Informal conversations about how to make AI work for the rest of us.

A Fordcastle conversation series, hosted with Sanders Place

An ongoing series of informal fireside chats for people working in impact who want to better understand AI. Each session sits down with someone building at the frontier, then opens the floor to the room for an honest Q&A. Hosted at Sanders Place in Richmond, Melbourne.

See all sessions on Luma

Next in the series

The upcoming session.

Next session

Fireside Chat with Rye Smith, Claude Australia Ambassador

An informal fireside chat with Rye, in three parts:

  1. 1The Claude community in Australia, and what it is building.
  2. 2Inside the Impact Lab Rye recently ran in Melbourne.
  3. 3An open Q&A on the priorities the impact community wants to put to AI.
DateTuesday 28 July 2026
Time2:30 – 3:30pm
VenueSanders Place, Richmond, Melbourne
Register on Luma →
Rye Smith

Fireside guest

Rye Smith

Claude Community Ambassador, Anthropic Australia

About Impact Vibes

A series of conversations on AI, curated for impact.

AI is increasingly shaping decisions the impact sector cares about: who gets a service, who gets capital, what counts as evidence. Most of the people building the systems are not the people living with the consequences. Australia has real AI capability and real impact infrastructure, and the two communities don't talk enough.

Impact Vibes is an ongoing series for people working in impact who want to better understand AI. Each session is an informal fireside chat with someone building at the frontier, ending in an open Q&A on the topics the impact community most wants to put to AI. Fordcastle captures the priorities and shares a short recap back.

It runs out of Sanders Place in Richmond, Melbourne's hub for impact and the circular economy.

Why attend

What you will leave with.

The room

Sanders Place, Richmond. Melbourne's hub for impact and the circular economy.

Your hosts

Curated by Fordcastle, hosted with Sanders Place.

Stephen Johnston

Curator

Stephen Johnston

Founder, Fordcastle

Melbourne practice at the intersection of impact, technology, and systems change. Convenes practitioners and operators around the questions the rest of the room is not yet asking.

Adam Jay

Co-host

Adam Jay

Founder, Cocreate Catalyst

Facilitator, systems thinker and strategist with a passion for enabling humans to create positive change and impact. Works with teams, organisations and collectives to build coherence between purpose, systems, strategy and execution.

FAQ

Things people ask.

01

Who speaks?

Each session opens with a fireside guest building at the frontier of AI in Australia. The guest changes session to session. See the box above for who is next, and Luma for the full line-up.

02

Who are the attendees?

Sanders Place members, Fordcastle's wider impact-sector network, and a few people from the AI side who have something to add.

03

Am I a good fit for the event?

If you are curious about AI and care about impact, yes. Come along.

04

How do I come along?

Register through Luma, or drop Stephen a note. The room is small but warm, and we are happy to make space.

05

What do I get out of it?

A useful network, a working hour spent shaping what AI could do for impact, and a recap of the ideas the room surfaced. The guest carries the strongest ones back to the frontier.

06

What is the format?

About an hour. An informal fireside chat with the guest, ending in an open Q&A with the room. Fordcastle shares a short recap afterwards.

07

Is there food?

Something light to drink. These are short sessions, not meals.

08

How much does it cost?

Free for confirmed attendees. Hosted by Fordcastle and Sanders Place.

09

Do I need to prepare anything?

Come with one idea for what you wish AI could do for your work. That is enough.

10

When and where?

Sessions run at Sanders Place in Richmond, Melbourne. Each one is announced separately, see the upcoming session above for the next date and time.

Register

Come to the next session.

One hour, a fireside, and an open room of people working on AI and impact. Register for the next session, or follow the whole series on Luma.

Register on Luma →
See all sessions on Luma