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Frequently Asked Questions
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Predictive Analytics Events Today
Join in-person Predictive Analytics events happening right now
CRAP Talks #33 - Mayday Mayday
We're back with our third event of the year and we couldn't be more excited. We'll stick to our usual format of 2 speakers and a fireside chat (with a twist this time).
If you've not been to one of our events before then here is what you can expect. CRAP (Conversion Rate Optimisation, Analytics, Product) Talks is a cross-discipline event. We don't work in silos so why network and learn in silos. In the past we've had speakers from Data, Analytics, CRO, Product, Marketing, Data Science, Design and Research and so many more. If you work in tech, chances are you work cross-functionally, so come along and meet people doing amazing things in tech.
**Hosts:**
RVU - https://www.rvu.co.uk/
**Venue:**
RVU
The Cooperage,
5 Copper Row,
London SE1 2LH
**Date:**
09/06/2026
6pm doors open
Talks kick off at 630
Wrap up approximately 9:00pm.
**Speakers:**
* **[Aya Gaballa](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aya-gab/)** \- "Building Products for Different Cultures"
* Co-Founder & Product Lead, Kham Lab
* **[Mark Palfreeman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-palfreeman-662044160/)** \- "Gambling with Success: The Complexities Around Measurement in an Industry with Stellar Growth"\.
* Senior Business Intelligence Manager, Flutter UKI
**Fireside Chat:**
* **[Alex Homan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-homan-3aab2a141/)** \- "Analytics in the age of AI"
* Lead Data Analyst, Huel
AI Signals x LangChain Community #32: Agents, RAG, and Production AI Workflows
Join **AI Signals** and **LangChain Community London** for an evening of technical talks, practical insights, networking, and community conversations around the future of AI applications.
This meetup brings together developers, founders, researchers, students, product teams, and AI builders to explore how modern AI systems are being designed, deployed, and scaled in the real world.
The evening will focus on **AI agents, RAG pipelines, LangChain, production-ready AI workflows, storytelling in AI, and practical lessons from people actively building with emerging technologies**.
***
## Schedule
6:00 PM — Doors open, pizza, drinks, and networking
6:30 PM — Welcome
6:35 PM — [Anshul Yadav](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshulyadav1976/?utm_source=luma): AI Engineer @ Li & Fung
The Agent Is Not the Product: The Harness Is
7:00 PM — Break
7:15 PM — [Bilge Aksu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilge-aksu-90595837/?utm_source=luma): ML Engineering Manager @ Cleo
7:40 PM — Lightning Talk 1: [Abd Bastola](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abda-bastola-b0447b13a/?utm_source=luma): Senior Software Engineer @ AWTG
Why Most AI Agents Never Reach Production
7:47 PM — Lightning Talk 2: [Sofía Sánchez-Zárate](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sof%C3%ADa-s%C3%A1nchez-z%C3%A1rate-91493381/?utm_source=luma): Head of Technical Ecosystem @ CopilotKit
AG-UI & The Generative UI Spectrum
7:54 PM — AI Signals Wrap-Up
8:00 PM — LangChain Final Remarks
8:10 PM – 9:00 PM — Wrap-Up, Networking and drinks at [Angel London](https://g.co/kgs/3FVpa2i?utm_source=luma)
***
## What to Expect
The evening will feature technical and practical discussions around:
* Building reliable AI agents and intelligent workflows
* RAG pipelines for real-world applications
* Moving AI prototypes into production
* Storytelling, design, and user experience in AI products
* Lessons from AI builders, engineers, product leaders, and community speakers
Whether you are experimenting with AI agents, deploying RAG systems, exploring LangChain, or simply curious about where AI development is heading, this meetup is designed to help you learn, connect, and contribute.
***
## Who Should Attend
This event is ideal for:
* Software engineers
* AI and ML practitioners
* Product managers
* Founders and startup teams
* Researchers and students
* Designers working with AI products
* Anyone interested in building practical AI applications
You’ll gain insight into the tools, architectures, and workflows behind the next generation of intelligent applications, while connecting with the growing London AI and LangChain community.
***
## Important Information
Please note that attendees will not be able to enter the venue before **6:00 PM**.
RSVPs will close **24 hours before the event**. You may be unable to register after this time, but remote viewing will be available via our YouTube channel.
Our hosts may require a list of all attendees. Please register using a name that matches your **government-issued ID or bank card**. If your registered name does not match your ID, we cannot guarantee entry to the building.
