From Alta Vista to Agentic AI - with Rita Arrigo

In 1995, Rita Arrigo opened one of Australia's first internet cafes.

There was no Google, and Netscape didn't even exist yet - just a coffee to drink while the page slowly built up on the screen. 30 years on, those same PCs sit in a glass case at the National Communications Museum, and Rita's on TED stages talking about responsible AI.

This conversation is about the arc between those two points, and what 30 years of tech adoption taught her about doing AI well.

We cover:

• What a 1995 internet cafe can teach us about how organisations should be rolling out AI today
• How "responsible AI" came out of a Microsoft tool being downloaded and misused by law enforcement
• Why AI belongs in the business, not in the IT department
• The National AI Centre's responsible AI guardrails - the 10 that became six key guidelines, and why every Australian organisation should know them
• Why the dystopia narrative about AI taking everyone's job misses what's actually happening
• How creative industries and software development are already being reshaped, and what that means for the next wave of jobs
• Why transparency matters as much as the AI itself - telling people when and how you're using it

About Rita Arrigo

Rita Arrigo is a digital and AI leader who has spent her career at the front edge of tech adoption in Australia. From building one of the country's first internet cafes, to working as Chief Digital Advisor at Microsoft, to helping establish the National AI Centre's responsible AI framework, she has been part of every wave that has shaped how Australian organisations use technology. She is now at boutique AI consultancy Alchemy Impact, helping executive teams get AI out of the IT department and into the business.

Connect with Rita:
👉 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rarrigo/

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