Leadership questions are no longer theoretical

AI is changing how organisations make decisions, design work, manage risk, build capability, and create advantage. For leaders, the challenge is no longer whether this matters. It is how to respond with enough clarity, courage, and discipline to lead well through change.

Leadership in the Age of AI is the closing panel of the EPIC AI Conference: a live conversation with leaders working across leadership development, AI products, automation, and AI solutions. Together, they will explore what leadership looks like when technology changes faster than organisations do, and when the quality of judgment matters as much as the quality of tools.

This session is designed for executives, founders, team leaders, managers, consultants, and professionals who want a more grounded conversation about AI adoption. Expect a sharp, practical discussion about what leaders need to understand now: where to experiment, how to build trust, how to bring people with you, how to avoid shallow AI theatre, and what kind of organisational habits will matter most over the next few years.

Hosted by the Christchurch AI Meetup Group as part of TechWeekNZ, this panel closes the day by widening the lens. After a full programme of workshops and presentations, this is where the conversation turns to leadership, responsibility, and the human decisions that shape how AI actually lands inside teams and institutions.

Whether you are leading AI adoption, building systems, advising clients, or simply trying to keep up with the pace of change, this session will leave you with stronger mental models, sharper questions, and a clearer sense of what matters next.

Hosted and emceed by Caelan Huntress, founder of the AI Coaching Academy and organiser of the Christchurch AI Meetup Group, this afternoon series continues a n event filled with learning, experimentation, and community.

Panel Topic

Leadership in the Age of AI

As AI capabilities accelerate, leaders are being asked to make decisions in unfamiliar territory. What should be automated, and what should remain human? How do you introduce AI without damaging trust, culture, or quality? What separates meaningful adoption from hype-driven busywork? And what does strong leadership look like when the future is arriving unevenly across different teams, industries, and communities?

This panel will explore questions like:

How leadership and management changes with AI as part of everyday work
What capabilities are essential in an AI-powered team
How to build trust while introducing new tools and workflows
Where AI can genuinely improve performance, and where leaders should be cautious
How to lead people through uncertainty without pretending to have all the answers

Panelists

Anya Anderson
Founder and CEO of RedSeed, a corporate training platform that creates a coaching culture to build high-performing teams.

Julie Ryan
CEO of Caitlyn, an AI-powered knowledge platform that turns agricultural and research-led knowledge into trusted, usable insight.

Brad Fraser
Head of AI Solutions & CEO at Agentic Intelligence, helping organisations move beyond experimentation into real capability building.

Ali Adams
CEO of ChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, leading work across innovation, investment, and sustainable growth.

Who should attend

Business leaders exploring AI adoption in their organisation
Founders and operators making decisions about tools, workflows, and transformation
Team leaders managing change, capability building, and trust
Consultants, advisors, and strategists supporting AI implementation
Professionals who want a more mature conversation about AI than “use this prompt”

What to expect

A live panel conversation with experienced leaders and builders
Practical discussion, not vague futurism
A mix of perspectives across leadership, product, automation, and AI solutions
Audience questions and honest discussion about what leadership requires now
A strong closing session for the full EPIC AI Conference day

You’ll leave with

Better questions to ask about AI adoption in your organisation
Clearer thinking about leadership, trust, and change management
Practical perspectives on where AI creates value and where it creates risk
A wider view of what responsible, effective AI leadership can look like
New connections with Christchurch’s growing AI community

Tickets are $10 each for Workshops, Speakers, and Panel.

Also happening at the EPIC AI Conference

Build your own conference day with these other TechWeek26 events at EPIC and nearby:

AI Workshops AM — 9:00am–11:45am
Hands-on workshops designed to help you build practical AI skills, explore tools, and learn by doing.
RSVP AI Workshops AM
Coffee & Jam by Ministry of Awesome — 12:00pm–1:15pm
A relaxed networking session with founders, builders, and members of Christchurch’s innovation community.
RSVP Coffee & Jam
AI Speakers PM — 1:30pm–5:00pm
Talks and demos from speakers across business, research, startups, and the innovation ecosystem, sharing how AI is being applied in practice.
RSVP AI Speakers PM
Leadership in AI Panel — 5:30pm–7:00pm
A panel conversation exploring strategy, governance, adoption, and the leadership questions shaping AI’s role in everyday work and life.
RSVP Leadership in AI Panel (on this page!)

Networking with Christchurch’s innovation community

As part of TechWeekNZ, the EPIC AI Conference in Christchurch highlights local capability, shared learning, and the expanding role of AI in shaping how we live and work in Aotearoa. Register early to receive speaker announcements and secure your place at EPIC Innovation.

Contact the host of EPIC AI Conference - Evening Panel