AI and Society

We’re excited to continue building AI in Practice with our monthly social! 🎉 Each month, we’ll host an informal happy hour and dinner at Upside on Moore in Rosslyn. Come join fellow AI builders, professionals, and curious minds for a relaxed evening of conversation, connection, and community. Whether you’re working on AI systems, advising on responsible adoption, or just interested in how AI is shaping law, compliance, finance, healthcare, defense, software, mission-driven organizations, or public service — this is a chance to meet like-minded people and help shape what this community becomes. 🍸 Drinks and food are available for purchase at the venue. 🤝 No formal agenda — just introductions, networking, and sharing what excites us about AI in practice. We’re so grateful for the early enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing you each month as this community grows! **Date, Time & Location** 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Tuesday 14 April 2026 Upside on Moore 1831 Moore Street Arlington, VA 22209

**​​​​​​​​A free, public workshop—no technical background needed** ​​​​​​​​ In just the past 8 months, AI has advanced at a pace that stunned even leading experts. These systems aren’t science fiction anymore—they’re reshaping work, relationships, and even crime in real time. ​​​​​​​​This workshop explores where AI may be in the next 1–5 years and what that means for your daily life. Together, we’ll tackle urgent questions like: * ​​​​​​​​**Jobs**: Could AI lead to mass unemployment—or entirely new kinds of work? * ​​​​​​​​**Crime**: How might AI supercharge scams, hacking, and even physical crime? * ​​​​​​​​**Companions**: Will people form deep emotional bonds—or even romantic relationships—with AI assistants? * ​​​​​​​​**Society**: How do top researchers think these trends will shape our future? **​​​​​​​​What you’ll get:** * ​​​​​​​​A fast-paced, beginner-friendly overview of today’s most powerful AI systems * ​​​​​​​​Live demos that reveal both the breakthroughs and the risks * ​​​​​​​​An interactive forecasting exercise where you’ll test your own predictions about AI’s impact ​​​​​​​​Come ready to explore a future arriving faster than most people realize—one that could transform not just how we work, but how we trust, connect, and even love.

**Agenda :** * 4.45 to 5.00 PM ET: Food and Networking * 5.00 to 5.50 PM ET: "Hands-On : GitHub Copilot SpecKit" Hello Everyone! Please join us for our April 14th edition of the AI-ML MeetUp. **Please note this is an in-person meeting and light refreshments/food will be provided. You will need a government-issued ID to enter the facility.** **Title:** Hands-On : GitHub Copilot SpecKit **Description:** Spec-Driven Development **flips the script** on traditional software development. For decades, code has been king — specifications were just scaffolding we built and discarded once the "real work" of coding began. Spec-Driven Development changes this: **specifications become executable**, directly generating working implementations rather than just guiding them. In this hands-on lab, we will be covering building your application using SpecKit. Pre-requisites: VSCode v1.107, GitHub Copilot, Python 3.13 + uv, Git installed. **Location:** The meeting will be hosted in the Applied Information Sciences ( AIS ) office in Reston, at 11440 Commerce Park Dr # 600 · Reston, VA. The location is also right off the Silver Line metro's Wiehle-Reston Metro Station. **Parking:** Parking is paid and can be validated at the AIS office reception. We will meet in Room Lake Anne. We hope to see you all there!!!!

A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st- through 2nd-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. The Starfinder Society is one of a dozen prominent organizations invited to participate in the Great Absalom Relay, a live-streamed relay race across Absalom Station and the most anticipated charity event of the year! Charm the audience and upstage your competition as you overcome obstacles and compete in challenges in this showcase of Absalom Station’s hotspots. Win or lose, the spotlight’s on you! Written by Alex Speidel.

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Goddess of Spring and the Underworld,”** an introduction to the Greek goddess Persephone in her many incarnations, with Brittany Warman, former instructor at Ohio State University and co-founder of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/spring-and-underworld](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/spring-and-underworld) .] Join Brittany Warman, who has earned a huge following among Profs and Pints fans by delivering fantastic talks on folklore, myths, legends, and fantasy, for the perfect event for the season: a look at the spring goddess Persephone and the many ways in which she has inspired the human imagination. The story of Hades and Persephone is one of the most famous—and most retold—episodes in Greek mythology. Persephone’s abduction, her interlude in the Underworld, and her partial return to the world above have inspired statues and webcomics, ancient cults and contemporary poetry. Thousands of years after her tale was first told, we’re still fascinated by this goddess. Brittany will discuss how Persephone’s appeal lies in her liminality in being caught between two very different worlds and lives. She represents spring, renewal, and rebirth because Earth blooms with her return, but she’s also the Queen of the Underworld. From a 21st-century perspective, she’s basically a goth girl adorned with a flower crown. We’ll also look at Persephone’s mythic roots, including their connections to the Eleusinian Mysteries. And then we’ll dive into some of the ways that Persephone has been revised and retold in recent years, from the Tony award-winning musical *Hadestown* to the webcomic *Lore Olympus* to memes and fairy tales and fashion. After all, why be just one thing when you can be the queen of both spring and darkness? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From “Proserpine” (Persephone) painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1882. (Birmingham Museums Trust / Wikimedia Commons.)

