for an event!

See Debra in action

Watch Debra at Skai’s ShopAble 2026 conference

Watch Debra at the 2025 Cannes Lions

During a panel discussion at Salon Culture Conversations / Cannes Lions 2025, Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst of Sonata Insights, illuminates why consumers will blame the brands they know, rather than tech firms, when they experience bias in AI.

Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst at Sonata Insights, shares how businesses can lean on their social media experience to embrace AI search. Filmed at the Salon Culture Conversations event at the 2025 Cannes Lions festival.

What People Are Saying About Debra Aho Williamson

"Debra is a trusted voice on AI and technology and the perfect expert to elevate events and go-to-market strategies."

— Paul Peterman, Senior Managing Director, Large Customer Sales, Reddit

"Debra’s ability to contextualize consumer behavior and communicate its meaning as both numbers and common sense means people leave smarter after one of her presentations."

— John Gauntt, Creative Director, Seattle AI Film Festival

"Debra has a knack for getting to the heart of a lot of the most pressing issues marketers need to care about today. She's a charismatic, engaging speaker who brings a lot of energy and excitement to her talks."

— David Berkowitz, Founder, AI Marketers Guild

"Debbie brings a uniquely grounded (and human) perspective to keynotes and presentations. Her sessions cut through AI hype with data-driven insights about how people really use these tools, making her presentations both engaging and actionable."

— Tameka Kee, SVP, Programming and Operations, Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement

Debra’s speaking credits include:

AdExchanger’s Programmatic AI (opening keynote)

Advertising Week New York

AI Marketers Guild

Amazon

American Marketing Association (Puget Sound Chapter)

American Marketing Association (Iowa Chapter)

Ascendant Network

Association of National Advertisers

The Athena Project

Bank of America

Beet.tv

Cannes Lions 2025/Salon Culture Conversations

Clorox iConnect

Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement

The Drum

The Female Quotient

Operative’s InView (opening keynote)

Seattle AI Film Festival

Sensor Tower/EMARKETER at Cannes Lions 2026

Shoptalk Fall - Chicago

Shoptalk Spring - Las Vegas

Skai’s ShopAble (keynote)

VidCon

Contact Debra Aho Williamson