AI with Purpose: Engineering AI That Makes a Difference
At Engineers Hub, we work every day with engineers and startups building the technology behind tomorrow's solutions, and AI is now part of almost everything they create. From machine learning models that help in emergencies to intelligent systems that transform how we build and manage our cities, AI has become one of the most powerful tools in any engineer's toolbox.
But powerful tools need a clear direction. AI can be engineered simply to make businesses more efficient, or it can be engineered to create solutions that have a positive effect on society and the world around us. That was the idea behind AI with Purpose, an Innovation Day on 22 September at AIhub by Unicorn Factory Lisboa, bringing together startups from Engineers Hub, greenhub and healthhub.
A technology that is changing fast
AI is evolving faster than ever, and the question of what it is being built for has never been more urgent. In recent weeks, even the leaders of the world's biggest AI labs have called for a more careful pace, with Anthropic's Dario Amodei urging companies to slow capabilities development and receiving backing from OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk. For us, the message is clear: engineers are the ones turning AI into real products and systems, and with that comes the responsibility to point it towards the challenges that matter most.
An Innovation Day for Lisbon AI Week
As part of Lisbon AI Week, the event focused on how AI-powered solutions are shaping real societal impact, from urban innovation and sustainability to health. More than 120 participants joined us for an afternoon of talks, showcases and conversations.
Urban Track: engineering resilience
For the Engineers Hub community, the Urban Track was the heart of the day. It explored what AI looks like when it moves beyond the screen and into the physical world, helping us rethink the systems that shape everyday life.
Pedro Fernandes, Machine Learning Lead at TEKEVER, opened with Technology in Service of Resilience, showing how AI can help communities respond better under pressure in emergency scenarios, from wildfires to search and rescue. It was a strong example of what happens when machine learning meets real-world engineering: technology designed to work where it matters most, when it matters most.
Francisco Pais de Sousa, Co-founder of L.ai - Holistic Waste Management, followed with Rethinking Waste, Rethinking Value. He showed that some of AI's most meaningful applications are found in the systems we rarely think about, and that by using impact theory we can create solutions that help us live better now and in the future.
Manie, Constructer.ai and AiTecServ then took the stage to showcase how they are using AI to make cities, environments and shared systems work better for people and the planet.
Health Track: AI for better care
The programme continued with a Health Track led by our colleagues at healthhub, starting with the launch of the healthhub Open Innovation Program under the banner Show Up Before the Problem Does. Pedro Maurício of Tucuvi then spoke on Extending the Reach of Care, and the track closed with showcases from Simpl.care, UpSpeech and Usawa Care.
Closing and Networking Sunset
Having explored what AI can do for our cities and our health today, the day closed by looking further ahead. Rodrigo Fernandes, Co-founder of Augusta Labs, delivered the closing keynote, Beyond Today: AI's Long-Term Impact on Society. For Rodrigo, the real challenge is not to stop innovation, but to make sure it is matched by more "prevention, control, international cooperation and political preparedness." A timely reminder for everyone building with AI that how we engineer these systems today shapes the society we will live in tomorrow.
The day ended with our Networking Showcase Sunset on the rooftop. Over food and drinks, participants visited the startup booths, where Typeble, BloodFlow and Lampsy joined the startups from the showcases, met the founders behind the solutions and saw AI with a purpose in action as the sun went down over Lisbon.
Thank you
A heartfelt thank you to our speakers, to the startups who shared their work, and to everyone who joined us. The future of AI will be shaped by the choices engineers and founders make about what to build and why, and at Engineers Hub we are proud to support the ones who choose purpose.
Want to be part of the next conversation? Follow the Engineers Hub by Unicorn Factory Lisboa calendar on Luma and stay tuned for upcoming Engineers Hub events.