If you can no longer attend in person, please un-RSVP so your space can be made available to someone else.
***
## About AI Signals
**AI Signals** is a community focused on exploring the latest developments in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and practical AI adoption. It brings together builders, learners, and professionals interested in understanding how AI is shaping the future of work, business, and society.
***
## About LangChain Community London
**LangChain Community London** brings together developers, AI engineers, researchers, and technology enthusiasts interested in building applications powered by large language models, agents, retrieval-augmented generation, and production AI systems.
***
A huge thank you to our speakers, sponsors, hosts, volunteers, and community members for making this event possible.
**Secure your place and join us for an evening of learning, collaboration, and AI community energy in London.**
AI on Tap | London | Episode 2
**AI on Tap: Real AI. Real People. Real Beer.**
**📍** London’s monthly meetup for AI-curious business minds
*Cut through the AI noise - over a pint.*
***Tired of AI hype and jargon? So are we.***
AI on Tap is a no-BS meetup for London’s business leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and knowledge workers who want to understand how AI is actually being used in the real world - without needing a computer science degree.
No pitches. No slides. No tech bro talk.
***What to Expect***
Imagine a night down the pub with those mates of yours who’re actually doing AI – not just talking about it. You’ll meet leaders and technologists from London’s business community who are in the trenches every day, putting AI to work.
They’ve seen what works and how to make it happen; what flops and how to avoid it. Now they’re here to share – pint in hand.
**🎯 "Pick a Problem" panel discussion**
Before the event, you’ll have the chance to submit your thorniest AI challenge – then vote on which problems the room tackles first. Our expert panel will dig into the top-voted challenges live on the night, share what they’ve seen work (and fail), and give you practical next steps.
*Your problems. Honest answers. Usable solutions.*
**🏆 "Wins & Bins" lightning round**
Got an AI gem that’s saving you hours? A tool that actually delivers? We’ll pass the mic around for quick-fire tips from the room – the stuff that’s working (or what to avoid), shared by the people using it.
*Two minutes, one tip, everyone learns.*
**🤝 "Sip Sync" on-on-ones**
Want a guaranteed chat with one of our expert hosts? No awkward hovering required. Book a 5-minute slot on the night, grab a drink, and talk through your AI challenges – see if there’s a fit to keep the conversation going.
*Totally optional, zero pressure, pint in hand.*
***What You'll Walk Away With***
*Stories from the trenches*
Hear from local leaders actually using AI – from streamlining operations to scaling sales. What’s working, what’s not, and what they’d do differently.
*Ideas you can use tomorrow*
Practical stuff you can immediately try in your own business – no fluff, just value.
*People who get it*
Like-minded professionals navigating the same AI questions and challenges. Share what you’ve tried, ask what you’re stuck on, and figure it out together.
*Great beer and a relaxed vibe*
(Location) is a proper London pub with a cracking beer selection. Grab a pint and settle in for an evening of laid-back, intelligent conversation.
***Who's It For?***
Whether you’re leading a team or just getting curious, if you want to understand AI’s real-world impact, you’re welcome here:
* Business leaders trying to make sense of AI’s potential
* Managers exploring tools to improve productivity
* Founders and entrepreneurs experimenting with AI
* Knowledge workers who want to stay relevant
* Anyone interested in practical, human-first AI conversations
*No technical background required - we speak human, not code.*
***Event Details***
📅 **When:** Tuesday, June 9th, 6:00–9:00 PM (doors open from 5:30 pm)
📍 **Where: TBA**
🍺 **What to bring:** Yourself, your questions, and a thirst for both insight and beer
💰 **Cost:** £39
🎯 **Format:** Expert panel + lightning tips + mingling + optional one-on-one chats with hosts
***Why We’re Doing This***
We believe that businesses using AI will replace those that don’t - and the ones that thrive will be the ones that learn fast, adapt faster, and support each other along the way.
**AI on Tap** is an initiative of **Proof to Production**, a community dedicated to helping business leaders share practical AI stories from the frontlines - no theory, just results.
***Ready to see what AI can really do for your business?***
Grab a pint and join the conversation.
👋 First-timers especially welcome!
DSTI AWS SBG – Build an End-to-End Data Analytics Pipeline on AWS
**DSTI AWS SBG – Build an End-to-End Data Analytics Pipeline on AWS**
***(Paris Campus / Online)***
Ready to turn raw data into actionable insights using AWS?
