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Explore our summit programme filled with inspiring keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, and plenty of networking opportunities in the company of AI leaders from Aotearoa and around the world.
8:30 – Registration Opens
9:00 – Mihi Whakatau
9:15 – Welcome from the AI Forum New Zealand
9:30 – Conversation: What is the role of AI in Aotearoa going forward?
9:50 – Opening Keynote: Opportunities for AI infrastructure and use in Aotearoa
Details to be announced
10:20 – Panel Discussion: Sovereign Capability in the AI Era: Building the Foundations for New Zealand’s Digital Future
New Zealand is at a pivotal moment in determining how AI capability is built, accessed, and governed. This panel will explore the infrastructure, investment, and strategic choices that will shape the country’s long-term digital independence and resilience.
Panellists to be announced
10:50 – Morning Tea Break
11:20 – Keynote
Details to be confirmed
11:50 – Human Rights Commission Paper on AI
Dr Stephen Rainbow | Human Rights Commissioner
12:00 – Panel discussion: Earning Trust in the Age of AI – Building Social Licence for Innovation
Panellists to be announced
12:50 – Lunch Break
13:40 – Roundtable Discussions
Details to be announced
14:30 – Panel Discussion: From Pilot to Production: Scaling AI for Real-World Impact
Many organisations have moved beyond experimenting with AI and are now focused on delivering measurable outcomes. This panel brings together leaders who are navigating the challenges of implementation, exploring how to translate strategy into action, scale successful initiatives, and embed AI into everyday operations in a way that is practical, responsible, and sustainable.
Panellists to be announced
15:10 – Quickfires: AI in Practice: Stories from the Coalface
Details to be announced
15:30 – Afternoon Tea Break
16:00 – Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival Segment
The top four teams from the Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival will take the stage to pitch their solutions live. Each team will share how their idea tackles a real world challenge through AI, before the Summit audience votes to decide the overall winner.
16:30 – Beyond Generative AI: The Technologies That Will Define the Next Decade
As organisations begin to realise value from generative AI, the next wave of innovation is already emerging. From agentic AI and robotics to quantum computing and autonomous systems, this session explores the technologies poised to reshape industries, economies, and society—and what New Zealand leaders should be doing today to prepare for tomorrow.
Format to be announced
17:00 – Day one closing remarks
17:15 – Networking Drinks
9:00- Opening of day 2
9:10 – Opening Keynote: Experimentation to integration: Uncovering the AI Productivity Report Findings
Details to be announced
9:50 – Panel Discussion: Augmenting Human Potential – AI, Skills and the Future of Work
As organisations grapple with skills shortages, workforce constraints, and rising productivity expectations, AI presents an opportunity to enhance human capability rather than replace it. This panel will explore how businesses, governments, and educators are leveraging AI to empower their people, unlock new ways of working, and build a workforce equipped for an increasingly AI-enabled future.
Panellists to be announced
10:30 – Morning tea
11:00 – Panel Discussion: The Productivity Dividend – Turning AI Efficiency into Economic
Panellists to be confirmed
11:40 – Keynote: The AI Opportunity: Building New Zealand’s Next Export Economy
Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for countries to generate value, compete globally, and develop entirely new industries. This presentation explores how New Zealand can move beyond being a consumer of AI technologies to becoming a creator of AI-enabled products, services, and intellectual property, unlocking new pathways for economic growth, productivity, and international competitiveness
Speaker details to be announced
12:10 – Aotearoa AI Awards Finalists Announcement
12:40 – Networking Lunch
13:15 – Senior Leadership Materclasses
We are offering half-day invite only Senior Leadership Masterclasses focused on responsible AI innovation, adoption, and use. These practical upskilling sessions are designed specifically for senior leaders. Attendees will leave with strengthened capability, useful take-away artefacts, and a network of like-minded peers.
Topics include putting effective AI and data governance in place, identifying the right opportunities across your organisation, and managing implementation well.
16:15 – Summit Closes