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Artificial Intelligence is already part of everyday life; helping shape healthcare, public services and how people access support.

But many people feel AI is happening to them rather than with them.

• What does AI actually mean for communities?

• Can we trust it?

• Who decides how it’s used?

• And how do we make sure it works fairly for everyone?
  

This event creates space for an open, honest conversation about understanding AI, building trust and making sure communities have a voice in how technology is designed and used.

No jargon. No hype. Just real discussion about what matters.

Speakers:

Amanda Coates is Director of Digital and Innovation at Northpoint, where she leads digital and AI strategy to improve services, strengthen sustainability and support safe, ethical innovation in healthcare. Her career spans healthcare, local government and the voluntary sector, with a strong focus on service improvement, community engagement and designing practical solutions that work for people. Alongside her leadership in digital transformation, Amanda is also a small business owner, bringing an entrepreneurial perspective to innovation, accessibility and real-world impact. She is passionate about making technology easier to understand, more trustworthy and shaped by the communities it serves.

Amanda Haigh is the founder and CEO of UKind Therapy CIC and Fix Your Future Ltd, and the creator of UKind XR — a survivor-led, trauma-informed virtual reality platform designed to provide immediate emotional support for people affected by trauma, abuse and mental health crisis.

Amanda's work is rooted in lived experience. A survivor of domestic abuse herself, she spent over 16 years supporting vulnerable adults before founding UKind — driven by a simple but radical belief: that people shouldn't have to wait 12 to 18 months for help at the most fragile point of their lives.

UKind XR uses immersive VR environments and AI-guided support to help people feel calmer, safer and more ready to engage with recovery — built not for the technology industry, but for the people most consistently failed by existing systems.

Amanda leads from the front on co-design, survivor involvement and ethical innovation. She is a passionate advocate for the principle that technology in health must be built with the people it serves — not for them.

UKind XR is currently developing a formal evaluation protocol with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, funded by UKRI, and has been recognised with the West Yorkshire Award for Innovation in Trauma-Responsive Practice 2026 and Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year 2025.

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