Join us for our next AWS Cloud Club event at DSTI Paris and discover how modern data analytics pipelines are built in the cloud. In this hands-on workshop, you'll work with several AWS services to collect, process, transform, and visualize data through a complete serverless analytics workflow.
📅 Tuesday 9th June
🕒 16h30 – 18h (CET)
📍 DSTI Paris Campus & Online
🔍 **What we'll cover:**
🪣 **Store Your Data**
Upload and organize datasets using Amazon S3, the foundation of many AWS data architectures.
⚡ **Automate Data Processing**
Use **AWS Lambda** to trigger and automate data workflows without managing servers.
🔄 **Prepare & Catalog Your Data**
Discover **AWS Glue** to crawl, catalog, and transform raw data into analysis-ready datasets.
📊 **Visualize Business Insights**
Build interactive dashboards with **Amazon QuickSight** and turn data into meaningful visual stories.
🎁 **Bonus:**
We'll finish with a short interactive quiz and some AWS goodies to win! 👀
🎯 **Why join?**
* Gain hands-on experience with AWS analytics services
* Build a complete cloud-based data pipeline
* Learn how data flows from storage to visualization
* Strengthen your Data Analyst, Data Engineer, and Data Science skills
* Add a practical AWS project to your portfolio
* Network with fellow DSTI students and cloud enthusiasts
Whether you're into DA, DS, DE, AI, or simply curious about cloud technologies, this workshop will help you understand how modern organizations transform data into business value using AWS.
Let's ingest, transform, visualize, and unlock insights together! 🚀
Django London Meetup June
June Edition ✨✨!
We will be at the MongoDB London office!
Django London Meetup is a monthly meeting to discuss Django, Python, the web, and related topics. The meetups are open to all with an interest in building websites with Django.
(in-person only event, no streaming)
**Talks:**
**AI Agents Need Memory Too: Building Systems That Remember What Matters — Abigail Afi Gbadago**
AI agents are only as good as what they can remember, but deciding what to store, where to persist it, and how to retrieve it at the right moment is harder than it sounds. This talk walks through a practical framework for architecting memory systems for agentic applications, covering memory types, storage patterns, retrieval strategies using vector search, and managing the full memory lifecycle in production.
Afi is a Senior Software Engineer and Developer Advocate (MongoDB). She serves as Vice President of the Django Software Foundation, a Fellow of the Python Software Foundation, and is a Microsoft MVP for Python and Web. Afi is passionate about building great software and stronger tech communities.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-
**Replay Failed Python Runs: Reverse Debugging When Logs Aren’t Enough** **\- Nathan Matthews**
Reproducing Python failures from a traceback alone is often impossible once the request is gone or the environment has changed. This talk introduces Retrace, an open-source reverse debugger that lets you record, replay, and step backwards through a failing run, giving both developers and AI agents concrete evidence for debugging.
Nathan Matthews is Co-founder and CTO of Retrace Software. He has spent his career building complex Python and distributed systems across fintech, developer tools, and data platforms, including roles at 10x Future Technologies, Digital Asset, Elsevier, and Droit. At Retrace, Nathan leads the technical work behind deterministic replay and reverse debugging for CPython.
**Want to share your Django or Python knowledge?** We’d love to feature your talk! Just fill out our [Speaker form](https://tinyurl.com/django-london-speaker-form) to propose a talk!
**Agenda:**
• 6:15pm Doors open, socialising
• 6:30pm Food and drinks offered by our sponsor
• 7:00pm Doors close
• 7:15pm Introduction, Talks
• 8:30pm Socialising
• 9:30pm Fin
**Please make sure to arrive between 6:15 PM and 6:55 PM**. If you arrive earlier than 6:15 PM or later than 6:55 PM, you can take a seat in the seating area located in the downstairs reception.
**Please note that we cannot accommodate arrivals after 7:15 PM.**
Our meetups are governed by a [Code of Conduct](https://www.djangolondon.com/code-of-conduct/). Please take a few minutes to read it.
This meetup is sponsored by:
• [MongoDB](https://www.mongodb.com/): “MongoDB is a database for dynamic, demanding software.”
• [Kraken Tech (Octopus Energy Group)](Octopus%20Energy%20Group): "Kraken is a revolutionary energy tech platform built with predominantly Python & Django. We serve 54 million households worldwide and have 38GW of contracted capacity."
• [JetBrains](https://www.jetbrains.com/): "We make professional software development a more productive and enjoyable experience."
