Upcoming and recent events

Speaking events covering emerging tech and accelerating global change featuring Memia founder Ben Reid

Upcoming Events

Previous Events

Westpac Smarts- AI and Business Fireside chat on AI: Ben Reid with RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan

In this hour-long panel, RNZ broadcaster Jesse Mulligan and artificial intelligence expert Ben Reid discuss the impact of AI on business, with a fast moving and audience-interactive dialogue focusing on how your organisation can master the current technology and adopt it in daily work practices. The session covers: • What is AI and why is everybody talking about it? • What are the most useful AI apps and which aren’t worth bothering with? • How leading global businesses have already started saving time and money using AI • AI developments in the past month that even AI experts are surprised by • Risks to business from AI and how to mitigate them • Areas of business AI can’t touch • What the future holds and how to be first to adapt The session begins with a provoking panel-style Q and A addressing the big issues and introducing the audience to the business tools they’ll need to keep up and thrive in the new AI world. This is followed by an interactive audience session where attendees can ask industry-specific questions of New Zealand’s leading AI expert. Ben Reid is the founder of technology strategy firm Memia, creator of a weekly newsletter summarising AI and tech developments around the world, and author of the forthcoming book Fast Forward Aotearoa: How Emerging Tech is Defining the Future of New Zealand … and what we can do about it. Jesse Mulligan is presenter of the RNZ Afternoons show and long-running host of TV3’s The Project. He is also a freelance writer, having written for such titles as The Economist, NZ Herald, Metro and Sunday Star-Times.
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Leading with Artificial Intelligence - UC MBA Thought Leadership Series 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are being increasingly utilized across various sectors of society, including healthcare, finance, transportation, and education. Technologies like ChatGPT have made AI suddenly accessible to everyone, however, many decision makers lack a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of these technologies and are not fully aware of their potential, or their unintended consequences. When these innovations introduce new methods, processes and products, they challenge the status quo and demand that managers think differently about their businesses. Join us to hear a panel of New Zealand business leaders share their insights about leading with artificial intelligence. Our panellists include Ben Reid – author of Fast Forward Aotearoa (to be published mid-2023), former Executive Director of AI Forum NZ (2017-19), Kari Jones – General Manager – Analytics & Insights, Woolworths NZ, and Gareth Mitchell – Head of Digital and Improvement, Westland Milk Products. All guests are invited to join us for networking and refreshments following the presentation. UC MBA Thought Leadership Series 2023 The UC MBA Thought Leadership Series brings together leading business minds from New Zealand and abroad to feature in our Thought Leadership Series. Industry, students, and alumni are invited to be inspired by innovative and insightful expertise from executives and entrepreneurs.
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