Lani Refiti

Lani Refiti's Biography

Lani Refiti is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years experience in emerging technology and in particular cybersecurity and AI (artificial intelligence).

He is a Co-founder and Partner at Azcende, Australia's first venture capital firm focused on national security and investing in AI, cybersecurity and autonomous systems with the goal of helping to build Australia's next unicorn (billion dollar company). Prior to Azcende Lani was a Partner at Deloitte Australia and Venture Partner at Deloitte Ventures, the firm's venture capital arm.

He was also a Director at PwC focused on Digital Transformation.  Lani has spoken at numerous global conferences and events on the power of AI, dangers of cybersecurity and the future of robotics and autonomous systems.

What makes Lani unique is his human-centered approach to emerging technology, rooted in his practice as a Psychotherapist working with individuals, couples and groups to navigate clinical mental health issues.

Lani is also a regular on Channel 9 News and industry podcasts, sharing his knowledge and expertise on a broad range of subjects such as AI, cybersecurity, privacy in the age of surveillance and more.

Lani loves personal and applied leadership and hold a Masters, Psychotherapy (M.Gest.Therapy) with a focus on emotional intelligence as a catalyst for effective leadership and influencing organisational effectiveness. In this vein he also practices as a Psychotherapist helping on issues such as depression, stress and anxiety in individuals, relationship stress in couples and organisational leadership and culture development in organisations.

Speaking Topics Include

Artificial Intelligence - New hope or Terminator?

AI is the coolest thing at the moment and everyone is flocking to generative AI.  But some including Elon Musk are warning that AI could eventually mean humanity's downfall.  Who is right and who is wrong and what will happen with AI over the next decade?

Contact and connection through technology

“The human heart yearns for contact – above all it yearns for connection” – Lynne Jacobs. In a world where AI will become both ubiquitous and more intelligent than humans in a decade, how will this play out?

Being human in a technology obsessed world

Technology is ubiquitous and it’s adoption will only accelerate as emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) begin to mature. Set against this rapid shift, humans have evolved over millions of years and changing what it means to be human in a technology obsessed world.

Cybersecurity – moving from security to resiliency

With spending on cybersecurity at record levels, so are the incidents of cyber-attacks. More than ever we need to move to resilience vs security approach.