PETRA CEO Dr Penny Stewart will be a keynote speaker at the AI Industry Insights 2025 event on Friday, October 10, in Adelaide.
Hosted by University of South Australia’s Industrial AI Research Centre, in collaboration with the South Australian Department for State Development, this year’s event will explore how artificial intelligence is shaping industry innovation and driving economic growth.
Dr Stewart will join two other keynote speakers:
- Michael Brown MP, Assistant Minister to the Premier for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Digital Economy, Member for Florey
- Professor Göran Roos, global expert in industry policy, strategy, innovation management, and digital transformation.
Dr Stewart will present practical examples of how AI enhances business in mining through mine value chain optimisation and data-driven decisions.
Her presentation will highlight the critical organisational capabilities required to deliver impact from AI, while also addressing the limitations of “imported” AI models that lack local context, security, and explainability.
This diagram illustrates how causal AI models capture relationships between multiple factors, providing transparency that helps users understand and trust AI-driven decisions.
“While purely data-driven models may sometimes deliver the highest accuracy, they are not always the most effective in practice,” says Dr Stewart. “For AI adoption and impact, users must be able to see that models align with trusted engineering knowledge and causal inferences.”
As this diagram shows, explainable AI provides not just an answer, but also the reasoning behind it – giving users confidence in when to trust the model and why it makes specific predictions.
“Paradoxically, the most accurate model representing the data is not always the best model for value and impact,” says Dr Stewart. “When people can understand and trust how AI decisions are made, adoption – and business benefit – follow.”
This year’s AI Industry Insights program will explore:
- The role of AI in shaping the future of South Australia’s economy
- Applying AI for sustainable business success and growth
- How collaboration between research institutions and industry drives breakthroughs
- Real-world problem solving from the Industrial AI Research Centre
The event will conclude with a panel discussion and a networking session, offering participants the chance to connect with peers, researchers, and industry leaders.
AI Industry Insights is happening on Friday, October 10, 2025, at National Wine Centre of Australia, Corner of Hackney and Botanic Road, Adelaide, from 9.30am to 5pm.
Register at: https://tinyurl.com/yj74s7am
