The Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon offered a comprehensive view of the global technology industry's evolution and priorities. With over 70,000 attendees from 157 countries and around 2,700 startups, the event served as a barometer for emerging technology trends. Helm & Nagel GmbH participated as both exhibitors and engaged observers, positioning the company at the center of critical industry conversations about artificial intelligence and enterprise automation.
"An AI agent will handle all the work"
When Lovable CEO Anton Osika, Visa Head of Product Mark Nelsen, tennis legend Maria Sharapova, and TikTok's currently most successful creator Khaby Lame share the same stage, it can only be the Web Summit's center stage. In a program that couldn't have been more diverse, virtually every perspective on the latest technological and media trends was examined. Had anyone been counting the most frequently used buzzwords, "AI agent" would certainly have topped the charts. However, there were significant differences in the technical depth with which this prominent concept was discussed.
The marketing stage also focused intensively on AI and data-driven communication.
While some startups strategically deployed the term to avoid having to discuss the specifics of their software architecture, others precisely articulated the opportunities and challenges of these modular AI systems. As large language models capable of using external tools and interacting with data sources, AI agents are credited with a novel form of autonomy. The actual capability of these systems to solve complex multi-step tasks still faces technical limitations that naturally remain underrepresented in tech marketing: for instance, limited context windows or error accumulation across multiple processing steps. A promising approach: dedicated language models to monitor intermediate results.
Nevertheless, one memorable statement from a panel discussion on the center stage titled "AI Agents: Your new co-workers" rings true: "AI agents are not yet co-workers."
Automation fosters human connection
As covered in our press coverage, the Helm & Nagel booth in the German exhibition area in Hall 2 could be found on November 11th. The company had the opportunity to present its solutions to guests from around the world and participate in panel discussions about AI in medium-sized businesses, bootstrapping, and funding. This echoed themes from our press release on AI agents and FAZ coverage, which explored how enterprise AI solutions are reshaping business operations. As a provider of highly customizable enterprise software, spontaneous live demonstrations have traditionally not always been straightforward, though this year was different. Since the product launch of Quick-Extract, an immediately and flexibly deployable data extraction solution is available that satisfies the curious glances of passing trade show visitors. Sample documents were uploaded and their data extracted in no time, while the team fielded questions from passersby, an enriching experience.
Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation of Germany, and Gitta Connemann, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, visiting the German exhibition area.
Throughout the rest of the program, which for Helm & Nagel was complemented by a market exploration trip organized by the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce as well as events hosted by Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), direct human interaction remained the focus. Our previous Austrian press feature highlighted similar themes about authentic business engagement in times of technological transformation. This was also a central theme in numerous presentations and discussions: when strategically deployed, Artificial Intelligence enables operational relief across various business areas, which benefits the quality of direct relationships and professional exchanges. Thus, essential core business activities continued between strategically interspersed work sessions, while the team shook hands with politicians, networked with other participants, and listened to panel discussions and anecdotes from around the world. On the marketing stage, there was consensus: this is precisely what will matter in the coming years: credibility, approachability, and authenticity amid the AI hype.
Florian Zyprian Web Summit Helm & Nagel Pitch
Florian Zyprian (CTO) and Johann Gosniz (AI Consultant) on stage. Copyright: Inshorefilms