Jigar Desai speaking on stage in blue suit with microphone

Making people move
from inaction to action.

Keynotes, workshops, and facilitated conversations for leaders in expertise-driven work. Not a lecture about AI. A room that uses it, with the judgment layer built in. Every format shares the same DNA: three sharp ideas you can act on, and one honest admission of what is still being figured out.

Featured at events hosted by
BuiltWorlds ACEC CREW Network Villanova University AMFP ACI EMI AEC AI and Tech Strategy Podcast International Concrete Repair Institute Society for Marketing Professional Services BuiltWorlds ACEC CREW Network Villanova University AMFP ACI EMI AEC AI and Tech Strategy Podcast International Concrete Repair Institute Society for Marketing Professional Services

Two moments from a live session.

Recorded during a hands-on AI workshop at the ACEC Washington Spring Conference in Union, Washington, where eighteen teams competed across four business scenarios. The first clip is the framework. The second is the prompting method the teams put to work.

The framework: (AI + MI) × HI.
RISE+: the anatomy of a working prompt.

(AI + MI) × HI™ is an original framework developed by Jigar B. Desai.

What I speak about.

Four subjects and one format. The format is the one people remember.

AI Adoption + Strategy

Moving from pilot projects to strategic adoption, through the (AI + MI) x HI framework.

Differentiation

Why so many organizations in one field look identical, and what to do about it.

Leadership + Growth

From PhD to business leadership. Scaling multi-disciplinary teams through change.

Building Science + Material Intelligence

Where the judgment argument comes from. Two decades of diagnosing why things fail.

Build the Muscle

Reading about AI does not build capability. Reps do. Live competitions and working sessions where teams leave with work products, not notes.

2026
Sep 16
Workshop
Your Network Is Not Small. Your Memory Is.
SMPS Philadelphia. A hands-on working session for marketing and business development professionals. Most people do not have a networking problem. They have a memory problem. Attendees use AI on their own LinkedIn data and leave with work products they can use the next morning.
Sep 23
Moderator
Clarity Over Speed: AI Across the Healthcare Facilities Lifecycle
AMFP Greater Philadelphia, Fourth Annual Healthcare Summit / The Union League of Philadelphia. Moderating the keynote panel for healthcare executives and facilities leaders. Two AIA CEU credits offered.
Oct 14
Speaker
TECH360, presented by the Chester County Economic Development Council and ITAG / The Desmond Hotel, Malvern, Pennsylvania. Session I, 1:20 to 2:05 pm, Ballroom.  Event →
Nov 19
Speaker
International Concrete Repair Institute, Delaware Valley Chapter Symposium. Co-presented with Nick Heim, PE, co-founder of Trinovate Advisors.  Chapter →
Jun 10
Panelist
AEC PM Connect NJ / Engineering Management Institute. Joined the panel on how AI is reshaping project management, and where human judgment still decides.  LinkedIn →
Jun 4
Workshop
ACEC Washington State Spring Conference / Union, Washington. Created and led a live AI competition: eighteen teams, four scenarios, one scored rubric.  Watch the room →
May 1
Podcast Guest
Hosted by Nick Heim, with Kenneth Shultz, PE and Carter Huddleston, PE of PermitZIP  LinkedIn →
Apr 22
Speaker
CREW Greater Philadelphia / Seasons 52  Resources →
Apr 14
Guest Lecture
Build for the Long Haul: The (AI + MI) × HI Framework for Sustainable Infrastructure
Villanova University, College of Engineering, SUSE 7112, Sustainable Engineering Master’s Program  Survey →
Apr 15
Guest Lecture
Villanova University, School of Business, VSB 2014, Principles of Managerial Accounting  Survey →

The Villanova Double-Header

Two Villanova colleges, 48 hours apart. Engineering asked about material intelligence and the long-haul thinking behind infrastructure that lasts. Business asked how professional services firms measure performance, and where the numbers lie. One thread connecting them: the judgment layer that no dashboard replaces. LinkedIn →

2025
Oct
Speaker
BuiltWorlds Infrastructure Conference 2025
Sep 24
Panelist
Adaptive Reuse in Healthcare
AMFP Greater Philadelphia / Union League
Jul 22
Podcast Guest
AEC AI and Tech Strategy Podcast / Engineering Management Institute. The number one most listened episode of the show’s first 100.  Listen →
May
Speaker
BuiltWorlds Buildings Conference 2025

For speaking inquiries, jigar@threeandahalfthings.com