River City to the City of Love: Whanganui AI initiative presented in Paris

AI BizHub founders Stephen Lee (front left) and Lisa Lightband (back left), pictured with fellow WriteFund Collective directors Tanya Harnett (back right) and Sonja Davenport Petersen, were invited to the Unesco Creative Cities conference in Paris in June. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

Whanganui-based artificial intelligence service AI Bizhub has captured international attention.

AI BizHub founders Lisa Lightband and Stephen Lee were invited to the Unesco Creative Cities Network annual conference in Paris on June 23-24.

The conference aims to promote co-operation between cities that recognise creativity and cultural industries as drivers for sustainable urban development.

Lightband was due to be in London at the time so she worked with Emma Bugden from economic development agency Whanganui & Partners to accept the honour.

Personal circumstances meant she had to deliver remotely via a pre-prepared video as part of a global panel, Human-Centred AI and the Future of Culture.

“We were thrilled to be contributing to the conversation around human-first AI [artificial intelligence] on the world stage,” Lightband said.

“It was a huge milestone, not just for me personally, but also for our small, ambitious community I represent.

“It continued the thread of Whanganui showing the world what human-first, community-led AI can look like in action.”

Her presentation showcased three pioneering initiatives designed to ensure no one gets left behind in developing AI skills: AI BizHub, WriteFund Collective and Lisa’s AI Café.

AI Bizhub helps individuals explore AI for personal and business growth, WriteFund Collective helps non-profit organisations use AI to connect with the right funding and Lisa’s AI Café is a hands-on, community-based learning experience that changes how AI education is delivered.

Lightband said her presentation was met with “overwhelming praise” from fellow delegates.

She is now calling on regional leaders, councils and economic development agencies to support AI inclusion at the local level.

Partners are invited to host or sponsor AI cafés or support community-led projects using the people-first AI model.

“The world is watching how we respond to AI. The question isn’t whether it will change things – it already has,“ Lightband said.

“The question is, ‘will we empower our communities to thrive with it?’”

AI café sessions and workshops can be booked for July to September.

Lightband is open to collaborations, educational and speaking opportunities, as well as partnership conversations with organisations and educators.