AI Unlocked: From hype to hands on
Description
AI Unlocked: From Hype to Hands-on Impact is a practical AI forum for the Mallee, bringing together businesses, industry, students and the wider community to explore how artificial intelligence can be applied in real and meaningful ways across our region.
Designed specifically for regional audiences, this forum moves beyond the hype to showcase practical uses of AI, real-world examples and responsible approaches to adoption that can support productivity, improve decision-making and drive innovation.
With a strong focus on agriculture, horticulture and regional enterprise, the program features expert speakers, industry discussion and practical case studies demonstrating how AI is already being used across the Mallee and beyond.
The main forum on Tuesday 28 July will explore the role of AI in business, work and decision-making, with Vince Warnock from the Mildura Wentworth Chamber of Commerce joining as MC.
The day will begin with a hands-on morning session, followed by lunch, keynote speakers and a panel discussion. The forum will conclude with networking drinks and canapés, featuring locally inspired food and regional wines curated by Verdict Catering.
Following on from Day 1, Day 2 will offer a deeper dive into the role of technology and innovation on farm, and how these developments can support better decision-making and stronger business preparedness. Hear how growers, farming systems and researchers are connecting AI into practice and visit the some of the latest technology installations at the SuniTAFE SMART Farm, including the Modular Farm unit, potting and netting infrastructures. Please note that Day 2 requires a separate registration.
No technical background is required. Bringing a laptop, tablet or phone is recommended, particularly for the morning session.
What to expect
Attendees will have the opportunity to:
hear from leading voices in AI and digital innovation
explore practical examples of AI use in regional business and agriculture
better understand responsible AI adoption and governance
learn how you can build confidence and capability in using AI
gain insight into how AI models can support on-farm decision-making
connect with regional industry leaders, community members, researchers and peers.
Who should attend
This forum is suited to:
small and medium-sized businesses
primary producers and agribusiness operators
horticulture and agriculture stakeholders
students and educators
community members interested in emerging technology
regional organisations exploring innovation and productivity opportunities
Agenda
- 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Live the AI Experience
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere right now, but many regional businesses and sole traders are still asking practical questions. What actually is AI? How could it help my business? Where do I even start? This practical and interactive session with Ali Juma, AI adoption and change strategist, is designed to help people move beyond AI hype and begin exploring how AI can support real work in approachable and meaningful ways. No technical background required. Bring a real business challenge, frustration or repetitive task into the workshop and explore it live during the session. Rather than simply hearing about AI, participants will actively experiment with practical examples relevant to regional businesses, SMEs, sole traders and agribusiness environments.
- 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Light lunch and networking
- 1:00 pm - 1:10 pm
Opening remarks
Vince Warnock, MC, Mildura-Wentworth Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- 1:10 pm - 1:15 pm
Welcome to Country
Andrew Arden, First People of the Millewa Mallee
- 1:15 pm - 1:20 pm
Introduction by Regional Development Australia Loddon Mallee
Leonie Burrows, Chair, Regional Development Australia Loddon Mallee
- 1:20 pm - 1:40 pm
Address by Professor Theo Farrell, Vice-Chancellor, La Trobe University
Professor Farrell is an influential voice on how universities can adapt to technological change and deliver greater value to students and society. La Trobe University is committed to becoming an AI-enabled university. This means embedding AI across teaching, research and operations to improve student outcomes, accelerate discovery, and better prepare graduates for a rapidly changing economy.
- 1:40 pm - 2:40 pm
AI-ready SMEs: Turning capability into business value
Dr Sophia Duan and Dr David Fleming Munoz from La Trobe University will lead a practical session exploring how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can assess their AI readiness and maturity. The session will help participants identify where AI can deliver real business value, prioritise practical opportunities for adoption, and better understand the capabilities, systems and foundations needed to get started. It will also examine the importance of trust, privacy, ethics and responsible AI use, supporting SMEs to take a considered and confident approach to adoption. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to evaluate their current position and plan the next steps for AI in their business.
