How Frontier AI Models Are Built — And The Future Of The Cutting Edge

We'll be using the VU's biggest lecture hall (pictures below) for a meetup on frontier AI models — and we'll celebrate the start of the summer ☀️

👉👉 We've received a lot of requests for a meetup on two related topics. First, how are frontier AI models actually built and improved? Second, the community has requested a hype-free discussion of the future and how cutting-edge models may evolve over the next 1-2 years. So we'll be covering both topics in the June AI on the Amstel meetup!

🎤🎤 Our panel this month features top AI researchers. We put together a great panel that represents different elements of the cutting edge of AI:

• Thomas Mensink, AI Researcher at Google DeepMind. Google DeepMind is the team behind Google Gemini, one of the top AI models in the world with over 750 million monthly active users.
• Rick Lamers, AI Researcher at NVIDIA. Rick brings a unique perspective to the panel, as he works on model and LLM research while working at NVIDIA, maker of the cutting-edge chips that train AI models.
• Maurits Bleeker, Research Scientist at Emmi/Mistral. Mistral acquired Emni in May 2026 as part of their efforts to move beyond chat-based AI. To simplify, Emmi specializes in "Physics AI" and using AI to simulate/predict what will happen in the real world.

🧑🏻‍💻👩🏽‍💻 Now, we certainly know that not all attendees will be AI engineers working with models all day. We'll make sure the panel strikes the balance of getting into the details without getting so jargon-heavy that you can't understand what they're saying : )

🏖️🏖️ We'll also celebrate the start of the summer with a twist on our usual meetup format. From 17:00 to 18:00, we will gather in an outdoor area for networking. From 18:00 to 19:15, we'll all walk to the NU building right nearby and sit in the VU's biggest lecture hall for the panel. It's a two minute walk away. After the panel concludes, we'll go back to the outdoor area for more networking.

📍📍 The address for the outdoor party/networking area is De Boelelaan 1095a, 1081 HV Amsterdam. It's the VU StartHub, a blue container village in the middle of the VU campus square. If you arrive a little late (which is fine) and are going straight to the lecture hall, the address for the lecture hall is De Boelelaan 1111, 1081 HV Amsterdam. The lecture hall is Theaterzaal 1.

🎓🎓 Of course, this kind of event is a team effort. First, a big thank you to the team at Demonstrator Lab VU and VU StartHub! Demonstrator Lab VU is the early stage startup incubator of the Vrij Universiteit, open to all students and researchers that want to try out entrepreneurship. VU StartHub is startup pavilion in the heart of the campus.

🧑‍🎓🧑‍🎓 AISO is also a partner for this event. AISO is a leading student-led AI society in the Netherlands, based in Amsterdam. It brings technically-minded students together through hackathons, speaker events, and collaborative projects, building a community of 500+ members in Amsterdam and reaching thousands across the country. By working closely with universities, industry, and policymakers, AISO accelerates AI adoption among students throughout the Netherlands.

🅰️ℹ️ For those who are new to the meetup, the AI on the Amstel meetup is a monthly technical meetup that features knowledgeable speakers discussing "in the weeds" AI topics and challenges. We get 200-400+ people a month depending on the size of the venue that month. The meetup has over 5,000 members and has a 4.7/5 rating.

📣📣 Finally, a shout-out to our new meetup sponsor — Alibaba and Qwen! Qwen is the leading AI model in China. Want to learn more? Reach out to Kas or Daniel from the team based in the Netherlands.

I hope to see you at the June meetup!