Overview
The appetite for AI adoption across government has shifted rapidly. To maintain a productive and future-ready economy, South Australian departments and agencies are being pushed to move beyond experimentation and start leveraging AI in a more practical, outcome-driven way.
With the establishment of South Australia’s inaugural Office for AI, South Australia is well positioned to capitalise on this momentum and lead in responsible, real-world AI adoption.
But are leaders ready?
While adoption is growing with around 40% of organisations already using AI, many are still struggling to realise its full value. In many cases, adoption remains fragmented, and organisations face challenges in translating early use into consistent, measurable outcomes. At the same time, workforce readiness remains a major barrier. Capability gaps, low confidence in using AI, and uneven access across teams continue to slow adoption across the public sector.
This is where leadership becomes critical.
Successfully adopting AI is not just about deploying tools, it requires clear governance, strong AI literacy, and the ability to embed AI into everyday workflows. Governance must be right sized to the level of risk and use case, while teams need the confidence and skills to use AI safely and effectively.
For SA agencies, the opportunity is clear: move early, build the right foundations, and ensure AI delivers tangible, measurable outcomes, not just isolated use cases or pilots. The stakes are high. AI is projected to contribute between $1.1 and $4 trillion to the global economy by the 2030s, and the organisations that can turn early adoption into real impact will be the ones that lead.
This program is designed to support that shift, helping public sector leaders move from interest to implementation, and ensuring AI delivers real value across their organisation.
Who Should Attend?
Senior leaders across South Australian public sector organisations, including:
Federal, state and local government executives, directors and senior managers
Policy and program leaders shaping digital, data and AI strategies
CIOs, CDOs, digital, technology and data leaders
HR, workforce and organisational transformation leaders
In-person Training
AI for SA Public Sector Leaders: Strategy, Governance & Practical Application
Session details
- Understand modern AI (LLMs, RAG, agentic AI) well enough to lead, not just observe
- Recognise and manage the ethical, regulatory, workforce and cyber risks unique to government AI
- Collaborate more effectively with CIOs, data teams and vendors using a shared language and concrete tools
- Identify the right AI use cases and avoid hype-driven or high-risk dead-ends
- Prepare their workforce and organisation for AI-enabled ways of working
- Leave with a practical, governed AI action plan tailored to their department
AI for Public Sector Leaders: Strategy, Governance & Action
19 August 2026
TBC, South Australia
No technical background is required — only responsibility for strategy, services, risk, transformation or people leadership.
Key Sessions
Welcome & Context
- Program introduction and learning objectives
- The AI moment for governments across Australia and New Zealand
- What leaders need to understand today
Module 1 – The AI Era & Rise of Agentic AI
- Evolution: chatbots → copilots → AI that can act
- Implications for policy, HR, ICT, procurement, and service delivery
- Activity: Pain Points & Opportunities mapping (departmental focus)
- Plain-language explanation of LLMs, RAG, and agentic AI
- Risks of hallucination and mitigation via RAG and governance
- Activity: “Which Answer Would You Approve?”
- Balancing innovation with accountability and public value
- Understanding AI unknowns and emergent behaviour
- Activity: Public Value Check (mini-case review)
- Key AI cyber risks and mitigation strategies
- Threat → Control mapping activity to create a departmental checklist
- Aligning AI initiatives with ethical frameworks, legislation, and workforce obligations
- Activity: Framework Lens (evaluate AI use case against ethics, regulation, workforce impacts)
- AI steering/oversight models, roles, approvals, and use case lifecycle
- Activity: Design Your Governance Loop
- Identifying high-value, low-risk opportunities
- Activity: Use Case Canvas & Impact vs Risk prioritisation
- Exec ↔ tech collaboration role-play
- Personal and team commitments to adopting AI in daily workflows
Closing & Next Steps
- Complete 6–12 month AI roadmap & 90-day action plan
- Summary: leading AI-enabled departments in Victoria
Meet Your Facilitator
Waqas Khan
Data & AI Leader Driving Organisational Transformation | Expert in AI Governance, LLMs, Agentic AI, RAG, Data Engineering & Scalable Advanced Analytics
Waqas Khan is a data and AI leader with strong expertise in Large Language Models, agentic systems and Retrieval-Augmented Generation. Currently completing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence at RMIT University, he focuses on trustworthy and explainable AI, bringing cutting-edge research into real-world government and industry applications. He has led major analytics and modernisation initiatives, including a cloud-native procurement platform for the Department of Government Services that significantly improved visibility, governance and decision-making.
With a solid foundation in cloud data platforms, AI-enabled systems and data governance, he delivers scalable architectures that uplift operational performance and support strategic decision-making. He is known for building high-performing teams, advising senior executives on data and AI strategy and driving capability uplift across organisations. Passionate about responsible and future-focused AI, he is committed to helping organisations navigate an increasingly intelligent landscape.
Register Today
Join this training for professionals working within the Public Sector
Extra Early Bird
Ends 5 Jun
$A 995
per person + tax $400 savingEarly Bird
Ends 3 Jul
$A 1195
per person + tax $200 savingRegular
Ends 21 May
$A 1395
per person + taxFor group or payment enquiries or custom training solutions, please contact [email protected]
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