HoCo AI - Howard County Artificial Intelligence Club

Learn AI by actually using it.
HoCo AI is a free, in-person community based in Columbia, MD for anyone who wants to figure out how artificial intelligence fits into their work, their business, or their life.

Every month we get together for a real presentation, live demos, good food, and honest conversation. Our members include software developers, business professionals, data people, students, and plenty of folks who are just curious and want to learn. You don't need to be technical to get something out of this.

There's no shortage of AI content out there — but most of it doesn't answer the question people actually have: how do I use this in my world? That's what we're here for.

What a typical meeting looks like:

• 6:30 PM — Doors open, networking, pizza & drinks
• 7:00 PM — Welcome and announcements
• 7:10 PM — Main presentation (45–60 min, usually with live demos)
• 8:10 PM — Q&A and open discussion
• 8:30 PM — Raffle, wrap-up, informal networking
• 9:00 PM — End

What we're about:

• Practical over theoretical — tools you can use Monday morning
• Community over content — you can watch a YouTube video at home; you can't network with it
• Inclusive — whether you've been fine-tuning models or you just started using ChatGPT last week, you belong here

We meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month in Columbia, MD, serving the Baltimore–Washington corridor.

Founded by Don Kitchen, a technology leader with 25+ years in software, systems, and architecture — and a longtime believer in the power of local user groups.

Website: hocoai.org Contact: [hello@hocoai.org](mailto:hello@hocoai.org)