
Responsible AI
Funding and Governing Responsible AI Transformation
QT Canberra, Australia
Hosted by Factor
- 80 attendees
- 2 hours
Overview
As government organisations accelerate AI experimentation and digital transformation initiatives, many are discovering that innovation without operational visibility creates significant financial, governance, and delivery risk.
At the same time, agencies are under increasing pressure to modernise legacy environments, free up capital for new AI initiatives, and demonstrate measurable value from technology investment while operating within tighter budget scrutiny and growing operational complexity.
This roundtable will explore how government technology leaders are improving visibility, cost transparency, prioritisation, and governance to better fund innovation, accelerate operational maturity, and support responsible AI adoption at scale.
Discussion Points
• Preparing the Foundations for AI Transformation
• Funding Innovation Without Losing Control
• Accelerating Maturity Through Visibility and Governance
• The Next Mandate for Government Technology Leaders
What to expect
- Hours
- Senior Executives 10+
- Discussions Interactive
What we will cover
- 1. The Visibility Gap: Why IT Spend Still Feels Like a Black Box Limited real-time visibility across cloud, SaaS, and on-prem environments continues to obscure true cost drivers.
- 2. Cloud Costs Are Rising, But Control Isn’t Unpredictable consumption patterns, overprovisioning, and lack of governance are driving inefficiencies.
- 3. Tool Sprawl and Stack Redundancy Duplicate platforms and overlapping capabilities across teams are inflating cost without adding value.
- 4. Cost Accountability: Who Owns the Spend? Tensions between engineering, finance, and security create blurred ownership and weak accountability.
- 5. Optimisation vs Innovation: A False Trade-Off Cost-cutting initiatives often undermine long-term strategic priorities when not approached correctly.
Agenda
- Executive Arrival & Closed-Door Networking(Executive Luncheon)
- Opening Context: The Cost Mandate Has Changed(Executive Luncheon) Why IT cost is now a board-level performance metric, not an operational detail The shift from “budget control” to “value accountability” Framing the core tension: cost discipline vs. innovation velocity
- Where Is the Money Actually Going? (Visibility & Control)(Executive Luncheon) Why most organisations still lack a unified, real-time view of spend Cloud, SaaS, and tooling sprawl: where inefficiencies quietly compound The disconnect between finance, engineering, and security perspectives
- Who Owns the Spend? (Accountability & Behaviour Change)(Executive Luncheon) The reality of shared ownership — and why it often means no ownership Embedding cost accountability into engineering and security teams Driving behavioural change without slowing delivery or innovation
- Optimising Without Breaking Things (Reallocation & Strategy)(Executive Luncheon) Moving beyond cost-cutting toward smarter reallocation of spend Protecting critical investments (AI, security, resilience) under scrutiny How leading teams are continuously optimising vs. reacting too late
- Closing Reflections: What Leaders Are Doing Differently(Executive Luncheon) Key patterns emerging from peers across industries What’s actually working vs. what’s just theory Immediate actions leaders are taking back into their organisations
- Wrap-Up & Continued Conversations(Executive Luncheon)
Speakers
Matt Pinter · Area Vice President, Solutions Consulting - APAC, Apptio, an IBM Company
Zahid Arain · General Manager Technology Business Management, Technology Business Management (TBM) Council
Partners
Apptio, an IBM Company Apptio, an IBM company, is the leading technology spend and value management software provider. Apptio’s AI-powered data insights empower leaders to make smarter financial and operational decisions across Information Technology (IT), multi-cloud FinOps, and digital product development. Apptio's mission is to deliver business value with every technology investment. Powered by Apptio’s cloud platform, Apptio’s SaaS applications translate technology spend into clear business outcomes and financial ROI. As a pioneer and category leader in Technology Business Management (TBM) and FinOps, Apptio works with thousands of customers, partners, and community members worldwide. For more information, please visit www.apptio.com.
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