Dom Price, Work Futurist and ADAPT Advisor opens the session by introducing The Hon Victor Dominello – Director UNSW/UTS Trustworthy Digital Society Hub, Tech Council of Australia Board Member and Former Minister for Customer Service and Digital Govt and Founder of ServiceGen. Dom highlights Victor’s reputation for translating complex concepts into practical insights, setting the tone for a conversation on leadership, AI, and organisational evolution. Victor describes his leadership style as one built on trust and delegation — empowering teams to solve smaller issues while he focuses on vision and problem-solving at scale. Reflecting on his experience as a minister, he says that this approach evolved over time and was strengthened by working with a close, consistent team for over a decade, which created what he described as “ESP” among colleagues.
When discussing artificial intelligence, Victor characterises generative AI (GenAI) as “a very clever pigeon” — essentially an advanced pattern-recognition system that can improve speed, precision, and risk management when used responsibly. He emphasises the importance of a “human-in-the-loop” approach to balance the risks of both human and AI error. Reflecting on transformation efforts in government, he distinguishes between transformation and evolution, noting that while large-scale initiatives can deliver short-term wins, sustained progress requires embedding adaptability into systems. He illustrates this with his “Government 0.0 to 4.0” framework: moving from paper-based bureaucracy (Government 0.0) to a future of formless, automated services (Government 4.0), where systems interact directly through APIs. Victor argues that most governments remain stuck around version 2.0, having digitised old processes rather than reimagining them, what he calls “digital graffiti.”
Victor also shares lessons from leading 70 agile product teams across New South Wales, highlighting the shift from rigid bureaucracy to a startup-like culture enabled by agile data, decisions, and funding. This model was supported by a $2.2 billion digital restart fund, which allowed teams to experiment and act quickly. Both Victor and Dom agree that technology is rarely the true challenge; people and culture are. Victor compares technology to a golf club and leadership culture to the swing that determines performance. Looking ahead, he urges leaders to cultivate humility, curiosity, and playfulness when engaging with AI, citing examples such as AI for early sepsis detection and crowd monitoring at Taylor Swift concerts. Dom adds that while research shows 33% gains in individual productivity, 96% of organisations see no overall improvement, a signal that leaders must focus on the “so what?” by reinvesting time savings into meaningful work. Both speakers conclude that the future belongs to leaders who experiment, share stories openly, and view AI adoption as an ongoing human evolution, not a one-off transformation.
Key takeaways:
- Evolve, don’t just transform: Victor Dominello emphasises that lasting change comes from evolution, not one-off transformation projects, noting that many governments and organisations digitise old processes (“digital graffiti”) rather than reimagining them for a new era.
- Trust, agility, and humility drive leadership: Victor’s leadership style centres on delegation, empowerment, and servant leadership, supported by agile structures such as data-sharing laws and a $2.2 billion digital restart fund to enable experimentation and fast decisions.
- AI’s power depends on people: Both speakers agree that while generative AI can boost individual productivity by 33%, 96% of organisations see no real gains, showing that culture, capability, and curiosity are the real differentiators in turning AI potential into measurable value.