- 2:40 pm - 3:40 pm
AI + Partnerships: Unlocking Opportunity for Regional Communities
Dr Emma Burns will explore how AI is moving beyond hype to become a practical tool for regional communities when public sector leadership, industry innovation and local knowledge come together. The session will cover why partnerships matter, the public sector’s role in building trust, governance, shared data foundations and digital capability, and what this looks like in practice for better local decision-making, resilience and regional growth. It will also address key risks and barriers to adoption, including bias, privacy, workforce disruption, infrastructure gaps, limited skills and fragmented ecosystems. The key message is that responsible, collaborative AI can help regional communities leapfrog challenges and unlock shared opportunity.
- 3:40 pm - 4:00 pm
Break
- 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Industry panel: AI adoption in practice
A panel of local producers and business operators who will share how they are currently using AI in their businesses, and discuss the opportunities and challenges they see for the future of regional industry and business.
- 5:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Closing remarks
Anne Mansell, Regional Development Australia Loddon Mallee and Chair, La Trobe Mildura Regional Advisory Board
- 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm
Networking - drinks and canapes
Drinks and canapes provided by Verdict Catering
Lineup
Professor Theo Farrell, Vice-Chancellor, La Trobe University
Professor Farrell is passionate about leading positive, large-scale institutional change – to align universities more closely with the evolving needs of students, industry and society. Since joining La Trobe in February 2024, he has led the development and delivery of the University’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, positioning La Trobe as a global leader in health, science and education. Professor Farrell is an influential voice on how universities can adapt to technological change and deliver greater value to students and society. La Trobe University is committed to becoming an AI-enabled university. This means embedding AI across teaching, research and operations to improve student outcomes, accelerate discovery, and better prepare graduates for a rapidly changing economy. An experienced university leader, Professor Farrell has held senior roles in Australia and the United Kingdom, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Students) at the University of Wollongong and senior leadership positions at King’s College London and City, University of London. Across these roles, he has led major reforms in curriculum design, digital education, student success, and research performance—delivering measurable improvements at scale. He is a strong advocate for universities as drivers of productivity, social mobility and national capability. Under his leadership, La Trobe is deepening partnerships with industry, government and global institutions to deliver workforce-ready graduates, translate research into real-world impact, and support sustainable growth – particularly in regional communities. Professor Farrell is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Society of New South Wales, and past President of the British International Studies Association. A war studies scholar by background, Professor Farrell is a leading expert on strategy and organisational innovation.
Ali Juma, The Inner Game of Change Institute
Ali Juma is an AI adoption and change strategist and the founder of The Inner Game of Change Institute. His work focuses on helping people, teams and organisations adopt AI in practical, human centred and workflow integrated ways. Rather than focusing purely on technology, Ali’s approach centres on confidence building, behavioural adoption and helping people use AI meaningfully within real work environments. Ali has worked across higher education, leadership development, operational environments and regional capability initiatives, supporting organisations and communities to move from AI curiosity to practical application. His workshops are known for being practical, interactive and grounded in real world use rather than technical complexity or hype.
Vince Warnock
Vince Warnock, is a globally recognised neuro-marketing specialist, 11-time best-selling author and founder of ATG Publishing and Business Mind Magazine. He hosts the globally ranked Chasing the Insights podcast with over 800 episodes and is recognised by Marketo, part of Adobe, as one of the top 50 marketers in the world through their prestigious Fearless 50 program. Formerly Chief Marketing Officer at Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand, Vince is now based in Mildura, where he serves as President of the Mildura Business Network while working with clients nationally and internationally.