Join us for Happy Hour and trivia at Caddies on Cordelle in Bethesda. Happy Hour prices last until 10 pm. Trivia starts at 7:30, but we will arrive early to get a table. https://caddiesoncordell.com/event/trivia-night/2025-06-24/

It's Indie Dev Night! Bring your games that you've made, your game idea, or just your passion for game development! This is an informal event to talk game development with like-minded folks. We'll be hosting this IN PERSON at the MLK Jr. Library in room 401-A Closing Time at the library: 8:30 PM

Everyone has access to AI. Everyone is creating more content. The real question is **How do you create content that actually performs when everyone is using the same tools?** At this DC Marketing Tech Talks session, we’re going beyond prompts and tools and getting into what actually matters now: * How to build a content strategy that doesn’t fall into the “AI slop” trap * How AI and search engines are actually evaluating and surfacing your content * How to distribute and structure your content so it reaches the right audience and drives results **What This Session Will Cover** This session is designed as a focused, three-part experience, with each speaker taking a different angle on what it really means to create content in an AI-driven world. We’ll start with **[Tara L. Finney](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarafinney/)**, who brings a strategic lens shaped by over two decades of building content programs across B2B and B2C. Tara will walk through how to build a content strategy that aligns with your business goals, reflects your brand, and resonates with your audience. From there, **[Stephen Hart](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephenahart/)** will shift the focus to what happens after the content is created. Because even strong content fails if it doesn’t reach the right people. He’ll walk through how to structure your content ecosystem so it can be distributed effectively, reused across channels, and scaled without requiring constant output or burnout. We’ll close with **[Alex Lindley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lindley-50823437/)**, who will take the conversation into how content is actually being evaluated today. As AI becomes a gatekeeper for discovery, it’s no longer just about what you publish, but how it’s interpreted. Alex will unpack how AI and search systems read, assess, and surface your content, giving you a clearer understanding of what drives visibility in an AI-influenced search landscape. This is a practical discussion about how to create content that shows up, gets read, and supports real business growth in a world shaped by AI. If you’re a marketer, founder, or content leader trying to figure out how to stay relevant in an AI-saturated world, this is the conversation you need to be in.

Join our casual open forum where we dive into **any AI-related topic** that interests you! This is a relaxed, participant-driven discussion. Bring whatever’s on your mind — no agenda, no presentations, just good conversation. Topics can range from: * Latest AI tools and breakthroughs * Prompt engineering tricks * AI ethics and societal impact * Fun experiments with Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, etc. * AI in art, coding, business, or everyday life * Wild ideas, future predictions, or “what if” scenarios Everyone is welcome to jump in, ask questions, share experiences, or just listen. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, beginner, or somewhere in between, come hang out and talk about whatever AI topic excites (or confuses) you that day.

## Join Our AI Workshop! Get ready to dive into the world of artificial intelligence at our fun and interactive in-person AI Workshop. Whether you're a newbie or a tech enthusiast, this is the perfect place to learn, experiment, and connect with like-minded folks. Don't miss out on hands-on sessions, cool demos, and great conversations. See you there! TO REGISTER - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984517585520?aff=oddtdtcreator Seema Alexander, Founder & CEO, Disruptive AI Hour 1 — Understanding the Moment ● Why AI is bigger than a tech trend ● The “Yes-And” era: optimize AND reimagine ● AI fluency for non-technical leaders ● Automation vs. agents vs. intelligent systems ● What this means for students, small businesses, and women building in this moment Hour 2 — Interactive AI Fluency Lab ● Live exercises to solve real world problems with learned AI concepts ● Audience-driven experimentation ● Small-group collaboration ● Frameworks attendees can immediately apply ● Group pitches Strategic AI Tool Exposure (1 Hour) Led by Marcus Finley, Chief AI Officer, Disruptive AI (or designated team member) Participants will experience powerful AI tools in real time, including: ● Business productivity AI ● Creative AI applications ● Workflow-enhancing AI systems This is a guided demo + interactive environment. Attendees follow along on laptops. PART III — Vibe Coding Intensive (2 Hours) Led by Addie Cruz, CEO of Clarity App & Vibe Coding Platform Ambassador This session demystifies building. Participants will: ● Explore vibe coding platforms ● Build simple, functional AI-driven outputs ● Learn beginner-friendly creation techniques ● Gain confidence experimenting with AI tools This is hands-on. Every attendee must bring a laptop.