Website: [https://djangolondon.com](https://djangolondon.com/)
BlueSky: [https://bsky.app/profile/djangolondon.com](https://bsky.app/profile/djangolondon.com)
Github: [github.com/djangolondon](https://github.com/djangolondon/)
Open Collective: [opencollective.com/the-london-django-meetup-group](https://opencollective.com/the-london-django-meetup-group/)
Knowing Who You Can Trust
Your survival depends on knowing who you can rely on. But how can you tell who your real friends are? How can you determine if a person will help make a joint venture successful?
Is there a way to predict behavior? Yes. There are fundamental elements to human behavior. When you know them you have insight into your fellow man, and just by observing how people act, you will know *everything* about them.
#### On this lecture you will learn:
* The important role of trust in human relationships.
* The Hubbard Chart of Human Evaluation—the tool to know true character and predict what people will do.
* How to evaluate others accurately and guarantee a more certain future for yourself and those you care about.
With the knowledge you learn on this course, you will have tools to know who you can trust and who you can depend on.
*“Trustworthiness is a highly esteemed commodity. When one has it, one is considered valuable. When one has lost it, one may be considered worthless.”*
*—L. Ron Hubbard*
AI Evenings LDN: The Human Side of AI Workforce Transformation
Join us for a conversation with Sterre van der Laken, Strategy and Programs Lead at the AI Centre at Salesforce, Dilawar Azhar, Strategy & Transformation Manager at The AA, and Irene Escobar Castells, AI Learning & Transformation Manager at IAG Transform. Together, they’ll explore how organizations can enable their workforce to thrive in an AI-driven world.
As AI reshapes jobs and workflows, organizations need more than technology, they need people ready to adapt. Sterre van der Laken, Dilawar Azhar, and Irene Escobar Castells will share how learning, capability building, and AI enablement programs help teams develop the skills to work alongside AI and drive meaningful transformation.
**Speakers**
**Sterre Van Der Laken - Strategy & Programs Lead, AI Centre, Salesforce**
Sterre van der Laken is Strategy and Programs Lead at the AI Centre at Salesforce, where she leads design-led AI programmes and strategic initiatives that help organisations navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Her work focuses on bridging strategy and execution, bringing together cross-functional teams to turn emerging AI capabilities into practical, real-world solutions. She is also a frequent speaker on AI, leadership, and design thinking, helping leaders understand how to translate AI innovation into meaningful business impact.
**Dilawar Azhar - Strategy & Transformation Manager, The AA**
Dilawar Azhar is a Strategy & Transformation Manager at The AA, where he works on initiatives that modernise operations, improve customer experiences, and drive organisational change across the business. His work focuses on aligning strategy with execution, helping teams adopt new technologies, streamline processes, and deliver more efficient services to millions of drivers and members. With a background in finance and transformation, Dilawar brings a data-driven approach to solving complex business challenges and enabling long-term growth.
**Irene Escobar Castells - AI Learning & Transformation Manager, IAG**
Irene Escobar Castells is the AI Learning & Transformation Manager at IAG Transform, where she leads initiatives to build AI capability, drive organisational change, and accelerate digital transformation. She focuses on empowering teams through AI education, strategic enablement, and thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence into business processes to unlock value and drive sustainable growth.
**Event Overview**
AI isn’t just about tech, it’s about people. This session explores how organizations are building skills, capability, and learning programs to prepare employees for AI-driven work.
**01 - Building Skills for an AI Workforce**
Learn how to identify the capabilities teams need to work effectively with AI, and how to design programs that develop these skills strategically.
**02 - Learning and Development in the Age of AI**
Explore best practices for creating AI-focused learning programs that accelerate adoption, support upskilling, and empower employees.
**03 - Driving AI Enablement Across Teams**
Discover how to embed AI into workflows, create a culture of experimentation, and enable employees to leverage AI safely and effectively.
Predictive Analytics Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
AI Meetup for building AI workflow in production
**Important:** Register on the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026061110) is required for admission.
**RSVP on meetup is turned off**
Welcome to the AI meetup in London, in collaboration with **Coder and Netmind**. 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:**
\* 6:00pm\~6:30pm: Checkin and Networking
\* 6:30pm\~6:45pm: Welcome/community update
\* 6:45pm\~8:30pm: Tech talks and Q&A
\* 8:30pm\~9:30pm: Open discussion & Mixer
**Tech Talk: Scale AI Workflows**
**Speaker:** Eric Paulsen (Coder)
**Abstract:** This meetup is for developers and platform teams who want to understand what it actually takes to move from AI experimentation to production-ready workflows. We’ll focus on how teams are redesigning their development workflows to work with AI, not just adding tools on top. That includes how to structure workflows, manage agents, and introduce the right level of control without killing developer velocity. No hype. No tool comparisons. Just a clear look at why most AI workflows fail and what actually works at scale.
