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Proud to be part of this team and this ecosystem. Something about the innovation here is different — people are enabling technology differently. And it works. The Local Government AI Marketplace is led by councils, enabled by KPMG, and focused on what actually delivers value: • build once, scale many • responsible AI baked in • built together with councils • real, practical use cases in market Honoured to be part of an ecosystem turning collaboration into outcomes. Building ResponsibleAI-by-design within the solutions is such an amazing feeling. To be able to show it works within the spine of solutions that make a difference. Happy to share our experience. Message me for a chat. #AgenticAI #LocalGovernment #ResponsibleAI #PublicSectorInnovation #Ecosystem #KPMGAustralia #TrustworthyAI Shane Lyell Simon Tarte Kar Lim Keirstyn Spencer Liz Watts Anthony Coops Kaladhar Reddy Tom Dang Rahul Dutt Mukesh Lodhia Vikash Chand Roma Hambar Navneil Naicker Ayush S.

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The balance of speed to solution and doing things the right way. Plan ahead how you can deploy Agentic AI by doubling down on foundations. Jumping into a point solution without a strategy or governance will cause you a great number of headaches!

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Australian organisations are struggling to scale AI initiatives due to data silos, skill shortages, technical debt and inconsistent data maturity. This is resulting in stalled progress and limited returns on AI investments. This is a fantastic read on the challenges many are facing, but more importantly how to tackle them by aligning AI strategy with business outcomes, prioritise data integration, harness AI driven creativity and ensure strategic alignment with clearly defined frameworks and governance practices. https://lnkd.in/g-E5SHw7 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIStrategy

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Traditional search is obsolete. Your data wants to talk back. Organisations often struggle to extract real-time insights from operational data, especially when legacy search tools fall short. The challenge: enabling smarter, conversational access to data. Join Pio Balistoy at Data Saturday Melbourne as he demonstrates how Azure SQL’s vector search, combined with Azure AI Services and LangChain, can help you build chat-enabled apps that interact directly with your data. Unlock new possibilities for intelligent, real-time insights. Speaker: Pio Balistoy, Azure Data expert Register now: https://lnkd.in/gVNJjd7W #DataSaturday #AzureSQL #VectorSearch #AI #DataScience #Melbourne

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Proud to see Forbes Australia highlight David Ellis and the direction he is setting for IBM Consulting in Australia. The piece outlines a clear shift. Leaders want AI programs that deliver measurable outcomes. David’s focus on three horizons of AI Maturity, i.e., Personal productivity, Workflow optimisation and Full business model innovation, I believe, creates the required discipline. The national AI agenda will push enterprises to lift digital productivity. This raises the bar for every transformation program. Strong data foundations, safe deployment patterns and workforce readiness now sit at the core of executive decision making. David reinforces this with precision. Trust, governance and people sit ahead of technology. This mirrors what I see in the market. Organisations want confidence before scale. A strong reflection of leadership in action.

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2026 is the year of Practical Intelligence. APAC enterprises are moving fast—from copilots to autonomous, multi-agent systems, from siloed platforms to sovereign, governed intelligence. But here’s the hard truth: without the right #DataFoundation, AI ambition collapses under cost, risk, and complexity. In 'Denodo Predictions 2026 – The Year of Practical Intelligence (APAC)', Richard J. and Shanmuga Sunthar Muniandy from Denodo cut through the hype to reveal what’s actually changing—and what leaders must do now. 🔍 What we unpack: • Why experimentation must give way to execution • How adaptive governance becomes a competitive advantage • Why unified, self-service data is critical for AI at scale 👉 Join the conversation shaping #AI’s next chapter in APAC. Register now: https://okt.to/5p7CB8 #DenodoPredicts #DenodoPredictions #DataPredictions #APACPredictions #DataManagement #DataforALL #NoAIWithoutData

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Yesterday, the Digital Transformation Agency (Aus Gov), published the AI Plan for Australian Public Services. This plan is built on three pillars: - Trust: transparency ethics and governance - People: capability building and engagement - Tools: access infrastructure and support. Every public servant will have foundational training and capability support, access and guidance needed to use AI tools safely and responsibly, supported by leadership from the Chief AI Officers working to promote adoption. https://lnkd.in/gTbANUBW

