AI in 2026: What Actually Matters (and What Doesn't)
Details
This is meeting #1. Come help us kick it off.
AI is everywhere right now — in your inbox, your search bar, your coworker's workflow, your kid's homework. But most of what you read about it online is either hype or fear. What's actually useful? What's changed in the last year? And what should you be paying attention to right now?
That's what we're covering. Founder Don Kitchen will cut through the noise with a no-BS look at the state of AI in 2026 — the tools that are actually worth using, how real people are applying them at work, and where things are heading next. Expect live demos, real talk, and zero jargon for jargon's sake.
Whether you write code, run a business, manage a team, or just want to stop feeling behind — this one's for you.
No experience required. Just show up hungry (we've got pizza).
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🗓️ Schedule:
🕡 6:30 PM — Doors open, networking, pizza & drinks
🕖 7:00 PM — Welcome, announcements, sponsor spotlight
🕢 7:10 PM — Main presentation (45–60 min)
🕗 8:10 PM — Q&A and open discussion
🕣 8:30 PM — Raffle, closing remarks, networking
🕘 9:00 PM — End
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What to expect:
- Always free to attend
- Pizza and drinks on us
- Casual and friendly — come as you are
- A raffle with prizes at the end of each meeting
- A room full of AI-curious people from Howard County and the Baltimore–Washington corridor
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About HoCo AI: 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 HoCo AI is for. Real conversations, real use cases, real people figuring it out together. We meet on the 3rd Thursday of every month in Columbia, MD. Great presentation, good food, better people. No sales pitches.
Venue sponsor: Leffler, Bayoumi & Oliver, LLC
Community sponsor: DGK Technologies
Questions? Reach out at [hello@hocoai.org](mailto:hello@hocoai.org) or visit hocoai.org.