Past lectures

How Artificial Intelligence is reshaping education

Artificial Intelligence offers new opportunities to enhance teaching, personalise learning and improve student outcomes. The 2025 Gibbons Lecture Series explores the role of AI in modern education, examining real-world applications, discussing the impact on teachers and students, and addressing the challenges of interacting with AI. Whether you are an educator, student or policymaker, this series will provide valuable insights into how AI is revolutionising education and what the future holds.

Computer gaming and eSports

Our gaming sector industry is a strong contributor to New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) , having generated more than $400 million in revenue in the fiscal year 2022. The demand for designers and developers in this industry is growing, with professionals in the area being highly sought after for their multifaceted skill set, encompassing creativity, technical acumen, complex problem-solving abilities, effective communication skills, and a passion for video games.

eSports competitions involve professional gamers engaging collectively in gameplay, captivating audiences as spectators. eSports attained official recognition as a sport in New Zealand in 2020 and has emerged as a significant facet of the gaming industry.

This lecture series is designed to address key aspects within the gaming landscape, encompassing game design and development, the intricacies of eSport game design, and pathways to becoming a proficient eSports player.

Generative AI

2022 was the year of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), and it looks like it will continue to pick up steam into 2023 and beyond.

Generative AI systems are built on massive datasets and produce fresh material comparable to the training examples using machine learning techniques. They have the ability to generate new material, such as prose, images and music. Over the past 2 years, neural network image generation tools like DALL-E and Stable Diffusion have reached close to human-level art generation, and chatbots like ChatGPT author prose that looks plausible.

Are Generative AI systems an end in themselves or are they a step towards human level general intelligence?

Above and beyond cloud computing

Cloud computing provides a sustainable solution that enables flexibility and cost savings. However with cloud computing there are also questions around accessibility, data governance and Māori data sovereignty.

With corporate sustainability efforts increasing and forecasts indicating that continued cloud adoption could reduce CO2 emissions substantially in the near future, industry and the public sector are adopting cloud solutions to offset the rate of power consumption while providing "safe" solutions. Safe solutions include hybrid clouds, offering the flexibility to distribute workloads over public servers, while keeping sensitive data on private servers.

The 2022 Gibbons Lecture Series focused on how cloud computing will evolve to meet the increasing demands of industry and the public sector. What can we expect next, beyond the cloud? How can cloud computing and beyond give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi? How can cloud accessibility be improved for all? What is industry in Aotearoa New Zealand predicting? What are the new technologies on the horizon?

Dissolving the interface between humans and computers

For many people, it’s become impossible to imagine life without a smartphone. We’re so
used to keeping them close and checking them constantly without thinking. They could
be seen as permanent attachments to our bodies, or permanently attached burdens.

Technologies beyond the smartphone that blur the boundaries between the human body and computers are becoming more commonplace, and are merging our work, social, personal and cultural identities. Immersive virtual reality is widespread, and seamless augmented reality seems imminent. There are also signs that full brain-computer interfaces are making their way from science fiction into reality.

Have we reached the pinnacle of these human-computer technologies? Is there more functionality or benefit we can gain? And how will they impact our wellbeing and community cohesion?

Our 2021 Gibbons Lecture Series examined the latest technologies connecting humans and computers; the ways they are developed, the new innovations on the horizon, and how they could be used to connect ourselves to wellbeing, diversity and culture.

AI and Society

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to make improvements to our lives in so many ways, including enhancing efficiencies in the workplace, generating productivity gains and having a positive impact on our wellbeing. It also promises to help with even bigger issues like uncovering criminal activity and solving crimes, dramatically influencing healthcare, addressing global challenges, and reducing global inequities and extreme poverty. AI promises to have a far-reaching beneficial impact in our society. This evokes not only excitement but also fear. There are fears around privacy, trust, freedom of speech and the usage of AI and its regulation.

The 2020 Gibbons Memorial Lecture Series discussed the fears and excitement of AI today and in the future, and the impacts it could have both on and in our society.

Quantum computing

Quantum computers are remarkably complex machines that challenge almost everything we know about computing. Given their complexity, it difficult for us to understand their limits. Experts believe quantum computers can crack all modern security algorithms and do immediate pattern recognition. If this is the case, what are the implications for not only computing but also wider society? The 2019 Gibbons Memorial Lecture Series delved into this fascinating topic.

Our thanks to IT Professionals New Zealand, Auckland ICT Graduate School, and our generous donors for supporting the 2019 Gibbons Memorial Lecture Series.

Robots everywhere - Robotics in industry and at home

Experts tell us that robotic technology will soon dramatically change our lives. It is true that, in recent years robots, machine learning and automation has become more cost-effective and reliable.

The 2018 Gibbons Memorial Lecture Series discussed the present and future of robotic technology.

Steps towards the singularity - Artificial intelligence and its impact

Machines that mimic human cognitive functions, such as learning and problem solving, are said to exhibit artificial intelligence or AI. As the use of such smart technology grows, some believe that we are rapidly approaching The Singularity - the hypothesis that artificial super-intelligence will trigger runaway technological growth and result in unfathomable changes to human civilisation.

The 2017 Gibbons Memorial lectures series aimed to highlight the important role that artificial intelligence plays in our lives.