Practical AI for Policy People

Venue confirmed: UNSW Canberra City, 37 Constitution Ave, Reid ACT 2612, Building B01, seminar room B01.0.24 This in-person workshop is designed for public servants and policy analysts who are eager to harness the power of artificial intelligence in their work. Whether you're brand new to AI or looking to enhance your skills, this workshop will provide you with a foundational understanding of what these AI tools really are, how to get useful outputs from them, and how to effectively integrate AI into your work. Feel free to bring along your laptop with your choice of AI tool to practice these lessons on the fly. The session is focused on practical applications of generative AI in the public service context. You'll learn about AI etiquette, tips for effective use, and explore real use-cases in the policy-making context. Discover how AI can assist in writing briefs, policy research, generating first-draft documents, streamlining administrative tasks, and other novel use-cases you may not have seen before – all real examples that have had demonstrable benefits in improving productivity and quality of work. This workshop aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to leverage AI for more efficient and informed policy development. Facilitator: Zak Kazakoff is a policy officer and economist in the APS, who also holds a degree in computer science. He combines these lenses to bridge the gap between tech and policy - the low level, and the high level - to provide tangible insights on AI while staying grounded in the context of the public service. AI CoLab events are intentionally open and collaborative. For this session we may capture photos to share publicly. This is done in line with the Charter’s values; transparent, ethical innovation and knowledge sharing to accelerate collective learning (see join.aicolab.org). By participating in this event, you agree to being photographed and for those images to be shared in accordance with this policy.