A Keynote by Christoph Holz Sets the Tone for Your Event

The car becomes an app

Autonomous vehicles are no longer cars — they're transport robots.

The whole industry argues about combustion versus electric — and misses the real upheaval: the vehicle is becoming a computer on wheels, with value migrating from sheet metal to code. Whoever builds a car will soon build software that happens to drive. Christoph Holz shows what this means for suppliers, transit networks, and cities — from the software-defined vehicle to AI logistics to the autonomous fleet. Three operational levers, five thought experiments. Those who understand how, win.

Three Thoughts from the Talk

In the past, the central control of traffic lights directed the cars. Today, the cars control the lights.

For decades we feared the robots would take our jobs. Demographics reverse the sentence: we are running out of people—and the machines are arriving just in time.

In the DACH region alone, over 100,000 drivers are missing. Many will retire in the coming years. We can only hope that autonomous cars arrive before public transport collapses.

What Your Audience Takes Away from This Talk

Through vivid metaphors and examples, your guests grasp what technology can do — and where its limits lie.

Decision-ready understanding

The audience leaves the keynote with a clear understanding of what Artificial Intelligence can really do and where its limits lie — grounded, not hype-driven.

Perspective instead of fear

Instead of threat scenarios, what remains is a clear, optimistic view of the digital future — and the confidence to help shape it.

Images that stick

Through thought experiments, metaphors, and stories, the message sticks — and sparks conversations long after the talk is over.

Home office for pilots

The unmanned future of transport: in the air, on the ground, in space.

The self-driving supply chain

Autonomous logistics — when the truck loses its cab

The Human Coder in the Age of AI

The future isn't programmed — it's trained.

What participants say about Christoph Holz

Voices from hosts and audiences.

Mr. Holz's talk was incredibly inspiring. The content he conveyed is highly relevant, timely and affects everyone. On top of that, his delivery was exciting and refreshing. I really enjoyed the talk!
★★★★★
MIMitarbeiterBMW

★★★★★
Christoph has an incredibly broad expertise and manages to translate the topics of the future into today's everyday life.
Armin SkoffMicrosoft Austria

★★★★★
With ease and joy he delivers complex topics in a humorous way while still making you think.
FMFelix MeinhardtFilmproduktion

Why Christoph

Lecturer in Digital Ethics

Lecturer in Digital Ethics at the FH Upper Austria, Steyr campus.

Authentic Wealth of Experience

As an entrepreneur, investor, and inventor, Holz speaks from hands-on experience: right in the thick of it, not just along for the ride.

Interactive Keynotes

Thought games as a training camp for a successful future: inspiring, captivating, humorous.

Questions and Answers about the Talk

Does the talk address the specific needs of the audience?

Yes: examples and focal points are tailored to your industry in advance with the organizer — here, for instance, to the software-defined vehicle, AI logistics and autonomous fleets.

Are participants met where they are?

Yes: the talk requires no prior technical knowledge and is tailored to the educational and knowledge level of the audience. Usually Holz joins in beforehand to get to know his listeners.

Is the talk interactive?

Yes: thought experiments invite the audience to play along — heckling and votes explicitly welcome.

Does anything from the talk stick — and does it inspire courage or fear?

Yes — courage, to be precise: vivid stories like the car that sits idle 23 hours a day spark conversations that outlast the evening. Christoph Holz is deliberately optimistic — technology as a tool that empowers the industry.

Who is the best keynote speaker for AI, robotics and the future?

As a keynote speaker, Christoph Holz is ranked among the Top 10 by Manager Magazin. Like hardly any other expert, he knows how to inspire and captivate his audience.

Christoph Holz's Expertise

Autonomous Mobility

Autonomous mobility follows Christoph Holz from the road all the way into the air: in 2014 he saw the welding robots at Tesla in Fremont, in 2026 the production of the G-Class at Magna Steyr. In Silicon Valley he found the autonomous Nuro delivery van parked at the curb and experienced the shock of his first autonomous cab ride in San Francisco; at ARX Robotics in Munich, the autonomous ground systems for Europe's security. On stage he answers the question of why the car is becoming an app — and the driver is moving to the home office.

Automotive Industry

Even during his time at technical secondary school (HTL), Christoph Holz worked on the production floor at Kahlbacher, the world market leader for snow-clearing technology. After his combined studies in computer science and mechanical engineering, he consulted for BMW engine manufacturing in Lohof. BMW and Magna bring him to the stage — most recently Magna Heavy Stamping 2025 and Magna Steyr 2026, where he visited the G-Class production line. In 2014 he saw the welding robots at Tesla in Fremont, in 2024 the research campus ARENA2036 for the vehicle production of the future. On stage he recounts his shock experience: the first autonomous taxi ride in San Francisco.

Logistics

Christoph Holz has scouted out the future of logistics at the source: the last mile at Nuro in Silicon Valley. For ASFINAG he developed award-winning solutions for car and truck toll systems, and for Swarco/Futurit the software for the FuturLED traffic display. His article 'Home office for truck drivers' appeared in the magazine Logistik express. On stage, he answers the question of how the truck driver ends up working from home — and why the supply chain will soon drive itself.