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Australian customers can now access the latest open-weight models from DeepSeek, Google, Mistral, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and others directly in the Sydney region - meaning their data stays onshore, satisfying data sovereignty and residency requirements that are non-negotiable for regulated industries like financial services, government, and healthcare. https://lnkd.in/gRY7qqBJ

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New Zealand businesses report AI talent shortages. Meanwhile, the country’s leading AI researchers are gathering in Wellington this week. The 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association conference kicks off today, hosted at Te Whiri Kawe in Wellington. It coincides with two other major conferences: the Pacific Rim International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (PRICAI 2025) and the Image and Vision Computing New Zealand conference (IVCNZ 2025). The timing creates a rare concentration of AI expertise in one city. The gap between what businesses need and what researchers are building is narrowing. Meanwhile, applications for the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology Artificial Intelligence Research Platform close this Thursday. The fund offers $70 million to accelerate AI research that can be applied commercially. It aims to build local capability and develop technologies that benefit both research and industry. This matters for executives facing talent shortages. The researchers presenting this week represent the pipeline of AI capability New Zealand will need. Some of these leaders grasp what is coming. They are building connections between academia and industry, training the next generation of AI practitioners, and solving problems that will have commercial relevance. If your organisation needs AI talent, you need to know where the expertise is being developed. This week offers a clear answer. Thanks to those leading the way in this space, including Mengjie Zhang Albert Bifet Gill Dobbie Richard Green Fangfang Zhang Andrew Lensen Janet Toland Heitor Murilo Gomes Alvaro Orsi Dr Mahsa McCauley (Mohaghegh) Madeline Newman Jannat Maqbool Bernhard Pfahringer and many more brilliant minds not mentioned. #AIRA2025 #PRICAI2025 #IVCNZ2025 #AINZ #AIresearch #NZIATfunding #ArtificialIntelligence #Wellington

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What’s possible when we apply AI for the public good? It was a privilege to open the Data, Analytics & AI stream with @Publicis Sapient at the Government Innovation Showcase NSW 2025. My opening question was simple: Are we putting in place the skills, platforms, and ways of working to keep up with citizen expectations?   As we explored the Minister's 5 priorities for a modern digital government - inclusiveness, productivity, trust, safety and resilience - it became clear that AI must play a central role in delivering these outcomes.   Key highlights: • Nicholas Davis (UTS Human Technology Institute) shared vital insights on how we need to understand AI before scaling it • Ilro Lee (Building Commission NSW) showcased how data intelligence underpins better regulatory frameworks • Hon. Victor Dominello and our panel discussed practical, actionable steps on AI adoption within government • Sonia Minutillo (IPC NSW) led a dynamic conversation about balancing AI innovation with privacy and trust • A key focus on the importance of public data for vulnerable groups, with an insightful discussion led by Hannah Tonkin (Women’s Safety Commissioner)   As we continue advancing initiatives like the Digital Wallet and ID program and expanding linked services to improve accessibility and resilience, the potential of AI is inspiring. But it’s our collective responsibility to ensure it’s built on trust.   If you're exploring how AI for public value can help achieve these priorities, let's talk. Check out Sapient AI, our trusted, enterprise-grade AI solutions for the public sector. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gjb3JitU   #GovTech #AIinGovernment #ResponsibleAI #PublicValue #NSWShowcase2025 #DigitalTransformation #AIforGood #PublicSectorInnovation #DigitalInclusion

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Nicholas Poon explores the Darwin Gödel Machine, an AI system that evolves like humans by rewriting its own code and testing itself on real tasks. Discover how this innovative approach allows AI to endlessly improve itself, moving beyond fixed architectures. #AI #MachineLearning #EvolutionaryAlgorithms #DarwinGodelMachine #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #NicholasPoon #this_post_was_generated_with_ai_assistance #responsibleai https://lnkd.in/eNeNbM6g

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This is what AI driven transformation looks like... - By 2035, AI applications and datacentre infrastructure together could become a $3.4 billion industry in New Zealand.   - Generative AI adoption could increase New Zealand’s GDP per capita by 14%, .  - A public sector pilot of Microsoft Copilot showed a 1781% return on investment, saving workers 13 hours a month on repetitive tasks.

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