Festival of AI — AI & Society Australia's Community AI Summit
Brisbane — Australia
When
11/11/2026, 12:00:00 AM
Where
The Precinct Level 3 Building Beirne Building, 315 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Brisbane, au
About
Festival of AI — AI & Society Australia's Community AI Summit
What is the Festival of AI?
AI is reshaping every industry, every city, and every career. But most events leave you with buzzwords and business cards. This one leaves you with something real.
The AI & Society Festival of AI is a one-day summit for the curious, the sceptical, and the genuinely excited. We bring together founders, executives, city thinkers, researchers, and community builders to explore what AI actually means — for work, for society, and for the way we live together.
No jargon overload. No vendor pitches disguised as talks. Just honest conversations, hands-on learning, and the kind of connections you don't find at a conference.
The Programme
☀️ 8:00 AM — Run + Coffee Club Start the day with a 4 km social run and hosted coffee. Optional but worth it.
🎤 9:00 AM — Opening Keynote Sophia Arkinstall sets the context — where AI actually is, what it can and can't do, and why this moment matters.
💬 9:45 AM — Panel: AI in the Wild Four voices from industry, government, and startups. Moderated conversation. No slides. Live audience questions.
🛠️ 11:00 AM — Workshops: Choose Your Track Three parallel sessions running at the same time — pick the one built for you: → Track A: AI for business leaders → Track B: AI tools in practice → Track C: AI & cities / future of work
🍱 12:30 PM — Lunch + Sponsor Exhibition Catered lunch. Explore demos. Meet the people you've been wanting to talk to.
🔬 1:30 PM — AI Practice Lab Bring a real problem. Leave with a real result. Facilitated stations for hands-on experimentation with live AI tools.
😬 3:00 PM — "What the Fail": Community Stories Real stories. Real lessons. Community members share their biggest AI adoption fails — and what they'd do differently. Because that's where the real learning lives.
⚡ 4:00 PM — 5×5×5 Express: Lightning Talks 5 speakers · 5 minutes · 5 ideas. Fast, sharp, energising. The ideas you'll still be thinking about on Monday.
🥂 5:30 PM — Dr