AI to help run New Zealand Chambers of Commerce conference in Rotorua

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short will MC the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce conference with the help of AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be serving up questions at a conference for business leaders in Rotorua.

The Rotorua Business Chamber is hosting the annual New Zealand Chambers of Commerce conference for the first time.

About 75 chief executives and board chairs from 26 chambers will come together for the three-day event starting on Wednesday.

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short will MC the event - and AI will co-host.

“It’s gonna bubble up all these questions for me,” Short said.

Incredible AI co-chief executives Matt Browning and Stephen Johnson created an app for the conference.

Their software company builds custom AI tools, workflow automations and internal business apps for companies.

The pair will lead the conference’s final session, which Short said would be “really high energy”.

Their app will listen to speakers and pull out key themes to suggest questions in real time.

Attendees can also ask questions through the app and view the conference agenda.

Workshop sessions will use the technology to collect feedback from groups and turn it into summaries.

“No more waiting weeks after the conference to get notes back,” Short said.

Short described the unnamed app as “phenomenal” and “high tech”.

“From an MC’s perspective, I love it.”

Short said businesses were ready to move beyond the theory of AI and start using it in practical ways. Many were still unsure how to get there.

Referencing recent Xero research, Short said many businesses saw AI as a major opportunity, but remained “a little bit nervous” about issues such as trust, privacy and implementation.

She said using AI throughout the conference was a “great opportunity” for the chamber network to “really embrace” the technology and see it in action.

Short said speakers and topics were chosen based on what was most “topical” and relevant to businesses right now, including AI and the national fuel response.

Delegates will hear from Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer, and Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds.

NZ Herald business editor-at-large Liam Dann, Rotorua-based Jacky James, from The Shine Collective, and Kiri Hannifin, Air New Zealand chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, will also speak.

Sessions will cover productivity, crisis management and business resilience.

Short said hosting the conference was also a chance to showcase Rotorua.

Delegates could take part in the Redwoods Treewalk, “NetWalking” around the lakefront, Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa, the Government Gardens and the Rotorua Museum grounds.

A gala dinner will be held at Terrace Kitchen and a welcome function at Te Puia.

Despite the technology-focused conference, Short said bringing business leaders together face-to-face remained important.

She said chambers had a role to “connect businesses”, making it “really important” to connect regions around the country.

“That’s where the richness lies.”

Short said she was “excited” to host everybody.

Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.