AI/ML & Data Community Durban

Data enthusiasts, AI innovators, and tech explorers, it’s time to strip away the hype and get real! Data & AI Community Day Durban: AI Unplugged is happening on March 14, 2026, and we’re bringing you a full day of raw, authentic, community-powered learning. 🎸

We, Azure, AI/ML & Data Community Durban, are kicking off 2026 the way we know best, with a packed house, brilliant speakers, and the kind of honest, no-fluff tech talks that have made our events one of the largest community-run tech gatherings in South Africa. 🚀

Following Up on Merry Christmas People (MCP)

We closed out 2025 in style with Data & AI Community Day Durban: Season of AI — Merry Christmas People (MCP)! That event was the perfect way to end a record-breaking year: four Data & AI Community Days and Durban’s first .NET Conf, with nearly 1,000 attendees across all events and 65 speakers (many of them first-timers!). The MCP event delivered everything we promised: deep dives into Model Context Protocol, festive energy, a legendary panel discussion, and enough hallway track conversations to keep LinkedIn buzzing for weeks. 🎄🔥

Figure 1: Data & AI Community Day Durban: Season of AI — Merry Christmas People (MCP)

Now it’s time for the next chapter. If MCP was about unwrapping the future of AI connectivity, then AI Unplugged is about stripping things back to what actually matters: real knowledge, real skills, and real community.

Data & AI Community Day Durban: AI Unplugged

Think of it like MTV Unplugged, but for tech. No corporate polish. No death-by-slideshow. No “AI will change everything” hand-waving. Just real people sharing real knowledge with a room full of 200+ developers, data professionals, students, and tech enthusiasts who are hungry to learn.

Data & AI Community Day Durban: AI Unplugged is a FREE full-day, in-person event for the community, by the community, where we deep-dive into the most exciting innovations in AI, data, and cloud technologies. It is packed with cutting-edge insights and networking opportunities. It promises an exciting, in-depth exploration of artificial intelligence and other hot topics in the realm of Data & AI.

We keep the friendly Durban energy, the slightly cheeky banter, and the serious technical depth.

What to Expect

From the title, you know there will be AI. But “Unplugged” means we go deeper, wider, and more honest than the hype cycle allows. Since the event is organised by Azure, AI/ML & Data Community Durban, we have a mix of topics that celebrate everything Data & AI, and beyond. Expect topics along the lines of:

🤖 AI & Machine Learning

AI Agents & Agentic AI: Multi-agent systems, orchestration, and real-world implementations
Generative AI: LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG, fine-tuning, and what’s actually production-ready
Model Context Protocol (MCP): Servers, clients, integrations, and use cases
AI-Coding: GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Vibe Coding, how AI is changing the way we build software
Small Language Models: Running AI locally and when you don’t need GPT-scale
Responsible AI: Bias, fairness, ethics, the stuff that actually matters
AI for Africa: Unique use cases, challenges, and opportunities on our continent

📊 Data & Analytics

Microsoft Fabric & Analytics: Data engineering, OneLake, lakehouses, Direct Lake, and business intelligence
Database Development: Performance tuning, architecture, indexing, and modern database tech
Streaming Data & Real-Time Analytics: Kafka, Event Hubs, Spark, Flink, and data in motion
Power Platform & Power Apps: Making AI and data accessible to business users

💻 Development & Beyond

.NET & Development: What’s new, what’s next, and practical developer tips
DevOps & Platform Engineering: CI/CD, infrastructure as code, GitHub Actions
Cybersecurity: Because every developer and data professional needs to think about this
Career & Community: Breaking into tech, levelling up your career, building your personal brand
Real-World Use Cases: Because theory is great, but practice is better!

Even though our events have historically been associated with Microsoft’s Season of AI initiative, AI Unplugged stands on its own, and as always, we welcome topics covering non-Microsoft tech as well. The event will feature a mix of 50-minute deep dives and 20-minute lightning sessions, delivered by a diverse panel of experts, architects, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) who are all at the forefront of their fields.

The format is fast-paced 20-min lightning talks + 50-min deep dives. And yes, by popular demand (and a touch of infamy), the legendary panel discussion returns, ready to tackle your spiciest AI and data questions live on stage. 🔥

So, whether you’re passionate about AI agents, curious about generative AI, eager to explore data engineering, interested in database development, fascinated by .NET, or want to soak in the latest in Data & AI, there’s something for everyone. Our expert speakers are ready to share their insights and experiences, providing you with the knowledge and inspiration to advance your projects and career.

This event is a MUST-ATTEND! 📈🤖🎸

Why Attend

Data & AI Community Day Durban: AI Unplugged is a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts, network with peers, and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and technologies in Data & AI. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out in the field, this event offers something for everyone. Don’t miss this chance to connect with like-minded individuals, expand your knowledge, and take your career to the next level:

Actionable content: no fluffy slides, proven patterns, code, and architectures.
Local + global voices: Microsoft MVPs, architects, thought leaders, and community experts.
Real community: Durban’s friendliest tech crowd, great hallway track, and plenty of time to network.

Here are some quotes from previous events:

“This wasn’t just a local event but a world class AI and Data Conference for KZN, it reminded me as though I was at the Africa AI Expo last November in Sandton, this is how much this event has grown, and many new corners. Well done to all the amazing speakers and sponsors.”

“Another awesome event 👏 Thanks to the organizers and all the sponsors for having such an amazing conference here in Durban for free. An absolute privilege to attend and listen to such talented individuals and companies do wonders using AI and IT.”

