As governments accelerate their adoption of AI and emerging technologies, building trust through transparency and governance becomes essential. The Government of New Brunswick is setting the pace by embedding accountability and ethics into every layer of innovation.

This session will explore how to scale digital innovation responsibly and apply new approaches on how you can embed safety, transparency, and collaboration into your tech strategy from day one.

• Advance AI adoption through clear and accountable governance
• Reduce risk by integrating ethical safeguards into innovation processes
• Build secure digital services rooted in citizen trust and transparency
• Improve cross-agency coordination to align innovation with oversight
• Scale transformative technologies with control and confidence

As citizens increasingly expect intuitive, responsive, and personalized public services, governments must harness AI and automation in ways that enhance service quality and build trust. This session will explore how public sector leaders can move beyond experimentation to implement scalable, responsible AI and automation strategies that improve citizen engagement, accelerate service delivery, and strengthen data-driven decision-making.

• Using AI and automation to deliver more personalized, citizen-centric services
• Embedding responsible AI practices to maintain trust, privacy, and transparency
• Improving service speed and efficiency through intelligent automation
• Moving from AI pilots to scalable, enterprise-wide service transformation

Artificial intelligence's effectiveness depends entirely on data quality, This session explores why the biggest AI challenges—capacity constraints, trust gaps, and productivity paradoxes—are fundamentally data problems, and presents three critical foundations for responsible implementation. Attendees will learn practical strategies for building partnerships, investing in AI literacy, and leveraging leadership in privacy-forward thinking to create trusted, equitable AI systems.

As digital touchpoints become the primary way citizens interact with government, agencies must rethink how they design and deliver these experiences. Personalization, accessibility, and innovation are key to creating meaningful, inclusive engagement at scale.

This session will explore how to strengthen citizen relationships through digital channels and apply new approaches on how you can design interactions that reflect community needs and drive lasting participation.

• Increase citizen engagement through targeted digital strategies
  
• Personalize online experiences to serve diverse populations
  
• Leverage social media, mobile platforms, and AI to expand reach
  
• Improve digital accessibility to reduce participation barriers
  
• Adapt engagement models to reflect real-time community feedback

Dr. Chris Boulter

Senior Executive Director (Pre-primary to Grade 12), Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Lisa Baker Worthman

Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Learning and Child Development Division, Department of Education, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Dr Paul Ralph

Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University

Alaisdar Graham

Executive Counselor, Info‑Tech Research Group

As AI adoption accelerates, public sector leaders must ensure that their systems are fair, explainable, and secure. Missteps around ethics, bias or transparency can quickly erode public trust and slow innovation. This session will explore how you can apply responsible AI principles to build trust, navigate regulation, and advance data-informed decisions with integrity.

• Improve transparency by embedding clarity in your AI and analytics frameworks
• Reduce bias in models through inclusive data practices
• Heighten public trust by aligning AI initiatives with core ethical standards
• Advance regulatory readiness to stay ahead of evolving policy landscapes

Christopher Clissold

Chief Information Officer, Director General IT, IM Administration and Privacy, Department of Veterans Affairs, Government of Canada

Owen Sagness

Chief Executive Officer, Digital Nova Scotia

Olesia Kazantseva

Senior Technical Advisor, Shared Services Canada

Dorothy Eng

Chief Executive Officer, Code for Canada

Faud Abdi

Sr. Account Director, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, LinkedIn

Patrick Hamel Moderator

Manager, Solutions Consulting, Palo Alto

As governments adopt AI-enabled tools to improve digital services, public engagement models must evolve to remain inclusive, accessible, and trusted. This session explores how AI-powered technologies can enhance citizen participation, improve accessibility, and support more responsive engagement — while addressing critical considerations around transparency, bias, and trust.

• Using AI to improve accessibility and inclusion in digital public engagement
• Enhancing citizen participation through intelligent, multi-channel experiences
• Addressing ethical, transparency, and bias considerations in AI-enabled engagement
• Building trust through responsible, citizen-centered use of emerging technologies
  

AI has raised expectations for what IT should deliver—but in many organizations, complexity is still getting in the way. In this session, we’ll look at how leading teams are simplifying operations, reducing friction, and turning AI into measurable outcomes so IT can move faster, scale impact, and expand opportunity.

The future of digital government will be shaped by rapid technological change, rising citizen expectations, and the growing demand for data-driven decision-making. To stay ahead, public sector leaders must embrace innovation while upholding trust, agility, and compliance.

This session will explore what’s next for digital government and apply new approaches on how you can future-proof services by integrating emerging tech, citizen insights, and secure, adaptive systems.

• Identify the technologies set to redefine public sector service delivery
  
• Improve agility and responsiveness without compromising on security
  
• Leverage data to drive real-time insights and smarter policy decisions
  
• Build services that evolve with citizen needs and expectations
  
• Adapt leadership strategies to support innovation at scale

Valerie Kelly

Director of Innovation and Transformation, Government of New Brunswick

Tony Daye

Chief Digital Officer, Finance and Treasury Board, Government of New Brunswick

Christopher Clissold

Chief Information Officer, Director General IT, IM Administration and Privacy, Department of Veterans Affairs, Government of Canada

Christine Landry

Global Healthcare Partner, Kyndryl Consult

As governments push forward with data-driven innovation, they face the complex challenge of protecting privacy without slowing progress. Strong governance is no longer a barrier—it's a foundation for responsible, scalable transformation.

This session will explore how to innovate confidently within a privacy-first framework and apply new approaches on how you can unlock data’s value while safeguarding trust and compliance.

• Drive innovation without compromising on data security and ethics
  
• Overcome challenges in balancing accessibility with compliance
  
• Strengthen governance to support responsible data use at scale
  
• Enhance privacy through advanced technologies and architecture
  
• Improve stakeholder trust through transparent data management practices

Lisa Baker Worthman

Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Learning and Child Development Division, Department of Education, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Meranda McLaughlin

Executive Director, Project & Advisory Services, Government of New Brunswick

Dr Mike Smit

Dean, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University

Jon Barry

National AI Centre of Excellence Leader, MNP

Patrick Hamel Moderator

Manager, Solutions Consulting, Palo Alto