AI & Humanity Conference
Dates
Friday 28th August, 6.00pm - 9.00pm and
Saturday 29th August, 9.00am - 4.00pm
Description
AI & Humanity Conference 2026 is a one-and-a-half-day public gathering designed to inform, equip and inspire a general audience about Artificial Intelligence — its rapid developments, its practical applications, and its deeper implications for our lives, communities and humanity itself. The conference is hosted by Cashmere Presbyterian Church and explicitly welcomes all people, regardless of faith background.
The event aims to:
Demystify AI for everyday people — what it is, how it works, where it is headed
Provide practical tools and skills to engage AI confidently in personal and professional life
Explore the ethical, social, and human dimensions of AI — including perspectives from both faith and non-faith traditions
Create a safe, curious, and collegial space for honest conversation about threats and opportunities
Connect Christchurch/Canterbury people with leading New Zealand voices on AI
Our speakers, Dr Stephen Garner, Dr Matthew Galloway, Emma Humphrey & Prof Kathryn MacCallum will lead open sessions and workshops during the conference.
Lineup
DR STEPHEN GARNER
Dr Stephen Garner is a Senior Research Fellow at Laidlaw College, New Zealand's largest interdenominational Christian college. He holds a PhD from the University of Auckland, an MSc in Computer Science, and worked extensively in the information technology sector before entering theological studies. This rare dual background — as both a technologist and a theologian — makes him an exceptionally well-suited keynote for an audience spanning faith and non-faith communities.
DR MATTHEW GALLOWAY
Dr Matthew Galloway is the Learning Designer for the Ethical Use of AI at the Centre for Academic Development, Victoria University of Wellington. His role sits at the intersection of education, technology and ethics — specifically designing frameworks and workshops that help people engage AI tools responsibly, accurately and critically. He is actively engaged in applied AI ethics and has led workshops on ethical AI use in higher education contexts.
PROFESSOR KATHRYN MACCALLUM
Professor of Education and co-director of UC Digital of Futures Lab, is recognised in Aotearoa and abroad for her leadership of research and teaching of AI literacy and assessment. Her perspective on how learners and educators understand, use, critique, and govern AI systems foregrounds Indigenous perspectives and addresses gaps in dominant global AI narratives that often marginalise cultural, ethical, and relational dimensions of learning.
EMMA HUMPHREY
Emma Humphrey is an AI Safety Specialist, educator, and social entrepreneur dedicated to helping organisations and communities navigate the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence safely, ethically, and resiliently, and equipping society with the critical thinking, processes, and tools necessary to harness technology responsibly without losing sight of human safety and ethics. Her work actively addresses pressing contemporary issues, such as: over-trust in AI models and automation bias, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats to Māori data sovereignty. Her career in data science is rooted in an academic background in Physics and Applied Mathematics and with hands-on expertise as an AI consultant for the UK Home Office. Emma shares practical case studies and forward-looking insights to help everyday people and businesses build resilience against over 1,700 identified AI risks.
Agenda
Conference Programme
Plenary sessions will work with the motif:
‘The gap(s) between narratives about AI and the reality of AI’
Refreshments provided at the Conference are:
Friday: Tea/Coffee & light nibbles at registration; Light Supper at 8.30pm
Saturday: Morning & afternoon tea; Light lunch
FRIDAY 28 August - Evening Sessions
5:30 PM | Registration & Welcome |
6:00 PM | Welcome & Karakia — Conference Host / Local Minister |
6:15 PM | PLENARY 1: Artificial Intelligence & Us? Exploring the AI landscape around us What do we mean when we talk about AI? How did we get to where we are? What might the future hold? Speaker: Stephen Garner [For a General Audience] |
7:00 PM | Q&A – open floor questions Stephen Garner, Matthew Galloway and Emma Humphrey. |
7:40 PM | PLENARY 2: AI & Being Human? A reflection on AI and being human, and what it might mean to live in a world with AI Speaker: Stephen Garner [For a General Audience including theological reflection] |
8:30 PM | Open Discussion & Networking — light supper provided |
9:00 PM | Evening session ends |
SATURDAY 29 August - Full Day Programme
8:30 AM | Doors open — morning tea/coffee on arrival |
9:00 AM | Welcome & Opening Reflection |
9:15 AM | PLENARY 3: Tell me a story… The stories we tell about AI meets the reality of AI in the everyday world. Where are the gaps between the two and how does that shape our hope for and experience of AI? Speaker: Matthew Galloway [For a General Audience] |
10:00 AM | Morning Tea - 30 minutes |
10:30 AM | Workshops — Session A (Choose one, see below) |
11:30 PM | WORKSHOPS — Session B (Choose one, see below) |
12:30 PM | Lunch (catered) |
1:30 PM | PANEL Q&A Structured panel with attendee questions collected throughout the day covering a range of topics and issues Matthew Galloway, Stephen Garner and Kathryn MacCallum + Conference host [For a General Audience including theological reflection] |
2:30 PM | Afternoon Tea |
3:00 PM | PLENARY 4: Drawing the AI threads together Bringing the themes from plenaries 1-3 together and offering some thoughts on going forward from here Matthew Galloway & Stephen Garner [For a General Audience including theological reflection] |
3:45 PM | Closing Reflections — Conference Host Summary of key takeaways, next steps, resource list distributed |
4:00 PM | Conference closes |
Workshops
You will choose your Workshops on the day.
Optional: Bring Your Own Device
Workshop A1 Topic: AI Self Defence Speaker: Emma Humphrey | Workshop A2 Topic: AI and the Spiritual Life Speaker: Stephen Garner (Facilitated discussion for those wanting to explore spiritual and ethical dimensions of AI) |
Workshop B1 Topic: AI for Learning and Research Speaker: Kathryn MacCallum | Workshop B2 Topic: Using AI well: A process to help you Speaker: Stephen Garner (Facilitated discussion about a values-led process for negotiating your use of AI) |
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