Have you seen the movie “**The AI Doc**: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” and are left with questions and thoughts that you're longing to express? A group of friends went to see this documentary and couldn’t stop thinking or discussing about it. Now we want to hear from more people who have seen the movie! Come share your thoughts about AI and the world. **NOT from a technological perspective but where our future lies ahead**. We will start from the key **questions** asked in the documentary, including but not limited to: \- Is it the worst or best time to be born now\, at the age of AI? \- Are you an apocaloptimist or pessimist? \- Did anything in the film challenge your previous beliefs about AI? \- Do you think AI will reduce or worsen inequality? \- What can we\, as the general public\, do to ensure AI safety? 💡Disclaimer: We aim to create a thoughtful, open, and respectful space for sharing ideas. You may encounter perspectives that differ from your own—and that’s part of what makes these conversations meaningful. Sometimes, it’s through contrasting viewpoints that the most interesting insights emerge. We encourage everyone to listen with curiosity and engage with respect. 📍We'll be meeting at a cafe near Dupont Circle. Location will be confirmed later this week, depending on the number of attendees.

**Welcome New / Beginning Players**: No need to bring anything but a good attitude. **This is an adventure in the ongoing Invasion’s Edge metaplot.** **This adventure is for LEVEL 3-4 characters. [Download the Pregens here](http://paizo.com/starfindersociety).** **You can also create your own LEVEL 3 character. [The rules are here.](https://lorespire.paizo.com/tiki-index.php?page=sfs2guide._.Character-Creation-Guidelines)** No previous game Chronicles needed. If the event is full, **please join the waitlist**. It will help us to know if we need to recruit more GMs. As the danger posed by the Wreck of the Returned increases and the enemies arrayed against the Starfinder Society grow bolder, First Seeker Sarmak dispatches a team to the Akitonian city of Maro to find Nima, a former member of a mercenary company called the Rust Wraiths who were among the first to explore the Wreck of the Returned. Nima has gone into hiding, as she’s being hunted by numerous foes allied with the Wreck, including nodocites, converted, and agents of the Functionary. If the PCs can find and protect Nima from their shared enemies, Nima can give the PCs valuable information on the Wreck of the Returned, including insight into the motives of the mysterious being at its heart: Elovai. Written by Rigby Bendele. [DMV Paizo Org Play on Discord](https://discord.gg/jYQv8FnFnW) [Pathfinder Starfinder Society of Maryland on Warhorn.net](https://warhorn.net/events/pathfinder-starfinder-society-of-maryland)

​This meetup is for anyone building with OpenClaw (& Claude Code) or experimenting with other AI tools to create agents that can act and make decisions on their own. If you haven’t tried these yet, come hang out, ask questions, and see what others are building. We’ll trade notes, troubleshoot setups, and explore what it takes to run these systems openly on the web instead of inside closed platforms. Bring your laptop, grab some power, and jump into a night that feels part LAN party, part live build session, where people test ideas and show what their agents can actually do. 👉 [RSVP on LUMA](https://luma.com/53dx7no1) We’ll also have some fun by running a live test to see if a few of our agents can send Bitcoin back and forth and talk about why that’s a meaningful step for autonomous AI. It’s a chance to connect the dots between open AI tools, Bitcoin, and the wider goal of creating technology that no one can turn off. 👉 [RSVP on LUMA](https://luma.com/53dx7no1)

# Level Up Your Online Store with AI! 🚀 Tired of the grind? E-commerce *can* be easier. Imagine AI handling the tedious stuff – research, ad creation, even competitor analysis. It's not science fiction; it's here, and we're going to show you how. Ready to work *smarter*, not harder? ### Secure Your Spot! We're keeping this workshop intimate to ensure a great experience. Don't miss out - register now: ### [👉 Grab Your Seat Right Here! 👈](https://remoteready.io/product/AIEcommerce?city=Columbus&groupurlname=circle-of-professionals-mastering-ai-income&startgmtdatetime=2026-04-17T22:00:00Z) ## This is for You If... Are you one of these people? * A dropshipper looking to crank up your efficiency with some AI magic? * An entrepreneur fascinated by tech, seeking tangible AI applications? * Dreaming of launching your first online store? * Anyone wanting that sweet, sweet passive income from a thriving online shop? If so, keep reading... --- ## Inside This Masterclass, You'll Discover: * How to uncover those hidden gem *products* using AI-powered research. * Effortless competitor intelligence and market validation, automated by bots! * The best practices to construct and dial-in a *high-converting* store from scratch. * AI-driven strategies for dazzling ads and optimization. ## Hear From a Fellow E-Commerce Pro! ⭐ *"Honestly? The automation stuff *paid for itself* tenfold. Seriously impressive."* – Actual Dropshipper ## Bottom Line? Attend. Build. *Profit*. Your journey to an AI-powered e-commerce empire starts here! ✨ 🛒 ✨

