Ancestral Intelligence (AI) in action at the STEM Conference and EXPO 2023.
This story could have been written by an AI programme.
Over the weekend, the South Auckland STEM Conference & Expo was held at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau. The theme for this year, ‘Weaving Indigenous knowledge with 21st Century Innovation’ was of special interest to the Centre for Pacific Languages.
The expo was an opportunity for the next generation of Pacific youth to immerse themselves in the world of cutting-edge technology. It was great to hear about ground-breaking discoveries and informative insights in the fast-paced area of tech. It had a range of mind-blowing exhibits and interactive displays from an array of exhibitors from the power-house tech corporates such as Microsoft New Zealand to the South Auckland Creative and Tech Hub, an initiative of Matangi Fou which explores the ‘Future of Work’ and ‘Jobs of the Future’ for Pacific peoples in South Auckland. An initiative run by the Cause Collective, it offers a range of tech programmes in the area of coding, multimedia, animation and graphic design to name a few. The conference jaw dropping showcase for AI was a demonstration of a Rihanna song being sung by Frank Sinatra – some can say by the time this piece gets written, the AI tech has already moved on.
This was certainly a great opportunity for young people and Pasifika to get involved and bring their voice to the world of tech. It had a number of inspirational speakers, with Vanessa Sorenson, managing director of Microsoft New Zealand, opening the conference with a powerful story of her humble beginnings from the caravan parks of Cairns to be a leader in one of the world’s leading teach giants at Microsoft. It is her goal to getting more women, more Māori and Pasifika, more workers with disabilities, and more LGBTQ+ people into the tech industry.
One of the key messages of the conference, shared by the panelist on the day highlighted the need for cultural knowledge and values to be part of the tech evolution, especially as it moves into the space of artificial intelligence. A technology that has been around for many years but only recently has become a ‘game changer’ in shaping the world as we know it. Dan Walker (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhourangi and Ngāti Kahungunu) of Microsoft NZ, has the view that having more Pacific and Maori in the tech space, will naturally bring this cultural knowledge as part of their kaupapa to the work that they do. In his own story, Dan in an interview with Te Ao Maori News (2020) says that ‘Māoritanga has accelerated his own career in the IT/Tech sector’. Dan says that “My journey of understanding my reo, connecting back to my marae, back in Ngāti Ruanui South Taranaki, and really going on that journey of understanding who I was from a wakapapa perspective has been the growth journey really,”.
In a cautionary note, the speed and the pace of change, in the tech space is one that has to be taken with ‘eyes wide open’ and matters of sovereignty around ancestral intelligence and cultural knowledge requires some national dialogue. For Maori and Pacific, being at the table will be much more important now - more than ever, as change is coming, whether we like it or not. As a start, this will mean having more Maori and Pacific working and entering the tech space. The South Auckland STEM programme and Coconut Wirless is at the forefront of this mahi and we commend team for their commitment.
The Centre for Pacific Languages congratulates Mary Aue and Coconut Wireless for delivering and hosting this very important event. A true labor of love and a real commitment to the cause. There are wider implications for this Talanoa that extends beyond the STEM programmes and for the Centre for Pacific Languages, the endless possibilities it can open-up, in its work on Pacific language revitalisation.
Disclaimer – this story was not written by an AI programme, but an Ancestral Intelligence (AI) inspired real Pacific person.
comments