AI@Work

Microsoft ANZ and SciTech present to you a seminar about 'AI@Work'. This event will have two speakers - an academic and an industry professional sharing their perspectives on working with AI at the workplace.

Talk 1: 

Leading with Algorithms
The talk will examine the impact of algorithmic management tools in the increasingly popular hybrid workplace. Particularly, the use of an Employee Experience Management (EXM) platform – Microsoft Viva – in transforming leadership practices influenced by algorithms will be explored.

About the speaker:
Professor Niki Panteli, PhD (Warwick), is a Professor of Digital Business at Lancaster University Management School, UK and an Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She has an established international research record and has published on the topics of virtual collaborations and online communities, the implementation and evaluation of information systems, digital platforms and digital transformation. She served as the President for the UK Association of Information Systems (UKAIS) for the period 2022 – 2024, promoting IS research, scholarship and teaching within the UK and beyond.

Talk 2:

Industry Talk: GenAI trends in higher education and where to from here?
By Katie Ford, Industry Executive, Microsoft ANZ

The rapid advancement of AI is reshaping higher education, offering both challenges and opportunities. In this talk, Katie Ford will delve into the social, technical, and responsible AI dimensions of these changes, while also highlighting the potential for innovation and productivity. Katie will discuss how generative AI, such as Microsoft's Copilot, is being utilised to enhance fairness in education, personalise learning experiences, and improve student outcomes. She will present real-world case studies that showcase the transformative power of AI in creating a more equitable and effective educational system. Join us to explore the current trends in generative AI within higher education and to envision the future direction of this technology.

About the speaker:
Katie Ford is the Higher Education Industry Executive at Microsoft Australia & New Zealand where she works in partnership with the education sector. Prior to this role, Katie was the Data and AI lead in Microsoft for the education sector in Australia and she has worked on many innovative projects across K-12, higher education and VET, including NSWEduChat and South Australia's EdChat. Katie previously led CSIRO Data61’s Government team where she helped governments around Australia enable strategic data and AI capabilities within the public sector. She was Corporate Affairs lead at Intel Australia & NZ where she worked closely with Federal and State governments on technology policy. Prior to working in the technology sector, Katie worked as a public policy adviser in federal Government. Katie has degrees in law and arts (LLB/BA) and an MBA (Executive).