**Tech Talk: AI-DLC: Navigating the AI Development Lifecycle with Kiro**
**Speaker:** Ryan Tan (AWS)
**Abstract:** This session explores the evolving AI Development Lifecycle (AI-DLC) through the lens of Kiro's current capabilities and future direction. We'll cover Kiro's desktop/CLI deployment model and the path toward broader accessibility, early-stage developments around Kiro's upcoming autonomous agent capability, and how an agnostic philosophy — enabling choice of IDE, LLM backend, and cloud provider — shapes a flexible, developer-first approach to AI-assisted software development. Whether you're evaluating AI coding tools or architecting developer platforms, this session will give you a practical view of where the ecosystem is heading.
**Tech Talk: Earning the Right to Step Away: AI Agents in Everyday Practice**
**Speaker:** Billy Michael (GlobalLogic)
**Abstract:** You've seen the demos. This is what happens after them. It's a look at the agents and skills we actually run inside GlobalLogic, day to day, on our own engineering and business work, and what it took to trust them. We started where most teams do: Claude Code in a terminal, with a human framing every task and pressing enter. The interesting part begins when no one is at the keyboard. I'll walk through the pattern we use to get there: build a skill by hand, live with it until it's boring, then let an event pull the trigger. The unit is always the same, a skill; what changes is how much autonomy the stakes justify.
**Tech Talk: Trustable Agentic AI**
**Speaker:** Xiangpeng Wan (Netmind)
**Abstract:** NetMind.AI's [NarraNexus](https://www.narra.nexus/?utm_source=AI+Camp&utm_medium=Page&utm_campaign=20260611+Event) is a ready-to-run team of agents that already remember, collaborate, and use tools. Start from a template, or compose your own.
**Speakers/Topics:**
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 20,000+ AI developers in London and 500K+ worldwide.
In-Person: Streaming meetup Apache Kafka® for Fraud Detection & Infinite Kafka
Join us on June 11th from **6:00pm** for a Data Streaming meetup hosted by **Moniepoint!**
**PLEASE bring your PHOTO ID and REGISTER with your First and Last Name. For security purpose**
🗓 **Agenda:**
* 6:00pm – 6:30pm: Food/Drinks and Networking
* 6:30pm - 7:15pm: Tom Scott, CEO, Streambased
* 7:15pm - 8:00pm: *Abraham Imohiosen,* Engineering Manage, *Moniepoint*
* 8:00pm - 8:30pm: Q&A Networking.
💡**Speaker One:** Tom Scott, CEO, Streambased
**Title of Talk:** Infinite Kafka? Rethinking Retention with Iceberg
**Abstract:** Apache Kafka is designed for high-throughput, low-latency event streaming, not cost-efficient long-term storage. Yet we constantly see cases like event sourcing, audit/compliance, and large-scale reprocessing forcing that pattern onto it.
As retention increases, costs grow linearly to support edge cases, one-time runs, and “checkbox” use cases.
Can Iceberg help here?
In this talk, Tom explores a hybrid architecture that separates hot and cold data while preserving Kafka’s log semantics. Using a combination of Kafka and Apache Iceberg, he demonstrates how to extend Kafka into low-cost object storage, enabling effectively unlimited retention without sacrificing performance or access patterns.
The result is a unified log that supports both real-time processing and long-term replay, removing the traditional trade-off between cost and capability in Kafka-based systems.
**Bio:** Long-time enthusiast of Kafka and all things data integration, Tom has more than 15 years of experience in innovative and efficient ways to store, query, and move data. Tom is currently CEO at Streambased, a company focused on unifying operational and analytical data estates into a single, consistent, and efficient data layer.
💡**Speaker Two:** Abraham Imohiosen, Engineering Manager, Fraud Prevention Tools.
