Cville AI Explorers (CvAIEx) - June Meeting

Dylan Isaac
Senior AI Engineer at Deque Systems

Talk Title: Building Ladders: Extending Human Agency with AI
What if AI could help us reclaim our time, focus our energy, and amplify our creative potential instead of overwhelming us with complexity? In this talk, Dylan Isaac shares how he transitioned from accessibility coaching into AI engineering by building tools that automate drudgery and extend human agency—offering practical examples, from job-simplifying prompts to autonomous agents that support meaningful work across accessibility, development, and personal life.

5:30 PM - Setup begins
5:45 PM - ( Optional ) Book Club track meeting
6:00 PM - Doors Officially Open
Feel free to bring your own snacks or grab something from nearby eateries.
6:30 PM - Dylan Isaac and Q&A
7:30 PM - "Breakout Track" Reports and 3-Minute Pitches
Continuing from our last meeting, if you have an idea for a side-series under the CvAIEx umbrella that you would like to lead, this is a chance to pitch to the group and organize the breakout track:

• Nish Tahir: Technical deep dive into Stable Diffusion
• Mike Powers: Book Club - AI Engineering: Building Applications with Foundation Models by Chip Huyen
• Owen Zanzal: AI-generated Web Series
• Other Ideas? Contact Owen to have your pitch added to this list before the meetup.

7:45 PM - Open Forum

Topics or questions for group discussion:

• Share your personal/group project
• Have an open discussion about [X]
• Share something interesting you saw or read recently
• Other: Contact Owen (via Meetup, Cville Slack, or LinkedIn) to add something to the list in advance, or raise an ad-hoc point at the meeting.

8:00 PM - Wrap Up

Organizers
Owen Zanzal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenzanzal/
Mike Powers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-powers-4262033/

Chat with us on Cville Slack #cvilleaiexplorers
If you aren't a member of Cville Slack, DM me your email, and I'll send you an invite.

Sponsors

Studio IX
Coworking space in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, designed for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and remote workers.
Studio IX offers a flexible shared office environment with options for open workspaces, dedicated desks, and private offices. The space fosters a collaborative community through weekly events and mixers, featuring a 'warm industrial' atmosphere with ample natural light.
Amenities include high-speed internet, soundproof phone booths, conference rooms, and premium coffee. Studio IX is staffed by a community manager on weekdays and provides 24/7 access for members.
Tours of the space are available; interested individuals can contact them via:

• Email: COWORK@STUDIOIX.CO
• Phone: 434.260.3803
• Website: https://www.studioix.co/