AI Foundations for Business Owners
For business owners & managersA plain-language programme that takes owners and managers from AI-curious to confidently using AI for the everyday jobs in their business - safely.
What this training builds
Most owners know AI matters but don't know where it fits in their business - and the hype makes it harder, not easier. This programme cuts through it in plain language.
You learn what modern AI actually is, what it can and can't do, and how to use it safely. Then it gets practical: the everyday jobs AI can take off your plate - enquiries, quotes, admin, marketing - demonstrated live and tried hands-on.
You finish by mapping AI to your own business and leaving with a simple, prioritised adoption plan - so the learning turns into action the following week.
Business owners and managers
For owners and managers of small and medium NZ businesses in any industry - no technical background needed. Built from sessions delivered to hospitality, engineering, trades, professional services and tourism audiences.
By the end you will be able to
- Explain what modern AI can and cannot do for a business like yours, without the hype
- Choose the right AI tool for each job, and use it safely - privacy, customer data and guardrails
- Use AI yourself for everyday jobs: enquiries, quotes, admin, documents and marketing content
- Identify and prioritise the highest-value AI use cases in your own business
- Lead AI adoption in your business - set safe-use rules, choose the right tools, and coach your staff to use them
- Take away a simple 90-day adoption plan you can start on immediately
Module by module
What AI actually is
A plain-English foundation: how the tools work, what they're good and bad at, and live demonstrations against real business tasks.
The everyday jobs AI can do
Hands-on with the common wins - answering enquiries, drafting quotes and documents, admin, and marketing content - using examples from your industry.
Safe use - privacy, data and guardrails
What's safe to put into AI tools and what isn't, customer data and privacy basics, and simple rules for your business.
Find your use cases
A guided mapping exercise across your own business to find and rank where AI saves the most hours.
Leading AI adoption in your business
Turn the mapping into a prioritised 90-day plan you own as the leader: what to adopt first, who in your business does each piece, how you coach your staff through it, and how you measure whether it worked.
Delivery formats
Public workshop (in person)
Run as public sessions and as conference workshops - the conference format has been delivered to audiences from 40 to 340 people.
Contact us for a priceOnline cohort
Delivered live over video for teams and groups anywhere in New Zealand, with the same exercises and take-home plan.
Contact us for a pricePrivate in-house
Run privately for your business or association, with examples tailored to your industry.
Contact us for a priceNo public dates open right now
The next public session is being planned. Join the waitlist and you’ll hear first when a date opens - or we can run it privately for your team.
Who delivers this programme
Blake Harkness
Lead Trainer & Founder, Harkness AIBlake is a Christchurch-based AI engineer who runs AI education across New Zealand - from small hands-on workshops to conference sessions of 300+ people. He founded Harkness AI to help Kiwi businesses build real AI capability, and has published over 150 educational AI videos.
- Mechatronics engineering background
- AI Strategy and Governance - University of Pennsylvania (certified 2025)
- IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate - IBM
- AI Forum New Zealand - AEC Working Group contributor
- Engineering New Zealand - AI Advisory Group member
- Young Kiwis in AI - Founder (meetups in 5 cities)
- 150+ published AI educational videos, 1M+ views
What it looks like afterwards
Blake is amazing, his knowledge of AI is really impressive. He helped us become more confident with AI and showed us how to use it in our business. The training sessions were great, and he's very approachable and always happy to help. He also presented at our networking event and received fantastic feedback from everyone.
Good to know
Last updated 25 August 2026