AI Forum Generative AI Living White Paper Launch

Megan Tapsell

GM Enterprise & Pacific Technology, ANZ, Chair of AI Forum NZ

Megan is a Technology leader with 25 years of experience delivering outcomes for global organisations across the finance industry in London, Europe, New York and Auckland, fostering transformation and innovation in a digital age and improving customer outcomes. 

A major focus of her work is bringing consciousness and ethics into technology and the people enabling it with a specific focus on Māori & Pacific inclusion into the corporate and wider technology industry.

Currently GM Technology NZ, Enterprise & Pacific at ANZ, Megan also Chairs the AI Forum NZ  which focuses on bringing together the Aotearoa community of Artificial Intelligent innovators, users, investor groups, regulators, researchers, educators & entrepreneurs.  They work to promote, connect and strengthen the adoption of AI in NZ including a focus on diversity, inclusion, safe and ethical AI.

Madeline Newman

Executive Director, AI Forum of New Zealand (AIFNZ)

Madeline joined the AI Forum as Executive Director in 2022. She has extensive experience in strategy, transformational change and helping people to see the potential that innovative technologies bring and is excited to be leading the AI Forum of New Zealand as Executive Director at such a pivotal time.

Matt Ensor

Chair - AI Forum Working Group on Large Language Models

Matt is recognised as one of New Zealand's visionaries in Generative AI and in 2021 he founded local startup FranklyAI. His insights contribute to shaping the future potential for New Zealand through leading the work of the Large Language Model Working Group for the AI Forum of New Zealand and his contributions as a member of Engineering New Zealand's AI advisory committee.

Dr Amanda Williamson

Generative Artificial Intelligence Lead, Deloitte

Dr Amanda Williamson serves as the Generative Artificial Intelligence Lead at Deloitte New Zealand, supporting both Deloitte and its clients in capitalising on the strategic opportunities AI offers. Her team is focused on guiding leaders through the practicalities of adopting AI, facilitating a technology-agnostic approach to implementation. Amanda has delivered over 50 seminars to senior leaders on the subject of Generative AI, and driven the design and delivery of numerous proof of concepts using ground-breaking generative AI techniques, achieving productivity improvements of up to 75% among testers. Amanda is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Waikato.

Micheal Witbrock

Professor, School of Computer Science, Auckland University

Michael Witbrock is a professor of computer science at Waipapa Taumata Rau,The University of Auckland. Michael’s research group, the Strong AI Lab, integrates machine learning, reasoning and natural language understanding, with an additional focus on maximising the near-term benefit of AI to NZ entrepreneurs and business, and more generally achieving the best social and civilizational impacts of increasingly powerful AI. Michael’s PhD is in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon, and he holds a BSc(Hons) in Psychology from Otago University in NZ. Before joining the University, he was a Distinguished Research Staff Member at IBM T J Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY.