This session closes Day 1 by reframing the real challenge - not only what we can build, but what we should build, & what must remain deeply human. This fireside dialogue brings together perspectives across science, wisdom traditions & living knowledge to explore how we maintain humanity in the age of machines to grow beyond intelligence defined by language models - how we gain clarity, new perspectives & a stronger internal compass for navigating uncertainty.

Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainty, the Indo-Pacific’s fast-growing digital economies are looking for infrastructure that can deliver both cost efficiency and ESG-aligned resilience.

In this context, Western Australia is drawing increasing interest for the foundations that matter: clean and reliable energy, critical minerals for high-performance chips, global connectivity, secure and scalable compute, lower operating costs for business, and a stable, trusted operating environment.

This session will explore how WA can convert these advantages into long-term strategic value for the state and international markets: offering internationally competitive services while supporting local industries and SMEs, creating future jobs, attracting investment, strengthening sustainable development, and positioning the state as a trusted hub in the region for next-generation digital infrastructure. It will also examine how public and private sectors and academia can work together to unlock this opportunity and ensure the benefits build a stronger regional economy.

The “next economy” is already here (but not evenly distributed) with AI in everyday services, new digital markets through tokenisation, quantum-driven security upgrades, and green infrastructure powering modern compute. But not all growth stories are sustainable, and bubbles do happen (is AI due for a reset? Is Quantum finally ready?). That leaves a simple question for everyone—from mums and dads, VCs and family offices to Australia’s super funds:

What does this mean for savings, wealth, retirement and the kind of economy we’re building?

This roundtable brings together investors, technologists and researchers, regulators and practitioners to separate durable value from hype, and to define what high-return, responsible investing looks like under real uncertainty.

We also ask the hard questions: if some jobs disappear or shift, how do large funds still deliver for members and the broader economy—not just short-term winners?