Hi #SmartCommunity friends. In this episode I have a fantastic conversation with Josh Sattler, the cofounder of TwentySeven Technologies and CEO of Circl Group. Josh tells us about his background in economic development and technology within local government, particularly at the City of Darwin, and how that led him to the companies he’s started. Josh and I discuss the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance community connectivity, as well as the benefits and risks of AI, and the need for diversity in the AI space. Josh tells us about some of the possibilities of using AI in government to make data driven decisions, and how he’s using AI daily in his work these days. 

Josh and I then discuss his work at the City of Darwin, including the challenges and the project he’s most proud of, the MyDarwin online platform for economic stimulus that began during the early days of the pandemic and is still going strong. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trends of the way Gen Z and Generation Alpha are integrating technology as they participate in society and why co-design with young people is the next step for Smart Communities. As always, I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. 

Listen here: 

What we cover in this episode:

• Josh’s background in economic development, technology, and local government
• Cofounding 27 Technologies and Circl
• What a Smart Community means to Josh
• The potential of artificial intelligence to enhance community connectivity
• The importance of mistakes in innovation and why that’s difficult but essential for government
• The intersection of technology and community
• The progress, benefits and risks of AI
• The need for diversity in the AI space
• How Josh is using AI everyday 
• The possibilities of using AI in government to make data driven decisions
• How technology enables governments to support, amplify and give opportunities to their people
• The MyDarwin project Josh worked on with the City of Darwin
• The most challenging thing working in City of Darwin
• The emerging trends of the way Gen Z and Generation Alpha are integrating technology as they participate in society
• Why co-design with young people is the next step for Smart Communities. As always, I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. 

Quotes:

“Fundamentally, [a Smart Community is] a connected community and how we utilise technology to connect the community and the citizens is really important. …I’m super keen about connectivity, and love to see it emerge stronger within communities that are open and embracing to it.”

“I love people that say they’re innovators that build in mistakes. Without mistakes, it can’t be always polished. And it can’t be always nice and succinct. And that’s how it’s all going to work. Anyone that’s in the innovation space, who is averse to making mistakes, you’re going about it the wrong way, you need to make a couple of mistakes, to get the learnings quickly, and learn from that to move forward with….that’s hard in government. Government don’t like to make mistakes, especially with ratepayers’ money. But you fundamentally have to have some of that at the start of the journey. Because if you don’t, you don’t get the better outcomes at the back end.”

“I use AI every day in everything I do. Ask me 12 months ago, 24 months ago, I would have said, ‘once a week, maybe’, but I’m using AI in multiple forms, or multiple platforms daily with great benefit.”

“Most people that haven’t worked in government give government a bad rap, but really, they’re there because they want to be there. They’re there to help community, that’s got them into that role. They love what they do. And sometimes just because of the bureaucracy and whatever ministerial plan, wherever they’re up to, [those people] are the diamonds at the bottom of a cave.”

“What we developed as MyDarwin, you’d expect a startup or someone else to have that thinking, you wouldn’t expect it inside a local government. We’ve pitched hard with elected members…[who said] ‘Yeah, we’ve got to do this. We’ve got to keep doors open.’ And the community said that it was the best thing that the City of Darwin has ever done that whole time they’ve actually been around! So that built a lot of trust in what we’re doing in that digital space and in the innovative space as well.”

“That for me was one of the real standouts: how do I get a local government head playing in a startup space delivering outcomes to the community? That’s exactly what we did. And we didn’t wait around for someone else to tell us what to do either. We just went and did it. 

“What really gets me out of bed is being involved in programs and projects where I can have a legacy outcome. So even if I’m not there, things will still keep going and churning and deliver for community.”

“I love to employ a 12-16 year old, just to get that uninhibited thought process around innovation and things like that…I’m reading books about nature, rather than reading textbooks about artificial intelligence. I see that connectedness is really important. So let’s connect back with our kids and the kids that we’re trying to shape futures for, and ask them the question about what they want before we start building it.”

Links:

• Book: The Secret Network of Nature by Peter Wohlleben,
• TIME article about AI company in India https://time.com/6297403/the-workers-behind-ai-rarely-see-its-rewards-this-indian-startup-wants-to-fix-that/
• MyDarwin project https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/transforming-darwin/innovation/yourdarwin/smart-prosperous/mydarwin-program
• Davidson Recruitment article about AI https://www.davidsonwp.com/why-digital-transformation-is-important 
• Episode 69 with Nicole Stephensen https://mysmart.community/2018/10/30/the-importance-of-privacy-protections-in-the-smart-city-with-nicole-stephensen/
• GovConnect https://www.deloitte.com/au/en/Industries/government-public/about/govconnect.html

Connect: 

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn or via TwentySeven Tech or Circl Group Pty Ltd

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital