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Ascend GenAI

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About us

Join Ascend GenAI to connect with people interested in how Generative AI is changing industries and careers. Our goal is to bring together builders, thinkers, and doers for real conversations and valuable connections in the AI space.

Who should join?

Anyone curious about the impact of AI
Professionals looking to learn or network
Founders, investors, and product creators

What to expect at our events:

In-person panels and networking
Insightful talks from leaders in GenAI
Opportunities to meet others passionate about AI

Whether you are building products, exploring new ventures, or navigating your career, Ascend GenAI is your place to learn, share, and grow in Southern California’s AI community.

Upcoming events

1

9 seats left
Human + AI: Combining AI and Human Expertise (Paid Event)
Wed, Aug 26 · 6:00 PM PDT
Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County, 1 Federation Way, Irvine, CA, US
PAID EVENT: A Luma ticket is required. Meetup RSVP alone does not reserve a seat.
https://luma.com/ww306wf3
Does the agent send the email or draft it for review? Does the model approve the charge or flag it for a person? Does AI-written code merge, or wait for someone to read it?
Every team building with AI is making these calls right now, mostly on instinct.
Padhraic Smyth studies them for a living. He holds the Hasso Plattner Chair in AI at UC Irvine and is a Fellow of ACM, AAAI, IEEE, and AAAS. He advised Netflix through the Netflix Prize.
His group works on when human and model predictions combined beat either one alone, and on learning which tasks to route to people and which to AI agents. On August 26 he presents that research in Irvine, then takes questions.
Hadar Ziv, Associate Professor of Teaching at UC Irvine, opens with survey data from multiple years of UCI cohorts on how computer science students actually use AI.
Light refreshments provided.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County
1 Federation Way, Irvine, CA 92603
Register on Luma:
https://luma.com/ww306wf3
1 attendee

Past events

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Organizers

Members

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