Now that the dust has settled on another successful Adult and Community Education (ACE) Conference, we are taking some time to reflect on a busy few days spent with our ACE colleagues around the country. Read on to find out more about what went on at the biggest event on the ACE calendar.
What is the ACE Conference?
The conference is an annual event that brings together different educators, service providers and special guest speakers to discuss all things related to the Adult and Community Education sector. Each year the conference programme is built around a specific theme relevant to the sector, and this year’s theme was the hot topic of AI | AI – Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Ancestral Intelligence.
Through this theme the organisers aimed to “highlight the unique strengths of both Artificial Intelligence and ancestral wisdom in shaping adult and community education”. As the quickly changing landscape of AI continues to shift and becomes more pronounced in society, the conversations it prompts offer an opportunity to “redefine the role of technology and tradition in shaping resilient, inclusive communities”.
Sessions and speakers
The programme was packed with a mix of speakers, practical sessions, and lots of dedicated time and space to kōrero with colleagues about what AI is, what it means for our organisation, and what it could mean going forward.
Expert keynote speakers included Dr Karaitiana Taiuru who considered the use of AI through the lens of data sovereignty and offered actionable steps towards protecting mātauranga Māori within the AI space. Robbie Guevara, delivered the second keynote address and took us on a journey of what “bridging” the AI /AI divide might look like and foregrounded the importance of being intentional and ethical with the technology, especially given the human and environmental implications of its use. Each speaker brought their own expertise to the topic and certainly gave us at Risingholme food for thought regarding the potentials and pitfalls of AI.
Beyond the keynotes, the Risingholme team attended a number of sessions designed to dive deeper into topics relating to the theme. Some session highlights included an interactive workshop on how to use Microsoft Co-Pilot as an everyday AI assistant, and introduction to SImpact—an AI-powered storytelliong tool. Another session focused on AI in ACE Leadership and the renaissance of right brain thinking. This was geared towards senior leaders and explored how leaders and organisations might harness AI’s analytical power without compromising on the human qualities that are integral to businesses.
ACE Awards
A good conference also includes the celebratory conference dinner of course, and we were pleased to celebrate the work of our colleagues and fellow ACE providers as they received their awards. The evening was full of delicious food, manaakitanga from the Rydges team, and a particular highlight was hearing all the heartfelt speeches as each award recipient reflected on their work. It’s important to celebrate the work being done across the sector in all its forms and the ACE awards acknowledge some of the people that push our sector forward and have left a significant impact on it through their work.
It was special to have the conference in Ōtautahi again this year and to have the opportunity for people to see what a vibrant and engaged ACE community exists here. The conference also gave us the perfect chance to catch up with some of our Community Learning Association through Schools (CLASS) Colleagues. We made the most of the evening, chatting all things ACE and beyond.
Key Takeaways
In addition to learning technical tips and tricks about how to use (or not use) AI, we left the conference with a better understanding of the AI landscape – what’s out there, where and how the technology is being used, and what issues might arise through its increased integration across the sector. The conference theme this year brought Artificial Intelligence and Ancestral Intelligence side by side, but as the conference progressed the sector collective came together to expand this even further and propose how Actual Intelligence and Ancestral Insights can also sit alongside Artificial and Ancestral intelligence.
As we look towards an integrated future with AI, this conference was a timely reminder that the work Risingholme does to foster face-to-face learning opportunities and social connections remains critically important. As one speaker summed it up, “we are the ancestors of tomorrow” and as such we remain committed to stewarding Risingholme into the future responsibly, conscientiously, and always with our values at the forefront of decision making.