“What an incredible time at the Data and AI event in Durban! We had a blast sharing knowledge and connecting with 230 AI enthusiasts who are as passionate about the future of technology as we are! A massive shoutout to the organizers and sponsors for making this event possible. Your hard work and support made it a huge success!”

“An amazing and insightful event to meet likeminded developers. The speakers were wonderful and the panel discussion was a highlight.”

Speakers

UPDATE: The Call for Speakers is now OPEN! We’re looking for passionate speakers to share their expertise with the Durban community.

🔥 Why Should You Speak?

Share your expertise with 200+ passionate attendees from across the AI, data, and developer community
Expand your network by connecting with fellow industry leaders and innovators
Contribute to the growth of the local Data and AI/ML community
Elevate your personal brand and thought leadership: speaking at AI Unplugged is the acoustic set that shows off your real talent 🎸

🎯 Topics of Interest

The event’s theme is AI Unplugged, honest, practical, no-hype tech talks. We want sessions that show what actually works in the real world, share lessons learned (failures included!), and give our audience skills they can use on Monday morning.

We’re looking for engaging talks in areas such as:

AI Agents & Agentic AI — multi-agent systems, orchestration, and real-world implementations
Generative AI — LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG, fine-tuning, and what’s actually production-ready
Model Context Protocol (MCP) — servers, clients, integrations, and use cases
AI-Coding — GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Vibe Coding — how AI changes the way we build software
Small Language Models — running AI locally and when you don’t need GPT-scale
Responsible AI — bias, fairness, ethics — the stuff that actually matters
AI for Africa — unique use cases, challenges, and opportunities on our continent
Microsoft Fabric & Analytics — data engineering, OneLake, lakehouses, and business intelligence
Database Development: performance tuning, architecture, indexing, and modern database tech
Streaming Data & Real-Time Analytics: Kafka, Event Hubs, Spark, Flink, and data in motion
Power Platform & Power Apps: making AI and data accessible to business users
.NET & Development: what’s new, what’s next, and practical developer tips
DevOps & Platform Engineering: CI/CD, infrastructure as code, GitHub Actions
Cybersecurity: because every developer and data professional needs to think about this
Career & Community: breaking into tech, levelling up your career, building your personal brand
Real-world AI & Data Use Cases: because theory is great, but practice is better

Got a topic that doesn’t fit neatly into these categories? Submit it anyway! Some of our best sessions have come from unexpected places.

If you have a passion for any of these areas (or anything else related to AI/ML and Data) and want to share your knowledge, we want to hear from you!

We encourage new speakers to submit proposals. We provide a “safe,” welcoming environment to get started speaking at conferences. Whether your session is a 20-minute lightning talk or a 50-minute deep dive, we want to hear from you.

Submit Proposal

Expect to see thought leaders in their respective fields, Microsoft MVPs, Software Architects, etc.

We also want to showcase local talent, so please get in touch with us if you are interested in speaking.

Sessions

The sessions will appear here as soon as they are confirmed. As mentioned above, the event is a full-day event, and in addition to awesome presentations, it will allow you to network with your peers.

Student Showcase

The Student Showcase is back! After its hugely successful debut at Ready Player 2 and its return at Merry Christmas People (MCP), we’re continuing to roll out the red carpet for Durban’s brilliant students and fresh grads.

We know you’re building mind-blowing stuff in Data & AI. The problem? You’re keeping all that genius locked away in your laptops! Time to break out of stealth mode.

This isn’t just another “student corner”; it is your chance to present your work to industry veterans, potential employers, and your future network.

The Deal

⏰ 50 minutes of pure student power
🎯 Showcase your work (5-10 minutes) to 200+ industry professionals
💼 Direct access to potential employers and mentors
🚀 Launch your reputation in Durban’s tech scene

Got a project that makes you proud? A dataset you’ve tamed? An AI model that actually works? A dashboard that doesn’t look like it was designed in 1995? We want to see it!

Ready to unplug and show your stuff? Drop us an email at events@aimldatadurban.org with “Student Showcase” in the subject line. Spots are limited (it’s only one session, after all), but if you don’t shoot your shot, you definitely won’t score.

P.S. You need a ticket to the main event first. Then we’ll talk about putting you on stage! 🎫

Registration

The registration for the event has not yet opened. We will update this page as soon as the registration opens. We expect a large turnout for this event, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible when registration opens. The event is free, but space is limited, so don’t miss out!

Agenda

The agenda will appear here as soon as it is confirmed. As mentioned above, the event is a full-day event, and in addition to awesome presentations, it will allow you to network with your peers.

Venue

We are once again back at our favourite venue: Richfield College, Umhlanga Campus!

Figure 2: Richfield College, Umhlanga Campus

Richfield College offers modern lecture theatres, strong Wi-Fi, excellent A/V equipment, and secure parking — everything we need for a world-class Data & AI event!

Location Details

Address: Centenary Boulevard, Park Square, 5-9 Park Avenue, Umhlanga

How to get there:

The campus is inside the Park Square complex
Take the elevator in Block C to the first floor, and you’re there!
If you come by car, you enter the parking garage from Centenary Boulevard
Secure parking is available

Get directions to the event

About Azure, AI/ML & Data Community Durban

The Azure, AI/ML & Data Community Durban group is a user group for the community by the community. It is a learning experience where we share, learn, and encourage the community to leverage Azure, AI/ML, and Data to solve problems.

Our Mission: To empower and create heroes of society through Azure, AI/ML, and Data.

We Do Positive Things through innovation and passion.

Contact Us

Have questions? Want to speak? Interested in sponsorship?

Contact the organizing team →