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Real-World AI™ Live Labs Online in 15 – MCP and your AI
February 9 @ 10:00 am - 10:30 am
Real-World AI™ Live Labs are where our mission becomes action. Through these sessions, we’re helping people move through our AI The Right Way™ Framework — from learning and awareness to confident, responsible use.
These labs feed into our high-impact In-Person and Global Online Events where the community joins together on our Real-World platform to ensure equitable access. Together, we:
- Explore how to apply AI safely and ethically in everyday work.
- Collaborate on solving real-world problems using our PRE → LIVE → POST process.
- Solve everything from the simplest time-intensive tasks through to changing the way you work by being AI-driven.
The AI landscape can be overwhelming, cluttered with noise and just not know where to start. We all know we can watch LinkedIn or YouTube, but The AI Assembly® is here to move you beyond the feed. We curate the best responsible practitioners from throughout the world to chat with you and showcase the specific things you need to know.
Our mission is to meet you wherever you are in your career journey—whether you are studying for a degree, leading a business, or wanting to empower yourself in your current job. We ensure you aren’t left behind by the terminology or the technology.
MCP and your AI – Online Live Lab with Blake Harkness:
Date: Monday, 9th February | 10:00 am – 10:25 am (NZDT)
Expert: Blake Harkness (Harkness AI)
Moderator: Karrina Mountfort
The Industry Briefing: Karrina interviews Blake on industry shifts and the concepts you need to know to lead AI conversations responsibly.
The Technical Showcase: A live demonstration of MCP (Model Context Protocol). See how to safely connect AI to your specific data while maintaining strict privacy standards.
Session structure: 25 minutes to enable & empower
10:00 am – 10:05 am | The industry briefing Karrina Mountfort will interview Blake Harkness on the shifts she is seeing play out across the industry. This segment is designed to teach you the high-level concepts you really need to know to confidently participate in professional AI discussions.
10:05 am – 10:20 am | The online live lab A 15-minute showcase of the technology in action. Blake will demonstrate how to safely connect AI to local data, moving from a generic chat to a functional, creation-oriented system.
10:20 am – 10:25 am | Rapid Q&A Direct access to Blake and Karrina to clear up hurdles and prepare you for the next level of collaborative problem-solving.
Featured expert: Blake Harkness
We are thrilled to be joined by Blake Harkness, a recognised Rising Star within the AI Forum and the New Zealand tech community. Blake is at the forefront of the new wave of AI thinkers, known for his ability to bridge the gap between complex technical shifts and real-world application.
As the founder of Harkness AI, he focuses on how we can use emerging standards—like the Model Context Protocol (MCP)—to move beyond generic tools and into professional, context-aware systems. His presence in this lab ensures we are learning from someone who is actively shaping the conversation around the next generation of AI integration.
Real-World AI™ Live Labs: online to global action
Real-World AI™ Live Labs are where our mission becomes action. Through these sessions, we’re helping people move through our AI The Right Way™ Framework — from learning and awareness to confident, responsible use.
These labs feed into our high-impact In-Person and Global Online Events where the community joins together on our Real-World platform to ensure equitable access. Together, we:
- Explore how to apply AI safely and ethically in everyday work.
- Collaborate on solving real-world problems using our PRE → LIVE → POST process.
- Solve everything from the simplest time-intensive tasks through to changing the way you work by being AI-driven.
Building an AI-literate Aotearoa
Tech democratised AI for citizens—now we’re democratising education to match. We are building a national movement to make Aotearoa New Zealand an AI-literate nation—where every person has the knowledge, confidence, and opportunity to thrive.
Moving the Dial on Responsible AI Use Real-World AI™ Live Labs are where our mission becomes action. Each event moves people through the stages of our national education framework:
- Tangata (People-centredness): Innovation grounded in humanity.
- Whanaungatanga (Connection): Learning together across diverse communities.
- Whakamana (Empowerment): Building the skills to move from curiosity to capability.
Join our movement
Take the Next Step: Secure Your Place
For AI Assembler Pro Members: If you are an AI Assembler Pro, you are already part of our community of innovative thinkers! Please check your calendar — we should have already added you, but you can fill in the form below if you don’t see it there! Gain a starter credit for the our Real-World AI™ Tooling Fundamentals Certification.
For Launchpad Community Members (Free): We have reserved a limited number of guest spots for our valued Launchpad community members who are keen to experience our exclusive speaker sessions. To register your interest in attending, please fill in the form below, and our team will be in touch if a spare spot is available for you!