Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Canterbury Tech Summit, a gathering that always inspires new thinking about where tech is heading and how it weaves together people, business, and society. This year’s theme felt particularly spot on: "Thriving in a Time of Exponential Change" We had the pleasure of being MC’d by the hilarious comedian Jeremy Corbett.

Staying Human in a Digital World

One of the keynotes by futurist Mark Pesce explored the concept of healthspan - not just living longer, but living well. The message was clear: while virtual connections are valuable, nothing replaces face-to-face human relationships. generosity and care - “giving is better than receiving” - reminded us that tech must serve humans, not the other way around.

Looking head, there was discussion of how by 2050 the average work week may shrink to just 20 hours per week, supported by AI and automation. This could shift us toward a more care-driven society, where time with people is valued as much as productivity.

Generative Agents and the Rise of Synthetic Worlds

Stanford University’s work on generative agents was a fascinating glimpse into the future. In one experiment, 20 AI personas inhabited a digital village - interacting, planning events, even forming relationships. Pair this with Google’s Genie 3 and the emerging idea of the Syntheverse (synthetic universes powered by AI), and we see how technology is rapidly moving from tools into entire simulated environments.

I heard about a recent great example of ‘Synthetic Marketing’ from a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) that I appointed for a start-up in which instead of using real customer profiling, you use some real data and then simulate the rest which was returning 90% accuracy and a huge cost saving - amazing.

The challenge for us as humans? Staying grounded in real-world connections while experimenting with these new digital tools.

Cybersecurity in a World of Organised Crime

John McPherson’s session on cybersecurity was a grim reminder that hackers are not lone dudes in dark basements with hoodies on - they’re now structured businesses. They have offices, employees, salaries with bonuses, and the agility to shut down and re-emerge quickly when disrupted.

If you haven’t seen Mark Rober on YouTube prank some call scammers it’s quite an eye opener - thanks to my kids for showing me.

For companies in Canterbury and beyond, this underscores the need for constant vigilance, investment in security practices, and a recognition that cybersecurity is now a business-critical function.

Some worrying data:

The criminal industry is now worth $10.5 Trillion
$4.9m (USD) is the average cost to recover a data breach in 2025
61% of all businesses experienced a cyber incident in 2024

AI as a Co-Pilot: Mark Leadbetter’s Insights

Mark Leadbetter (CTO) shared one of the most practical and inspiring sessions of the day: how AI is evolving as a co-pilot across industries. His message was powerful: “AI is not replacing human judgement, just removing the grind.”

Examples he shared that was working for his large IT team included:

Security & Networking: AI can scan logs, suggest firewall rules, and support network engineers.
Architecture & Development: From rapid prototyping to forecasting expenses, AI can help teams move faster - like reducing an API build from 3 months down to 4 weeks.
Project Teams: Recording meetings so PMs and BAs don’t waste energy on note-taking.
Helpdesk & Support: Helpdesk can use AI now to troubleshoot, draft emails, and guide users.
Business Operations: From creating RFPs and scoring criteria to BI analytics (using tools like Fabric which you can interact with in plain English and it will create PowerBI reports & SQL queries), AI is reducing friction in daily business tasks.
Cloud Costing: Spotting anomalies and planning workloads more effectively.

The key takeaway was clear: AI is not a threat to thoughtful work - it’s a tool that accelerates the mundane so we can focus on strategy, creativity, and human decision-making.

Mark Rocket did a great talk on ‘Building an Aerospace Nation.’ As CEO of Kea Aerospace and President of Aerospace New Zealand, he explored how the region’s aerospace ambitions are skyrocketing haha - from grassroots gatherings in Christchurch during the 1990s to a formal industry body uniting innovators today. Mark talked about the evolution from early-stage networking meetups, his involvement in Rocket Lab to ambitious projects like Kea Atmos, a solar-powered stratospheric UAV designed to provide persistent aerial imagery from the edge of space. His message was clear - Canterbury is no longer just a spectator; it's a launchpad for pioneering aerospace innovation.

In a milestone moment for Aotearoa, Mark became the first New Zealander to reach space, aboard Blue Origin’s space mission. The suborbital journey soared to approximately 105 km, crossing the Kármán line which he described as a “huge adrenaline rush”. His historic flight isn’t just a personal triumph - it’s an inspiration for the next generation of Kiwis to view space not as a distant frontier, but as an integral part of our collective future - nice one Mark!

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately I couldn’t see all the talks but on leaving the Canterbury Tech Summit, I was struck by the balance of excitement and responsibility. Yes, AI is reshaping how we work, and the possibilities - from synthetic villages to faster product development & launching rockets into space is extraordinary. But at the heart of it all is a simple truth: technology must serve people.

As recruiters, leaders, and technologists, our job is not just to adopt the latest tools but to ensure they help us build workplaces where human connection, creativity, and care remain at the core.

Thanks to all those who came along, spoke and especially all the hard mahi behind the scenes by the Canterbury Tech crew for organising another superb event for the tech industry :-)

I’m Paul, lover of coffee, dogs, biking, surfing & skiing. Founder & Principal Consultant of Sunstone, an IT Recruitment & HR company specialising in recruiting IT roles within software, web, digital, mobile, blockchain, AI, machine learning, data, cloud infrastructure, security & networks in Christchurch & South Island of New Zealand.

Canterbury Tech Summit 2025: Reflections on Humanity, AI, and the Future of Work