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[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

This group was originally started by Chad Keith who created and hosts a podcast by the same name in Charlotte, NC. I am hoping to continue his legacy here in NoVa as I recently moved to this area. This group is all about finding community around self-improvement and exchanging ideas on how to be your best self and get the most out of life. This group is for anyone who is interested in overcoming average in all areas - career, ambitions, relationships, hobbies, health, everything. I am so excited to meet driven individuals in the NoVa area so please reach out if you have any questions at all. EVERYONE is welcome so please sign up for an upcoming meetup!

Important: Register on [AICamp website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026061814) is required for admission. **Description:** Welcome to the AI meetup in Washington DC. Join us for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and Agents, hands-on experiences on code labs, workshops, and networking with speakers and fellow developers. **Agenda:** \* 5:30pm\~6:00pm: Checkin, Food/drink and networking \* 6:00pm\~8:00pm: Tech talks and Q&A \* 8:00pm: Happy Hour at Courthouse Social (cross the street) **Tech Talk: Secure Developer Environments in the Age of AI Agents** **Speaker:** Patrick Brown (Coder) **Abstract:** Federal engineering teams are under pressure to ship faster while meeting some of the most demanding security and compliance requirements in the world. In this talk, Patrick Brown of Coder explores how cloud development environments (CDEs) give agencies a foundation to accelerate software delivery without sacrificing control — and why that foundation matters even more as AI-powered coding agents enter the workflow. He'll cover how CDEs keep source code off endpoints, enforce zero-trust access patterns, and provide the consistent, ephemeral infrastructure that both human developers and AI agents need to operate safely at scale. **Speakers:** Stay tuned as we are updating speakers and schedules. If you have a keen interest in speaking to our community, we invite you to submit topics for consideration: [Submit Topics](https://forms.gle/JkMt91CZRtoJBSFUA) **Sponsors:** We are actively seeking sponsors to support AI developers community. Whether it is by offering venue spaces, providing food, or cash sponsorship. Sponsors will not only speak at the meetups, receive prominent recognition, but also gain exposure to our extensive membership base of 5,000+ AI developers in D.C and 500K+ worldwide.

🎾 Welcome to Tennis Lovers DMV 3+ 🎾 This group is for intermediate & advanced players 💪 with a USTA NTRP rating of 3.0+ ⭐ We thrive on competitive doubles 🔥🤝 and invite you to join us and RSVP ✅ for our exciting meetup events! Let’s rally, compete, and have a blast — see you on the court soon! 🎾😄🏆

We will be hiking the loop trail, (counter clockwise) around the BeaverDam Reservoir starting at the brand new Reservoir Park VisitorsCenter. Beautiful views of the water and varied woodland areas. This is an 7.5 MILE loop hike around one of Northern Virginia's largest bodies of water. The loop is mainly flat with a tiny hill or two. I've rated the loop moderate because the distance is 7.5 miles and we will be hiking about 22 minutes per mile - just under 3 miles per hour. After the hike we'll head over to Lark Brewing. 24205 James Monroe Hwy, Aldie, VA 20105 for food and beverages. I will make every effort for your safety. You are hiking at your own risk. Dogs are welcome on the hike as long as they are good with groups, friendly and you follow all leash laws. I like kids but this is an adult event so please no kids or any one under 21. We do start on time so please plan accordingly. Meet in front of the bathrooms by the parking lot. Reservoir Park Trail on AllTrails https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/reservoir-park-trail?sh=lkkoxr&utm_medium=trail_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality

We're going back to Kook Dogg Cafe in Reston this Wednesday. It is a restaurant-type atmosphere with a good menu and less noise. Parking is free (for three hours), but it requires going through a gate. If the machine gives you a ticket, keep it in the car for when you leave. If the machine does NOT give you a ticket, but the gate simply opens, then it will do the same going out... so, no worries. The game starts at 7 but try to be there by 6:45 to pick categories. We’ll be getting in around 6:30, and anyone is welcome to join. We do tend to leave when the game finishes, but no one else has to. Team size is limited to 6, so only sign up if you can make it – and please remember to cancel as soon as possible If something changes. Look forward to seeing you!

Whether you're Deaf, HoH, an interpreter, an ASL student, or just want to learn or practice American Sign Language (ASL), we welcome all levels of signers to come join us for an evening of ASL socializing and practice. This event occurs on the first and third Sundays of every month, in the heart of Fairfax County at the Fairfax Wegman's (corner of Route 29 and Monument Drive). We can be found on the upper level, typically near the stairs. We generally start around 7 pm. ASL beginners are welcome, but you should know the ASL alphabet and some basic signs - this is not an ASL class, but the more experienced signers are generally happy to help beginners learn and improve. There is no better way to develop your signing skills than by joining the conversation with other signers. There is a place for everyone to join, learn and practice. Regardless, we are always welcoming so don’t be discouraged to attend; this is very informal and new folks are always welcome. Note, some attendees arrive early and grab some of Wegman’s food for dinner, so you can combine a shopping trip with the ASL practice.