Rotorua’s Triple Scoop founder Matt Browning shares AI advice

Triple Scoop founder Matt Browning has big ambitions for his company.

“Don’t get left behind,” RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson last year urged Rotorua businesses as he encouraged them to investigate using AI – Artificial Intelligence – tools to add value and improve productivity. Local Democracy Reporting journalist Laura Smith spoke to a Rotorua AI expert about helping people get past the fear of upskilling and asked local councils how they are adopting AI.

A Rotorua AI business expert with global ambitions says he wants to upskill more locals so they stay in the region.

Self-taught coder Matt Browning founded Triple Scoop in April 2023 and now has a team of nine. He said the company aimed to be “the number one low-code agency in the world”.

Offering AI solutions, business automations, and data analytics platforms, it was described as a “trailblazer in the tech world” when awarded the Scion innovation and technology award at October’s Tompkins Wake Rotorua Business Awards.

Browning told Local Democracy Reporting more than half the company’s revenue came from the US, but he felt no need to relocate.

“I think a lot of New Zealand companies would love to do business outside of New Zealand and we are now doing that from here … we don’t have to be based in New York. We don’t have to be based in LA. ”

He aimed to hire more locals and upskill young people “so they don’t have to leave the region”. People were often afraid of new technology and avoided upskilling.

“What that means is that people get left behind, not just locally but internationally.”

AI enabled “less boring work”, he said, and his pitch to clients was freeing up five hours per employee per week.

Triple Scoop founder Matt Browning and Scion innovation manager Amanda Davies at the 2024 Rotorua Business Awards. Photo / Michelle Cutelli Photography

“We don’t see people’s jobs being taken as so much as refined to be doing more value-added work.”

He also had advice for local councils using AI: be cautious and risk averse.

For example, public servants should not send information to AI that they would not want on a website, Browning said.

How councils use AI

Bay of Plenty Regional Council digital manager Evaleigh Rautjoki-Williams said the council sought advice on where to start with AI and the potential risks.

“We found that because we are a public service organisation, our starting point … would be different to a private sector company – for example we’re not looking to make money, we’re looking at best practice in what we do.”

Staff currently used software solutions such as the Microsoft Copilot extension – an AI assistant tool.

Rotorua's Bay of Plenty Regional Council building. Photo / Laura Smith

She said its work in the past year had been about setting up a culture that ensured AI was used appropriately to “unlock opportunities for how we work”.

It adopted an AI Plan, which set out its vision, risks, principles of use and making sure it aligned with strategic direction.

She said its vision was to use AI safely to empower staff and enable efficiencies, innovation and strategic success.

It also developed usage guidelines for staff to keep “them and our communities safe”.

Risks were monitored and reported on through the Audit and Risk Committee, and guidelines will be reviewed.

Rotorua Lakes Council on Hinemaru St. Photo / Laura Smith

A spokesperson for Rotorua Lakes Council said it took “an optimistic and cautious approach”.

It understood the potential for service enhancement and driving efficiencies, but the risks needed to be well understood and managed.

The council finalised a generative AI policy in March to guide staff and encourage its use while protecting the council’s safety, privacy, and intellectual property rights.

Staff could use generative AI services “when the benefits and risks are well understood and manageable”.

Fully open AI services will be limited, with a preference for council-managed GenAI services.

Like the regional council, it was looking at Copilot to support productivity.

It was also looking at Gensys Cloud contact centre software to support customer interactions.

Natural language AI services, such as Siri and Alexis, were also identified as options to support the council’s call centre.

“The initial trial of the system is showing some positive results.“

Council investment in initiatives was about $3000 so far.

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.