Dr Sophia Duan, Associate Dean, Research and Industry Engagement and an Associate Professor at La Trobe Business School
Dr Duan conducts practice-driven academic research that advances real-world applications in technology adoption, digital transformation, digital work, and human-AI interactions. Sophia has published extensively in leading information systems and operations research journals and top-tier information systems conferences. Her insights are frequently featured in news and media outlets nationally and internationally, reflecting her influence on technology and policy discourse. Sophia is committed to advancing research and practice that support the sustainable development of society for a more inclusive and responsible digital future. She has attracted over $1 million in research funding through strong partnerships with government, industry, and community organisations. Sophia’s leadership in bridging the gap between academia and industry has driven impactful applications of research, earning national recognition such as being named one of Australia’s Top 25 Analytics Leaders by IAPA in 2022 and being featured in the Women in Leadership - Analytics Leadersspotlight 2023. In 2025, she was recognised as a finalist for "AI Academic/Researcher of the Year" award at the prestigious Australian AI Awards. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Global Responsible AI Community and as the Victorian Vice Chapter Lead of AI4Diversity, leading initiatives across a global network dedicated to promoting ethical, diverse, and inclusive AI practices.
Dr David A. Fleming-Munoz, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the La Trobe Business School
Dr Fleming-Munoz co-leads the ‘Food Business, Food Security and Digital Agriculture’ domain at the La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food—LISAF. He is also an Honorary Senior Fellow at the UQ School of Economics. David has over 20 years of policy and research experience in Australia, Chile, the United States and New Zealand, where he has led various research projects and grants. He has authored more than 60 research papers and scientific reports, including publications in leading journals such as Nature, Food Policy and the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. In 2020 he won the Award for Best Paper published in the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. For many years, David led economics research at CSIRO, exploring issues related to industry sustainability, regional economic resilience and impact evaluation of policies, industry expansions and natural disasters. While at CSIRO, he led various projects for industry, State governments, and different Federal government agencies, enhancing knowledge and approaches to decision-making, policy design and scenario analysis of energy transitions, agri-food exports and drought resilience, among others. Over the years, he won several awards for science excellence and customer engagement, including the 2023 CSIRO Collaboration Medal Award.
Dr Emma Burns, Cloud & AI Platform Specialist at Microsoft Australia
In her role with Microsoft, Emma is focused on driving innovation in the public sector. Holding a PhD in conservation genetics and phylogeography, Emma’s career spans consulting, research, and government roles at both state and Commonwealth levels before transitioning to the technology sector. She is passionate about applying science and technology to deliver public good outcomes and has published extensively on ecological research, natural resource management, and science-policy integration. Emma serves on the Editorial Board for Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems in the Agroecology and Ecosystem Services section and advocates for transdisciplinary approaches and radical partnerships to tackle complex environmental challenges and promote sustainable practices.
Peter O'Donnell, Executive Director, Southern Cross Farms
As executive director Southern Cross Farms, Peter is responsible for Strategy development, Investor liaison and Acquisitions. Peter is the part owner of Southern Cross farms, prior to this, Peter founded Southern Cross Business Advisers (SCBA) in 2001 which grew into a 4 partner organisation with a team of 30 professionals. Peter holds a Bachelor of Economics.
Michelle Oates, Principal Solicitor, Connect Family Law
Michelle grew up in a small mining town in South Australia and from an early age, she was driven by a desire to help people. Over the years this desire expanded into a passion for social justice and to Michelle pursuing a career in law. Michelle studied at Flinders University, and upon completing her degree, she was determined to apply her skills and knowledge to support people living in regional communities, who historically, have had less access to quality services. This led her to Mildura, Victoria. Connect Family Law's Principal Solicitor and Founder, Michelle Oates, has over 14 years' experience working as a generalist solicitor, but in response to what she saw as a genuine community need, a large focus of her practice has been family law. The faith her clients entrust in her, to help them during the worst days of their lives, is something Michelle values and never loses sight of. Connect Family Law is the result of Michelle's commitment to providing a fair and accessible service and to demystifying the legal process, helping her clients in their journey to a better tomorrow.
What to bring
Participants are encouraged to come to the workshop session (11.00 am-12.30 pm) with:
A repetitive or time-consuming task
A business challenge or bottleneck
A workflow frustration
A growth opportunity
Or simply curiosity about how AI may support their work
Before attending, participants are encouraged to think about:
What task in your work takes more time than it should?
What business process feels repetitive or frustrating?
Where do you feel stretched, overloaded or time poor?
What is one thing you wish worked better in your business?
It will be handy to have your mobile device (phone, ipad, laptop) for this session.
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