**Title of Talk:** From CDC to Decision: Kafka as the Fraud Detection Pipeline's Connective Tissue
**Abstract:** Fraud detection isn't one system — it's a system of moving parts (databases, feature stores, rule engines, ML models, case management tools) that all need to agree on what just happened, in milliseconds. Kafka sits in the middle of it, and treating it as "just the message bus" leaves a lot of value on the table. In this talk, I'll walk through three jobs Kafka does inside Moniepoint's fraud detection pipeline: moving events between services, powering real-time aggregations and windowed features, and acting as a CDC source that turns database changes into the canonical stream feeding a final aggregate store, as well as routing evaluated events into the case management system for final decisioning.
**Bio:** *Abraham Imohiosen is an Engineering Manager at Moniepoint, where he leads the Fraud Prevention team in building case management systems and machine-learning detection models that protect millions of customers and billions in transaction volume. He has over 10 years of experience across fintech and cloud-based architectures, having previously led the delivery of Monieworld Transfers and a savings product. Abraham holds an M.Sc. in Robotic Systems Engineering from RWTH Aachen University.*
\*\*\*
If you are interested in hosting/speaking at a meetup, please email community@confluent.io
AWS AI In Practice #5
Welcome to our June event. We're delighted to welcome [Marina Kim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinawebdev/), Tech Lead, Vidatec and [Damien Jones](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdamienjones/), AWS Consultant, Steamhaus
You've seen the AgentCore demos. **Marina** has taken them into production, and lived to tell the tale. Tonight she's giving us the engineering reality behind building AI agents on AWS with Amazon Bedrock and tooling: what breaks, what costs you, and what actually ships.
Five weeks. A brand new business. A Crufts deadline. **Damien** didn't whiteboard this one - he shipped it. Tonight he's walking us through every decision that made it possible: AWS CDK, Amplify, Q Developer, and Kiro working together under real pressure.
A big thank you to our sponsors [Cloudscaler](https://rebrand.ly/cloudscaler), [Rayo](https://rebrand.ly/rayo-cloud) & [The Scale Factory](https://rebrand.ly/scalefactory)
Programme:
18:00: Arrival, registration
18:15: Talks start
20:00: Networking with food and a drink provided by the generosity of our sponsors.
Talk 1:
***AgentCore vs Reality: Lessons from Building AI Agents on AWS with Marina Kim***
In this talk, I will explore the reality of what happens when you try to build an AI agent on AWS using Amazon Bedrock and tool calling, inspired by still new and emerging AgentCore patterns.
Through a live demo and practical examples, I’ll walk through what worked, what didn't work, and the unexpected challenges that appear when moving from theory to implementation, including hallucinations, incorrect tool usage, and trade-offs around cost and latency.
The goal is to give a realistic, engineering-first perspective on building agentic systems today, and help developers understand where these patterns are useful and where they still fall short.
By the end of this talk, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to approach building AI agents on AWS, what pitfalls to expect, and how to make informed decisions when applying agentic patterns in real-world systems.
**Learning Takeaways**
* How to approach building AI agents on AWS using Amazon Bedrock and tool calling, with focus on emerging AgentCore patterns
* What actually happens when you move from theory to implementation, including common failure modes like hallucinations, incorrect tool usage, and overconfident decisions.
* How to iteratively improve an agent by testing, identifying issues, and introducing guardrails and constraints
* How to evaluate trade-offs between autonomy, reliability, cost, and latency in agentic systems
**Marina** is a Tech Lead at Vidatec working with web, mobile, MS Teams and AI solutions across multiple industries. She has significant experience working with AWS services, managing deployments and maintenance across multiple production workloads. Marina is a founder of Catbytes - online community for women in tech and a co-organiser of AWS UG UK and AWS AI In Practice community events
Talk 2:
***Best in Show: Building a Crufts-Ready AWS Business Platform in 5 Weeks with Damien Jones***
A new dog training business is launched. You have 5 weeks to develop a new production-ready platform before Crufts: the world's biggest dog show. Could you deliver?
In this talk, I'll share the real-world journey of building WolfieAndFriends on AWS. We'll review my architectural choices, "build vs buy" decisions and the trade-offs made during those hectic early days. You'll learn how to use AWS serverless, IaC and AI services to enable rapid delivery, shorten development times and transform a greenfield project into a professional, scalable platform that pays the bills.
Whether you're a startup founder or an enterprise dev, you'll walk away with a blueprint for rapid delivery without sacrificing long-term stability. Expect Amplify, CDK, Q Developer, Kiro and more!
**Learning Takeaways**
* How to make fast, defensible architectural decisions under genuine time pressure.
* How to use AWS CDK, Amplify Gen 2, Q Developer, and Kiro as an integrated rapid-delivery stack.
