Michael Berns
About Michael Berns
Michael Berns is Head of AI at the Eclipse Foundation, where he leads global strategy for open source AI. His work covers vendor-neutral ecosystems, digital sovereignty, and the AI projects hosted at the Foundation that organisations can inspect, adapt, and govern.
In September 2026 he started the Sovereign AI Foundation, an Eclipse Foundation initiative. It helps member organisations understand their AI dependencies, evaluate open source alternatives, and make more informed technology decisions. It launched with 17 organisations from technology, industry, and research. The same year he joined the AI Exec Board, a private peer board for senior executives accountable for AI outcomes.
Day to day he stewards projects such as Eclipse PanEval, an open source framework for transparent, standardised model evaluation. It is already used to assess hundreds of models. He convenes the AI Working Group and welcomes new projects and members. He carries the open source voice into policy conversations, from G7 and UN discussions to EU regulation.
Before the Eclipse Foundation he spent seven years as Director of AI at PwC Deutschland. There the team positioned the firm as a Leader in AI services, verified by Gartner and Forrester. Earlier he spent 16 years in London with firms such as Digital Reasoning. He built FinTech & AI solutions for more than 200 Fortune Global 2000 companies and published more than 100 professional articles.
He holds an Executive MBA from London Business School, won the TEDx Idea Challenge in 2021, and has judged the CogX Awards. He speaks English and German.
What to Expect
Session formats available:
Open Source AI and Digital Sovereignty
Strategic perspectives on open source AI, vendor-neutral ecosystems and digital sovereignty.
Understanding AI Dependencies
Practical approaches to understanding AI dependencies and evaluating open source alternatives.
Transparent Model Evaluation
Insights into model evaluation, including transparent and standardised approaches such as Eclipse PanEval.
AI Governance and Global Policy
Discussion of AI governance, policy and the role of open source in global technology ecosystems.
Lessons from Enterprise AI Deployment
Business-focused lessons from deploying FinTech and AI solutions across global enterprises.
Speaking Topics
Michael Berns speaks with authority across the following areas:
- Open Source AI and Digital Sovereignty
- Building Vendor-Neutral AI Ecosystems
- AI Dependencies and Strategic Technology Choices
- AI Model Evaluation, Transparency and Standardisation
- GenAI and Digital Transformation
- AI Governance and Global Policy
- FinTech, RegTech and AI Innovation
- Enterprise AI Strategy and Adoption
- AI for Competitive Advantage
- Global AI Ecosystem Development
Credentials and Affiliations
Executive MBA, London Business School
Head of AI, Eclipse Foundation
Founder, Sovereign AI Foundation
Member, AI Exec Board
Former Director of AI, PwC Deutschland
TEDx Idea Challenge Winner, 2021
Judge, CogX Awards
Speaks English and German
100+ professional publications
Past Speaking Engagements
BCG
Fitch Learning
Moody's
PwC
SAS
Plug and Play
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Central Banking
CeFPro
VÖB
City & Financial
TEDx
World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC)
CogX
TechUK
Münchner Kreis
Worldleader Summit
London Business School
Mannheim Business School
WHU
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