Think of this as a check-in with reality. We’ll trace what British Columbians said about AI, show what our builders made from it, and leave with an institution sturdy enough to carry the work forward.

On Wed Aug 27 at the Space Centre, we’ll do four things well:

1) Two keynotes

Jos Duncan-Ase (Love Now Media). 
Story, justice, and what “care” means when machines are involved.

Media producer, storyteller, and product strategist with 15 years helping communities use technology and narrative to advance social justice.

Peter Bittner (TheUpgrade.ai). 
Practical playbooks for AI literacy and adoption inside real teams.

Educator, newsroom technologist, and co-founder of The AI Upgrade who turns generative AI into safe, useful practice for real teams.

2) Top builds + the winner reveal (Round 3)

We’re showing a tight set from the top projects, then announcing the winner. Expect:

• A cinematic, data-grounded short where ordinary choices (breakfast, commute, clinic visit) get automated before morality catches up.

• A voice-first, choose-your-own-journey interface where narrative, charts, and AI commentary adapt as you explore.

• A “policy weather” tool: type a proposal, see support vs. drama by region, toggle riders (audits, plain-language summaries), and read attributed quotes that explain the shifts.

• 3D semantic maps of 1,001 open responses… clusters you can rotate/zoom… plus roundtable audio where each cluster speaks as a single representative voice.

• A civic sentiment map that turns raw comments into clear, riding-level signals for policymakers and communities.

• An AI-music dashboard that translates sentiment into lyrics and tracks—analytics you can actually listen to.

We’re shipping, not pitching. Kick the tires.

3) AI Industry Asssocation Launch

We’re formalizing the BC + AI Ecosystem industry association non-profit… grassroots, member-driven, with real governance and and a public roadmap funded as we go… a mycelial network where poets and programmers co-shape the work, and Indigenous leadership and community protocols are built in from day one.

How it runs (short version): open working groups, transparent budgets, public roadmaps, and lightweight charters you can challenge and improve.

Founding member drive opens that night (Individual, Student, Enterprise). The first 100 help set the charter, stand up the working groups, and lock priorities for the next 12 months.

4) The long conversation

Open networking under the dome. Swap datasets, form working groups, trade stickers. If you’ve got a project that needs air or critique, you’ll find both.

Details

• When: Wed Aug 27, 6:00–10:00 PM (doors 6:00, program 7:00)

• Where: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St

• RSVP: https://lu.ma/vai20

• Access: Fully accessible. Transit + parking.

• Contact: [email protected]

If you’re curious, come. If you’re skeptical, especially come.

Kris Krüg