06 May, 2019

City Tech Event Sells Out

More than 200 people will attend a sold-out seminar on Tuesday to hear from world leaders who supply and employ the very latest technologies to enhance customer experiences.

Adelaide’s first ever Powering Customer Experience with Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Tech event will be held on Tuesday 7 May at The Science Exchange, Exchange Place. Event organisers AiLab (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) are leading the way with building awareness about AI in South Australia by bringing together a diverse and inclusive AI community from all sectors with leading industry speakers via their global networks, education programs and the Adelaide Artificial Intelligence meetup – the largest AI networking group in Adelaide.

Event speakers include:

• Chief Scientist for South Australia, Professor Caroline McMillen
• Territory Manager Alibaba Cloud, Mr James Wang
• CEO of Xandra and Entrepreneur in Residence SunCentral Queensland, Mr Zach Johnson
• City of Adelaide Deputy Lord Mayor, Houssam Abiad
• Co-founder AiLab and koolth, Dr John Flackett (MC/Host)

The event will include a ‘technology showcase’ with the likes of Go Micro (cameras on iPhones that can help people scan moles on their skin) and Ping (a world-first device which continuously monitors wind turbines to detect blade damage – based in Peel Street).

Founder of conversational design studio Xandra, Zach Johnson has been forging the path with voice platforms across the globe, including delivering the world’s first chatbot tour guide via Facebook. Counting some of the world’s largest entertainment brands as clients, including AT&T, Nickelodeon, Amazon, Sesame Workshop and HBO, Zach and his team are renowned for creating some of the most immersive and interactive voice experiences available.

"South Australia is putting a lot of effort into economic development of knowledge industries - especially Artificial Intelligence and high-tech creative industries," said Zach.

"I'm looking forward to finding out more about the opportunities in Adelaide that are created by embracing emerging technologies."

Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad said Adelaide was the ideal city for the emerging technology and artificial intelligence sectors.

“It’s clear that companies all over the world are looking to leverage the latest advances in data processing, online services and powerful mobile hardware to give incredible customer service and innovative solutions,” said the Deputy Lord Mayor.

“The City of Adelaide is rapidly becoming an incubator for these exciting innovative tech companies to start-up and be based out of the CBD. This is supported by our fantastic entrepreneur ecosystem; our city’s innovative nature and super-fast data connectivity being provided through Ten Gigabit Adelaide.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

Professor Caroline McMillen will be sharing her insights on how emerging technology is shaping the customer experience based on her extensive background in forming strong partnerships and collaborations between academic institutions, leading industries, venture capitalists and start-ups.

Zach Johnson is the Entrepreneur in Residence for SunCentral Maroochydore, Queensland and CEO of Xandra – a multi-award-winning conversation design studio, working voice platforms including Amazon, Echo, Google Home and other emerging AI interfaces. Based in Brooklyn, NYC with a team in San Francisco, Xandra has worked with some of the world’s largest entertainment brands including AT&T, Nickelodeon, Amazon, Sesame Workshop and HBO. Xandra are thrilled to have been recently nominated for a 2019 Daytime Emmy Award for their work on Esme & Roy Alexa skill in partnership with HBO and Sesame Workshop.

James Wang from globally-renowned Alibaba Cloud Australia will also be attending from Victoria. James will be talking about the opportunities available via Alibaba Cloud’s AI and Big Data capabilities and his role taking customers on the Cloud Journey, including utilising AI and Machine Learning (ML) via Alibaba Cloud’s Big Data platform and solutions.

Houssam Abiad will provide an opening address and share some of the ways City of Adelaide is providing exceptional customer experience such as Ten Gigabit Adelaide, which is providing game-changing infrastructure to empower businesses own digital platforms. Houssam is a South Australian entrepreneur, a Central Ward Councillor for the past 8 years and currently the Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide. He owns residential and commercial properties in the city and has previously owned marketing, telecommunications and hospitality businesses in the city.

Dr. John Flackett, who is hosting the event, is co-founder of AiLab and has been sharing his 20 years of AI experience through workshops to empower companies to leverage available AI technologies to solve business problems.

Matt Halliwell