State of AI: 2026 Q2

We are in a NEW LOCATION for this event, AUT has graciously provided a room on campus.

This session is a broad, ground-level overview of where artificial intelligence stands at the start of 2026 Q2, across development, business, creative tools, and emerging use cases.

We’ll cover the current state of AI advancement in multiple areas, including:

• Developer-facing AI (models, agents, tooling, integration patterns)
• Video, image, and multimodal generation (Veo3, Nanobanana)
• Emerging media models and techniques
• Business adoption and real-world use (Claude Cowork, etc)
• What has changed recently, what’s stabilising, and what’s still moving fast

This is intended as a recurring, quarterly-style conversation to reset our shared understanding of the AI landscape as it evolves.
The format is interactive. Topics, depth, and direction will depend on who attends and what attendees are working on or curious about. There is no fixed agenda beyond establishing a shared snapshot of “where things are at right now.”

The meetup is beginner-friendly: no prior AI experience is required, just interest. People new to AI are welcome to ask foundational questions. At the same time, professional programmers and experienced practitioners will be present, and there will be space for deeper technical discussion for those who want it.