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Government Chief Digital Officer appoints AI Expert Advisory Panel


30 June 2025

Government Chief Digital Officer appoints AI Expert Advisory Panel to guide responsible AI use in public service
The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) has appointed the AI Expert Advisory Panel, a significant step towards ensuring the safe and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within the public service.

This panel comprises experts from the private and public sectors and academia. It will provide important advice so government agencies can responsibly use AI to deliver services efficiently, modernise public services, and deliver better outcomes for all New Zealanders.

The AI Expert Advisory Panel will play a pivotal role in providing independent expertise to support the GCDO’s system leadership and stewardship of AI uptake across public service agencies. The GCDO is responsible setting the direction of the panel. The panel may be commissioned to provide technical analysis on a specific topic or peer review work.

The panel chair is Professor Michael Witbrock. He is a professor of computer science at The University of Auckland, where he directs the Strong AI Lab (SAIL) and the Natural, Artificial, and Organisational Intelligence Institute (NAOI). Professor Witbrock holds a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and a BSc (Hons) in Physiological Psychology from the University of Otago.  

Also on the panel are:

  • Ms Frith Tweedie, Principal and Director of Simply Privacy
  • Mr Paul Littlefair, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Kiwibank
  • Dr Te Taka Keegan, Co-Director of AI Institute Māori Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of Waikato
  • Mr David Shanks, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Enterprise and Integrity Services at Inland Revenue
  • Mr David Downs, CEO of New Zealand Story
  • Mr Andrew Jackson of the Policy Hub, Victoria University of Wellington, has been appointed as an observer to the panel.
The members of the AI Expert Advisory Panel have been appointed by the GCDO for terms of up to two years.

-ENDS-
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