Meet the Agents: Protocols, Purpose & Progress in AI

Meet up with the local AI community on the First Monday of October at EPIC Innovation!

• 5:30-6pm - Drinks and networking
• 6-6:45 - Rise of the Agents with Caelan Huntress
• 6:45-7:30 - You down with MCP? with Tim Ackroyd
• 7:30-8pm - Drinks and Open Q&A

Growing from Generative to Agentic AI with Caelan Huntress
We’re entering a new era of artificial intelligence—one where models don’t just generate responses. They now initiate actions, pursue goals, and operate with agency. In this presentation, we’ll explore the shift from Generative AI to Agentic AI—what it means, why it matters, and how you can get ahead of the curve.
You’ll learn:

• What makes an AI agentic, and why this changes how we build
• The key differences between passive prompting vs. proactive workflows
• Real-world examples of agentic systems in use today
• How to design prompts, loops, and contexts that give your AI purpose

Whether you’re building tools, designing systems, or just guiding AI in your daily work, this session will give you a strategic lens on where the future is headed—and how to prepare.

An Introduction to the Model Context Protocol with Tim Ackroyd
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a new open standard designed to make AI tools more powerful, flexible, and interoperable. In this session, we’ll break down what MCP is, why it matters, and how it changes the way models can access and use context.

Whether you’re a developer, a tinkerer, or just AI-curious, you’ll come away with a clear understanding of MCP’s architecture, practical use cases, and how you can start experimenting with it today.

Sponsored by Agentic Intelligence
Raise a glass to Agentic Intelligence for sponsoring the evening's drinks, and to EPIC Innovation for hosting the event in their wonderful facility!