About this Event
Welcome to the 5th Annual Hawaii AI and Cloud Innovation Summit!
The 5th Hawaiʻi AI & Cloud Innovation Summit is where the people who can move the state forward sit in the same room. For five years, this Summit has built the awareness, the capacity, and the solidarity to take AI seriously in our islands. This year we take up the harder question: how do you actually put it to work? The morning main stage lays out where Hawaiʻi’s economy is heading and why AI self-reliance matters, which in practice means locally governed AI: infrastructure, data, and decisions we control. The afternoon hands leaders the playbooks to act on it, from moving pilots into production, to building the governance foundations that make AI durable, to growing AI-ready talent in a way that honors how we work here.
The Summit is convened by TRUE Initiative in partnership with DBEDT/HTDC and the Hawaiʻi Executive Collaborative, and it is built around a table where government, industry, academia, and philanthropy sit as equals. Every session is measured against a single question: does this help Hawaiʻi build a stronger economy and create jobs here at home? Our partners are co-creators in that work. Done the Hawaiʻi way, AI self-reliance means using these tools to help people accomplish more and to create new work. Proven here, it becomes a model other places can follow.
When: Full Day Event, November 5 from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Where: Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort
Investment: $99 General Admission
Includes: Lunch and coffee breaks
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This Summit is built for the people who can commit an organization to a direction.
- Business and technology leaders setting AI strategy and accountable for making it work
- State and county leaders shaping the policy, procurement, and programs that set Hawaiʻi’s pace
- Academic and philanthropic leaders building the talent pipeline and deciding where capital goes
- Workforce and HR leaders responsible for hiring, reskilling, and growing AI-ready teams
You will leave with a use case to pursue, a governance habit to adopt, a 90-day skills plan, and the relationships to carry them out.
CONFERENCE TOPICS
Morning Keynotes & General Sessions
The Future of AI Self-Reliance in Hawaiʻi
Peter Schwartz, Chief Futurist, Salesforce
What would it take for Hawaiʻi to shape its own AI future rather than simply adopt tools built elsewhere? This keynote looks ahead at the forces reshaping how organizations work, the choices that will separate places that lead from places that follow, and the scenarios Hawaiʻi should be preparing for now. Attendees will leave with a longer view of what AI self-reliance can mean for an island economy, and the decisions leaders can make today to move toward it.
Early AI Adoption in Hawaiʻi’s Essential Industries
Deena Tearney (Moderator), Founder and CEO, Pacific Point
Ed Sniffen, Director, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation
Rob Nobriga, Chairman, Tradewind Capital
Alireza Ali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, The Blue Dot AI
The industries that keep Hawaiʻi running are also among the first to put AI to work. Leaders from government and industry share where AI is already delivering value, what early adopters learned the hard way, and how they balanced innovation with the reliability their communities depend on. This session offers a practical look at what adoption actually looks like in essential operations, and what other organizations can take from those early experiences.
Inside the Government Perspective on AI Adoption
Christine Maii Sakuda, State Chief Information Officer, Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)
Vince Hoang, State Chief Information Security Officer, ETS
Rebecca Cai, State Chief Data Officer, ETS
How is the State of Hawaiʻi approaching AI, and what does it mean for residents, agencies, and the businesses that work with them? State technology leaders discuss how government is evaluating and adopting AI, how they are managing data, privacy, and public trust, and where they see opportunities to partner with the private sector. Attendees will gain a clear view of the State’s priorities and how to engage with them.
AFTERNOON SPECIALIZED TRACKS
Breakout Track 1: Practitioner Foundations
Foundations First: Getting Your Data AI-Ready
Nadia Hansen, Global AI Go-To-Market Leader, Public Sector, Salesforce
From Skills to Agents: Building AI Automation Your Organization Owns
Todd Nacapuy, Chief Information Officer and Partner, Accuity
Breakout Track 2: AI Playbooks
Write Your Responsible AI Ground Rules
Jessica Young, Director, Science & Technology Policy, Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, Microsoft
Hawaiʻi-Grown Companies Leveraging AI for the Islands
Pete Dooher, Senior Vice President, Digital, Servco Pacific
Ailin John, Senior Manager, IT Enterprise Enablement Services, HMSA
Breakout Track 3: People-Powered AI
Building Inclusive AI Governance
Brad Christ, Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, University of Hawaiʻi System
Growing Hawaiʻi’s AI Workforce from Within
Kelly J. Ueoka, President, Pacxa
AFTERNOON PLENARY
Capital, Capability, and AI That Benefits Hawaiʻi
Olin Lagon, Co-Founder, Shifted Energy
Dawn Lippert, Founder and CEO, Elemental Impact
Event venue & nearby stays
Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, 2500 Kūhiō Avenue, Honolulu, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.