Conference Win Will Showcase Auckland’s AI Capability

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) research will be on global display when the city hosts the 31st International Conference of Neural Information Processing 2024 (ICONIP) this December.

ICONIP is a premium platform for showcasing cutting-edge research, technology, and innovations in artificial intelligence, data analytics and computational modelling, which is the use of computers to simulate and study complex systems using mathematics, physics and computer science.

The conference, taking place at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) from 2-6 December, is expected to attract more than 300 researchers, scientists, and industry professionals specialising in neuroscience, neural networks, deep learning, and related fields to share their new ideas, progresses and achievements.

Last held in New Zealand in 2008, the conference is expected to deliver nearly $600k to Auckland’s economy.

Head of Tech and Innovation at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Marissa Brindley, says hosting this conference in Auckland is an invaluable opportunity to showcase the region’s technology sector to the world.

“As New Zealand's economic centre and tech powerhouse, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland stands at the forefront of innovation and growth. Our thriving tech and innovation sector drives productivity and prosperity, delivering an impressive $13.6 billion to the region's GDP. Hosting ICONIP is a testament to our region's prowess in this sector and contributes to Auckland being recognised as a globally competitive tech hub.”

The conference bid was led by Maryam Doborjeh, Senior Lecturer at AUT, with Professor Michael Witbrock from the University of Auckland. Both will act as General Chair for ICONIP 2024, alongside Associate Professor Mufti Mahmud from Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

Doborjeh says: “New Zealand has been leveraging AI technologies to enhance data analysis, predictive modelling, and decision-making processes across industries such as healthcare, finance, agriculture, transportation and many more.

“For example, AI-driven data modelling techniques have been utilised to analyse agricultural data for optimising crop yields and resource allocation, as well as in financial institutions for risk assessment and fraud detection. AI-driven health data modelling has also been developed for diagnosis and prognosis of health conditions.

“Hosting this prestigious conference in New Zealand can stimulate innovation and research collaboration within the country and worldwide. It can inspire and engage international and local researchers, students, and industry stakeholders, encouraging them to showcase their technology, explore new ideas, pursue research opportunities, and contribute to advancements in computational modelling.”

The five-day programme will include technical sessions, tutorials, workshops, plenary/keynote and panel discussion sessions by the world's leading researchers and professionals from both academia and industry, as well as awards to honour outstanding papers presented at this conference.

The event was secured with bid and marketing support from Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB), a division of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, and Tourism New Zealand’s Conference Assistance Programme.

More information on ACB can be found here.

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