Hawaii Island AI Summit Brings Hands-On Workshops to Hilo in March

Kealani Solutions hosted the Hawaii Island AI Summit at the Arc of Hilo on Waianuenue Avenue last Thursday, filling the Hilo venue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with developers, business owners, and community members looking to put artificial intelligence to practical use, not just talk about it.

The one-day regional gathering split attendees into two specialized tracks after a morning keynote block from local leaders and a local kine lunch. The Builders Track, aimed at developers, engineers, and creators, covered agentic AI, automation, and agents. The Leaders Track, designed for business owners, managers, and decision-makers, focused on responsible AI, policies, security, and safeguards. Both tracks ran from 1 p.m. and were framed around the Hawaiian learning principle "Ma ka hana ka 'ike," learn by doing, not just listening. Builders track attendees were advised to bring a laptop.

At 3 p.m., the agenda shifted to a Talk Story Panel titled "AI and the Future of Work," an open discussion with panelists on how artificial intelligence is reshaping Hawaii Island's workforce and economy. The day closed with two hours of pau hana networking from 4 to 6 p.m., giving attendees time to connect with speakers, sponsors, and fellow participants.

The event's promotional framing was deliberately local. "We're trying to build something local here, not just bring in mainland speakers to tell us what to do," organizers wrote in advance community outreach. "It's a one-day event for local business owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about how AI is actually being used in real businesses today, not the sci-fi stuff, but practical tools people are using right now."

Standard tickets were listed at $50 on the official event site, covering workshops, lunch, and pau hana networking. The Hawaii Island SBDC issued a press release on February 27 announcing a discounted rate: code SBDC35 brought admission down to $35, per promotional listings from the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.

The summit drew backing from across the Big Island tech and business community. Kamaʻaina Tech Solutions served as 'Ohana Sponsor and Mayu Systems as Mana Sponsor. Community sponsors included Hawaii Women in Tech, Nimble Brain, Infra Garden, Netcom Path, Big Island Tech, HTDC Hawaii Center for AI, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water, and IEEE Island of Hawaii. Blue Startups and Ho'olauna Coffee and Networking also appeared on the sponsor roster.

Arc of Hilo, at 1099 Waianuenue Avenue, provided free on-site parking with additional street parking nearby. Registration was handled through Luma at hawaiiaisummit.com.

Whether the summit becomes an annual fixture on the Big Island's technology calendar will likely depend on what participants take back to their businesses, a question the organizers clearly anticipated: "Walk away with practical AI skills you can use right away" was the promise, and the structured two-track format was built to deliver exactly that.