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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260202T173000
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CREATED:20260112T002736Z
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UID:7727-1770053400-1770062400@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:February AI Meetup - AI Data Testing and Coaching with AI
DESCRIPTION:February AI Meetup – AI Data Testing and Coaching with AI\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHosted by Caelan H.\n\nChristchurch Artificial Intelligence\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDetails\n\n\n\n\n\nExplore testing data and coaching conversations at February’s First Monday Meetup. Hamish Watson will be exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and testing data\, while Caelan Huntress will be sharing practical techniques for using AI as a personal coach. Drinks\, demos\, and practical takeaways included. \nMeet up with your local AI community on the First Monday of February at EPIC Innovation: \n5:30–6:00 pm — Drinks & Networking\n6:00–6:45 pm — AI Data Testing — Hamish Watson\n6:45–7:30 pm — Using AI as a Personal Coach — Caelan Huntress\n7:30–8:00 pm — Drinks & Open Q&A \nAI Data Testing — Hamish Watson\nThis talk delves into how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we test data\, it will highlight how AI is revolutionising the approaches to data verification and validation.\nWe will explore AI methodologies for generating synthetic test data\, enhancing test coverage\, and automating testing processes.\nThe session will also cover the impact of AI on identifying hidden patterns within data\, ensuring higher accuracy\, and reducing biases in testing datasets. An introduction of how Test Driven Development and AI can enhance your data engineering practices will be presented. \nAfter this session\, you will gain practical insights into: \n\nhow AI can elevate the reliability and efficiency of your testing strategies\nhow to accelerate development cycles and improving software quality in today’s fast-paced technological landscape\n\nUsing AI as a Personal Coach — Caelan Huntress\nLearn how to think better\, decide faster\, and grow wiser\, with the help of AI.\nMost people use AI to get answers. But the real power of AI is using it to ask better questions.\nIn this interactive session\, you’ll learn how to turn a LLM into a personal coach that helps you reflect\, clarify your thinking\, and move forward with intention. This isn’t for abdicating your decisions to a machine. This is to use AI as a mirror—one that listens deeply\, reflects honestly\, and brings out the insights already inside you.\nYou will learn: \n\nHow coaching actually works (and why AI is surprisingly good at it)\nThe difference between Tell / Show / Ask modes—and why “Ask Mode” unlocks breakthroughs\nHow to design an AI coach persona that matches your style\nThe art of crafting questions that spark insight instead of giving advice\nPractical prompts you can use right away for clarity\, confidence\, and momentum\n\nYou’ll walk away with a repeatable process for using AI as a powerful thinking partner. \nWhen: Monday\, 2 February\, 5:30–8:00 pm\nWhere: EPIC Innovation\, Christchurch
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/7727/
LOCATION:EPIC Innovation Centre\, 76/106 Manchester St\, Christchurch\, Canterbury\, 8011\, New Zealand
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260216T170000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260216T200000
DTSTAMP:20260522T071620
CREATED:20260209T203309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T203516Z
UID:7751-1771261200-1771272000@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:The Doom Thesis: Why 'If Anyone Builds It\, Everyone Dies
DESCRIPTION:Details\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoins us for our first “Book Club” style event. \nIf you’re been in AI Safety\, there is a new book on the scene\,\n“If Anyone Builds It\, Everyone Dies” by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares. See a high level summary of chapters here. This book moves beyond traditional “AI safety” to examine the urgent case for a total global cessation of general AI development. \nHazel Shanks will explain and deconstruct the core arguments of the “Doom Thesis\,” from the last few years\, exploring why current training methods—described by the authors as “growing” rather than “building” artificial minds—may lead to a literal\, biological extinction event. \nAfterwards at dinner/pub\, we will discuss the validity of the authors’ claims and debate their radical call to action: an international ban on large-scale GPU clusters and the enforcement of “no-build” zones. \n*** \n### Pre-Reading and Resources \n\n\nAI 2027\, graph\, a prediction of capabilities\nAI Catastrophe\, 2024 Blog Post\, Compendium. 10 minutes. A walk through the arguments.\nThe Problem\, Machine Intelligence Research Institute\, 10 minutes. A summary of the problem\nPausing AI Developments Isn’t Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down. 2023\, Blog Post\nStatement on AI Risk\, 2023 Open Letter. “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”\n(Chapter Summary) If Anyone Builds It\, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All (2025) – Yudkowsky\, E. & Soares\, N.