# Ride the AI Influencer Wave Forget fleeting fame. Virtual influencers are the future, a digital goldmine ripe for the taking. Seriously. **Want in?** Craft a unique AI persona, master photorealistic content, and build a loyal following across Instagram and TikTok. We'll show you how to monetize it all with sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and your own digital products. **Skip the RSVP, grab your spot:** [🚀 REGISTER NOW 🚀](https://remoteready.io/product/AiInfluencer?city=Columbus&groupurlname=circle-of-professionals-mastering-ai-income&startgmtdatetime=2026-04-17T22:00:00Z) --- ## This is for you if... * You're even slightly curious about virtual influencers. * You have interest in AI image/video generation (big plus). * You're at ground zero with no social media experience – perfect! * You're a marketer itching to tap new revenue channels. ## Unlocking the Blueprint: You'll discover: * The art of designing authentic AI personalities with magnetic backstories. * How to scale from a single influencer to a thriving portfolio. * Content calendar mastery and post automation for maximum reach. * Real-world examples: AI earners making $3K–$30K monthly. ## Level up your creator game! *"I didn't believe in virtual influencers at first. Now my AI gets 50K followers."* – Verified Creator Monetize imagination. 💰 Let's build a non-stop earnings engine. ✨

# The AI Ebook Advantage: Write, Publish & Profit Imagine creating and selling ebooks with the assistance of AI. This intensive masterclass reveals how to build a genuine publishing enterprise. **Important:** An RSVP is just a placeholder. *Click the link below and complete the official registration process* to confirm your spot. ### [🚀 Claim Your Seat! 🚀](https://remoteready.io/product/AIEbookBusiness?city=Columbus&groupurlname=circle-of-professionals-mastering-ai-income&startgmtdatetime=2026-04-17T22:00:00Z) --- Let's explore how to profit with AI ebooks, including niche analysis, using AI to generate written content, listing on Amazon KDP, and driving ongoing sales. You'll discover a complete methodology for building a hands-off book-based revenue stream. ## Is This For You? * Freelancers aiming toward passive, asset-backed income * Entrepreneurs who are investigating new AI-centric business ventures * Individuals interested in generating passive income through digital offerings * Anyone searching for a scalable, online side business ## What You'll Uncover * Real-world examples of profitable AI ebook businesses pulling in $2K–$20K each month * A deep dive into legal considerations, plus guidelines for using books created with AI * Easy-to-follow steps on how to publish on Amazon KDP, along with other platforms * Strategies for optimising prices and choosing appropriate keywords to improve discoverability * How to build an ebook catalogue to generate ever-increasing passive earnings * AI-driven writing tools to quickly make high-quality books ✨ Publish your first book with the help of AI tech. Your publishing journey begins now! 🖊️ ✨

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team. **YouTube Link** TBD

NFT's are here to stay folks! This is a group for like minded people interested in understanding, leveraging, using, creating for, profiting from, trading too i suppose, NFT's.. everything around them, complexity, fear and exploits, best practices and more. **PLUS** This group will talk AI ART tools, techniques, artists, video, audio, prototypes and more in the AI assisted production space- ART specifically, but we can get into any aspect of some of the cooler things happening in AI in general.

Curious about “vibe coding” but not sure what it actually means? This beginner-friendly talk is about how people are using AI to build websites, apps, automations, and small software projects by describing what they want in plain English. We’ll cover what vibe coding is, what AI is good at, where it falls short, and how to actually use it without getting lost. The goal is not to hype AI as magic — it’s to show how to use it as a practical tool. This session is designed for beginners, curious builders, non-programmers, and developers who want a clearer picture of how to build with AI today. Topics include: * What “vibe coding” means * What AI can help you build * Where AI is useful and where it is unreliable * A simple workflow for building with AI * Prompting tips for better results * Common beginner mistakes to avoid If you’ve ever thought, “I have an idea, but I don’t know how to build it,” this talk is for you. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.