Chapter 371

Two days later, Gabriel Ashcroft flew to Lucerne for the International Artificial Intelligence Symposium.

Similar to last year's technology summit, this event served as a premier platform for industry leaders to discuss cutting-edge AI advancements and share technical expertise.

Accompanying him were Camille Hartwell, Declan Vaughn, and several newly recruited engineers from NovaSight Labs.

The decision to bring junior engineers like Declan was strategic - since they hadn't been exposed to sensitive company information yet, there was zero risk of intellectual property leaks.

Upon arriving in Lucerne and entering the convention center, they found the venue already packed. Rumor had it several world-renowned AI specialists would be making appearances.

At last year's summit, Gabriel had already drawn considerable attention simply by being Graham Bellamy's protégé.

Now, with NovaSight Labs's growing prominence, his presence caused an even bigger sensation.

The moment he stepped into the grand hall, nearly every head turned in his direction. A swarm of attendees immediately approached to greet him, keeping him thoroughly occupied.

Camille and Declan stood off to the side, observing Gabriel's networking, when suddenly a familiar voice caught Camille's attention.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Camille turned.

It was Tristan Rutherford, with Lucas Caldwell standing beside him.

She nodded politely. "Mr. Rutherford, I didn't expect to see you here."

Tristan wasn't someone who typically attended such conferences personally - sending senior executives or technical experts like Lucas would have sufficed.

But it had been weeks since he'd last seen Camille.

Knowing she'd likely attend a major event like this, he'd made the trip himself.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Tristan noticed Declan shooting him icy glares, which he pointedly ignored.

Just then, Damien Harrington arrived - noticeably without Selene Lancaster in tow.

Before Camille or Gabriel could react to his arrival, the event organizers appeared, ushering in a distinguished gentleman in his sixties with great ceremony.

Both Camille and Gabriel immediately recognized the man - Graham Bennett.

Bennett was a titan in the AI world.

Earlier, they'd been surprised by Selene's absence from Damien's side.

Now, seeing Bennett, everything made sense. Selene stood right beside him, clearly familiar with the renowned professor.

Connecting the dots between Bennett's reputation and Selene pursuing her PhD in Lucerne, Camille and Gabriel realized the truth.

Most likely, Bennett was her doctoral advisor.

To be accepted as Bennett's PhD candidate - Selene was clearly exceptional.

While not one of deep learning's founding fathers, Bennett's contributions to AI were monumental and undisputed.

His appearance electrified the venue.

"Graham Bennett? Is that really him? He actually came?"

"If this is a dream, don't wake me up!"

"I wouldn't dare dream this big!"

An old colleague of Bennett's approached to greet him.

After exchanging pleasantries, the man glanced at Selene and asked, "And who might this be?"