AI in Aotearoa: The Impact It’s Having Right Now
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AI isn't a far-off, future concept anymore. This year alone, it's made NZ headlines three times over: job ads asking for AI skills have more than doubled, Westpac's CEO had to publicly call out Meta after a deepfake of her was used in a scam ad, and a new industry report found AI-related cyberattacks on NZ businesses have more than doubled in a year, with nearly half of large businesses hit in the past 12 months.
Should we be worried? Join us for our first-ever meetup as Allan Mbita (Organiser, AI Safety Aotearoa) breaks down exactly how Artificial Intelligence is already reshaping life in New Zealand.
We’ll focus on three key areas:
- 💼 The Impact on Work: AI-related job ads in NZ have more than doubled in the past year, and the roles being created look different. We're seeing junior positions increasingly expected to bring senior-level skills like strategy and judgment.
- 🌐 How We Interact with the Internet: AI is fundamentally changing what we see online and who we trust. From the rise in highly convincing AI-driven scams and deepfakes to the way we increasingly rely on chatbots for information, our digital habits are shifting fast.
- ⚖️ The Decisions Made About Us: Algorithms are increasingly being used by organisations to make decisions that affect our daily lives. We’ll explore what happens when automated systems are used to evaluate us, and the real-world impact of handing decision-making power over to machines.
After the talk, we’ll open the floor for discussion. Whether you work in tech or you're just trying to figure out what ChatGPT actually does, this event is for you. No background required, just bring your curiosity and your questions!
📍 Where: Haumia ki Te Aro, Toi Aro
🕕 When: 6:00 to 7:30pm, Friday 9 October