* Practical "build vs buy" trade-offs: what to own, what to delegate, and how to decide.
* How serverless IaC enables safe iteration from greenfield to production.
* A reusable blueprint for going from zero to a scalable, paying platform in weeks — not months.
**Damien** is an AWS consultant, data specialist, and cloud enthusiast with a strong record of designing, building, and optimising cloud-native solutions. He has extensive knowledge of data engineering, DevOps and cloud architectures, fueled by a passion for using emerging technologies to solve complex problems and support data-driven decision making. Damien is also active in the cloud community, serving as a content creator, user group leader and public speaker.
**Do you have a story to share?**
If you are interested in speaking at one of our events, please check out our [call for papers here](https://awsuguk.org/call-for-papers/).
We are advocates for greater inclusion & diversity in UK Tech and are especially keen to receive talk submissions from people in underrepresented groups. If you are interested in speaking at a future meetup but would like to discuss what to expect or need assistance, please contact our Inclusion & Diversity Lead Natalie Gray - graynataliej@gmail.com or DM her [@natjgray](https://twitter.com/natjgray)
Check out our [website](https://awsuguk.org/) for more information about our community and our code of conduct. Remember to follow us [@AWSUserGroupUK](https://twitter.com/AWSUserGroupUK) and on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/aws-ug-uk) for the latest updates, and you can find videos of our past meetups [here.](https://awsuguk.org/our-videos/)
Cloud Native, Open Source & AI Conf
Join us for the **Cloud Native & Open Source AI Conference**, a full-day, in-person event bringing together engineers, architects, platform teams, AI practitioners, technical leaders, and open-source communities working at the intersection of **cloud-native infrastructure, open-source AI, and production-scale systems**.
**MAKE SURE TO REGISTER HERE: https://www.communitystack.io/conferences/cloud-native-london USE CODE: CommunityStack for a free ticket**
## Opening Keynote
**Evolving the Kubernetes User Experience: More Intuitive, More Extensible, More Agentic**
With:
**Andrew Randall** — Principal PM, Office of the CPO, Microsoft
**Pal Lakatos-Toth** — Senior Product Manager, Microsoft
Kubernetes has become the default platform for modern workloads, and increasingly for AI systems. This keynote will explore how the Kubernetes user experience is evolving for both humans learning the platform and AI agents operating within it, with a focus on usability, governance and production readiness.
## Full Conference Programme
**09:00 – 09:30**
Doors Open
**09:30 – 10:15**
Opening Keynote: *Evolving the Kubernetes User Experience: More Intuitive, More Extensible, More Agentic*
Andrew Randall, Microsoft
Pal Lakatos-Toth, Microsoft
**10:15 – 11:00**
Panel: *From HFT to Enterprise Banking: The Talent War for Cloud Native, Open Source and AI Engineers*
Moderated by Ethan Sumner, Community Stack
Craig Whiting, RLS Search
Jon Freedman, Quant Fin
**11:30 – 12:00**
*The Massively Parallel Agent Stack*
Peter Bhabra, Doubleword
**12:00 – 12:30**
*Controlling AI Agent Access in Cloud-Native Engineering Workflows*
Viola Lykova, nuclecode
**12:30 – 13:00**
*Preventing Silent Interpretation Errors at Scale*
Maebh Booth, Senior Engineering Leader, Former M&S
**14:00 – 14:30**
*Prompt Driven Platforms: The Future of Self-Service Infrastructure*
Salman Iqbal & Amir Tayabali, Appvia
**14:30 – 15:00**
*Platform as a Product: What Happens When We Treat Security as a User?*
Hannah Foxwell, Bimp
**15:00 – 15:30**
*Beyond the Portal: Architecting AI-Native Platforms with CNOE and MCP*
Hossein Salahi, Liquid Reply
**16:00 – 16:45**
*Intro to Apache Kafka on Aiven: From Managed Simplicity to Inkless Architectures*
Hugh Evans, Aiven
**16:45 – 17:15**
Closing Keynote: *The Age of “Big Tech” is Over*
Sean M Tracey, Mitchell Technologies
**17:15 – 17:30**
Closing Remarks
Ethan Sumner, Community Stack
Mercedes Moxon Greenfield, Community Stack
## Speakers
We are delighted to welcome an exceptional speaker lineup, including:
Andrew Randall — Principal PM, Office of the CPO, Microsoft
Pal Lakatos-Toth — Senior Product Manager, Microsoft
