On 26 August 2025 I found myself in a Wellington room buzzing with energy, ideas and a fair bit of scepticism. The AI Forum New Zealand had gathered four panel members to unpack both the promise and the puzzles of AI in Aotearoa. It made for a cracking afternoon.

AI Forum NZ has long played the role of convener in New Zealand’s AI landscape. It pulls together industry, academia and government to accelerate AI adoption while keeping things responsible. Their latest Productivity Report set the backdrop for the discussion. The report is clear: AI can deliver significant productivity gains for New Zealand, but the challenges of governance, trust and skills still loom large.

Here’s what stuck with me from the four presenters.

1. Probabilistic AI vs Excel Certainty

One panellist explained it well. We are used to exact answers. In Excel, two numbers in neighbouring cells will always sum neatly into one. AI, though, is probabilistic. It deals in likelihoods, not absolutes. The point was spot on technically. But would you let an AI handle a critical task if it is just probabilistic? My answer: yes, under the condition that its probabilistic outcome is stronger than a human’s probabilistic outcome. It is not about perfection. It is about comparative reliability.

2. Students Saying No to AI

Another presenter noted that some students at Victoria University are outright refusing to study or use AI, citing ethical and environmental concerns. That is a fascinating stance. In a way, abstaining is itself a protest. But does opting out make AI go away? Unlikely. The technology keeps moving, whether we engage with it or not.

3. Governance vs Shadow AI

The third speaker, my favourite of the lot, spoke about helping Auckland Council set up an AI governance framework. Then came the kicker. Despite governance structures, shadow AI (personal tools and systems that employees quietly use) remains ungovernable. That honesty was refreshing. It reminded me of a candid conversation I had with a councillor from Upper Hutt Council who admitted their team did not even fully know what AI was being used across the organisation. Shadow AI is real and it is messy.

4. Uncertainty and Anxiety in the Room

Finally, a participant ran a live survey in the room. The question was who feels uncertain or anxious about AI. About half the audience raised their hands, presenters included. Turns out, this is not unique to Wellington. Ipsos’s 2025 AI Monitor shows that 66% of New Zealanders say AI makes them nervous, making us the second most anxious country in the OECD, just behind Australia. One panellist’s comment rang true: “Scepticism isn’t necessarily bad.” Oddly enough, I found myself agreeing. Healthy questioning might be exactly the compass we need.

A few hours well spent. AI will not hand us exact answers like Excel, and that is fine. Between probabilistic thinking, ethical resistance, shadow tools and open scepticism, New Zealand’s AI journey is shaping up to be anything but boring.

Written for KiwiGPT.co.nz — Generated, Published and Tinkered with AI by a Kiwi