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/the-doom-thesis-why-if-anyone-builds-it-everyone-dies/
LOCATION:EPIC Innovation Centre\, 76/106 Manchester St\, Christchurch\, Canterbury\, 8011\, New Zealand
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260217T173000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260217T193000
DTSTAMP:20260522T071620
CREATED:20260128T200603Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T200603Z
UID:7748-1771349400-1771356600@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:Christchurch Business Analysis & Beyond meetup - February [AI self defence]
DESCRIPTION:Christchurch Business Analysis & Beyond meetup – February [AI self defence]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristchurch Business Analysis and Beyond meetup\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDetails\n\n\n\n\n\nWe are back for our first event of 2026 meetup – the plan for this session is: \n\nNetworking\nPresentation – ‘AI Self Defence’ by Emma Humphrey\n\nFrom deepfakes to job market shifts\, artificial intelligence is reshaping our world\, and it’s essential to understand the new risks it brings.\n​Join Emma\, an AI researcher and consultant for the UK Home Office\, for a practical\, beginner-friendly introduction to understanding and protecting yourself in the AI era. She’ll cut through the confusion to illuminate the genuine challenges posed by current AI technologies\, including algorithmic bias\, privacy threats and digital deception. \n​This talk will share tools and provide a brief overview of the current governance frameworks designed to keep AI accountable. You don’t need to be an expert to understand the rules of the road. \nTalk breakdown\n1. How many risks are there? An intro to AI Risk Databases and addressing why AI could become smarter than humans\n2. Case studies – a selection of risks to demonstrate the various ways AI and specifically LLMs are being used\n3. Solution Signposting – for businesses\, individuals and developers
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/christchurch-business-analysis-beyond-meetup-february-ai-self-defence/
LOCATION:EPIC Innovation Centre\, 76/106 Manchester St\, Christchurch\, Canterbury\, 8011\, New Zealand
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260218T170000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260218T203000
DTSTAMP:20260522T071620
CREATED:20260209T204002Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T204002Z
UID:7756-1771434000-1771446600@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:Christchurch Game Developers Association
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/christchurch-game-developers-association/
LOCATION:Canterbury
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260219T120000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260219T130000
DTSTAMP:20260522T071620
CREATED:20260209T203726Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T203726Z
UID:7754-1771502400-1771506000@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:Coffee and Jam
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/coffee-and-jam/
LOCATION:Canterbury
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260219T163000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260522T071620
CREATED:20260127T004807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T005019Z
UID:7739-1771518600-1771533000@epicinnovation.co.nz
SUMMARY:WIT X Dawn Aerospace - Inside NASA's SOFIA Telescope & Dawn's Aurora Spaceplane
DESCRIPTION:Women in Tech – Christchurch\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDetails\n\n\n\n\n\nWIT X Dawn Aerospace – Inside NASA’s SOFIA Telescope & Dawn’s Aurora Spaceplane \nKarina Leppik and Julia Sothman both worked on NASA’s SOFIA Telescope\, a unique airborne observatory that was deployed to Christchurch seven times between 2013 and 2022. Over its lifetime\, SOFIA studied star formations\, planetary systems\, the centre of our Milky Way galaxy\, and more – advancing our understanding of the universe from a flying observatory. \nToday\, Julia is a Systems Engineer at Dawn Aerospace\, working on the Aurora Spaceplane program\, while Karina is a Systems Engineer for the Giant Magellan Telescope’s near-infrared spectrograph\, a first-generation instrument currently under development. \nIn this talk\, they’ll unpack what it really takes to turn ambitious scientific and aerospace concepts into working systems – the challenges\, the trade-offs\, and the lessons learned along the way. \nDoors open 5:30pm – presentation 6:00pm. Drinks and nibbles provided. Event finishes at 7:30pm \n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\nEPIC Innovation
URL:https://epicinnovation.co.nz/event/wit-x-dawn-aerospace-inside-nasas-sofia-telescope-dawns-aurora-spaceplane/
LOCATION:EPIC Innovation Centre\, 76/106 Manchester St\, Christchurch\, Canterbury\, 8011\, New Zealand
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