5th Annual Hawaii AI and Cloud Innovation Summit

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