Peter Bhabra — Member of Technical Staff, Doubleword
Viola Lykova — Senior Software Engineer, nuclecode
Hannah Foxwell — Co-Founder, Bimp
Sean M Tracey — Founding Technologist, Mitchell Technologies
Craig Whiting — Director, RLS Search
Jon Freedman — Chief Technology Officer, Quant Fin
Ben Davison — Founder, Axiologik
Salman Iqbal — Solutions Architect, Appvia
Amir Tayabali — Tech Lead, Appvia
Maebh Booth — Senior Engineering Leader, Former M&S
Hossein Salahi — Senior Principal Engineer, Liquid Reply
Jon Shanks — CEO, Appvia
Hugh Evans — Senior Product Advocate, Aiven
Ethan Sumner — Co-Founder & CEO, Community Stack
Mercedes Moxon Greenfield — Co-Founder & CTO, Community Stack
## Sponsors and Partners
This conference is made possible through the support of our sponsors and partners:
**Headline Sponsor**
BrainStation
**Platinum Sponsors**
Overmind
Appvia
Harvey Nash
Axiologik
**AI Native Sponsor**
Nearform
**Supporting Sponsors and Partners**
RLS Search
Doubleword
Postman
X4 Group
Engaging Data
BIMP
Aiven
If you'd like to get involved with a future event, please email: ethan.sumner@communitystack.io
AgentCraft: A One-Day Event For Agent Builders
We're excited to present Agent Craft. A one-day event for agent builders.
**Note: This is a ticketed event and you cannot register on meetup. Please head over to [Luma](https://luma.com/AgentCraft2026) to secure your spot.**
Topics: OpenClaw, Agent Security, Multi-Agent Teams, Agentic Automation, Context Engineering, Agent Orchestration, MCP, A2A, LangChain, Reliability, Evals, Claude Code, Agent Kit, Agentic Coding... and many more...
**Morning Agenda:**
* The Agent Hype Is Real, So Is the Mess (Fatima Sarah Khalid, Gitlab)
* We Built A Self Improving Agent Business (Dr Phil Winder, HelixML)
* Watch Our Team Of Agents Build A Team Of Agents (Rob Price & Maya Kolaska, Futuria)
* Panel: Safe and Sane - Securing AI Agents
* Luke Hinds, AlwaysFurther / nono.sh
* Foluso Arewa, GeordieAI
* Shaun Smith, HuggingFace & MCP Maintainer
* Hannah Foxwell, BIMP.ai
**Afternoon Agenda:**
The afternoon agenda is co-created by you. We have space for 16 discussion groups so pitch your topic, find your people and start talking about the things that really matter to you.
**Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion:**
Please complete [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwSXwWgK7TPVZdPYNFwoq1tIvCzNbHYkqescj_S7aeu3yFFg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=115769380058514854695) to apply for a free ticket.
freeCodeCamp x Encode | AI - Workshop: Vibecoding Using Local AIs
# Learn how to use open-source harnesses like OpenCode & Pi w/ your own LLM and with it, build a real-world application
**Registration to this event is only valid through the Luma platform:** [https://luma.com/11txn8gq](https://luma.com/11txn8gq?utm_source=meetup-dot-com)
Hello code campers!
Since everyone is talking about using harnesses such as **Anthropic Claude** or **OpenAI Codex**, meaning, everyone is probably tired of hearing about them, we've decided to go in a different direction and explore other, lesser known things such as, [OpenCode](https://opencode.ai/?utm_source=luma) and [Pi DOT Dev](https://pi.dev/?utm_source=luma).
Come and join us and learn how to work with a wide range of open-source large language models (**LLMs**) such as **DeepSeek V4**, **Gemma**, **Kimi K2**, and **GLM** across various local-first environments. This comprehensive workshop is designed to teach you what is a code harness, how many types of them there are out there (you might be familiar with **Claude Code** or **Codex** or **CoPilot** but there are others and since the big-tech companies are moving to token-based usage, why not run your own solution locally). Also, we'll explore how to go about having effective agentic coding workflows while benchmarking model performance and hardware requirements.
We will go through the setup process, focusing on how to install the desired LLM runner like Ollama or LMstudio locally.
This will be our **7th** event in our series of **local-first, open-source** AI events; therefore, we will try to focus on building a setup that doesn't depend on Big Tech but on smaller open-source tech instead.
This workshop is open to all levels, from beginners to experts.
Bring your laptop (make sure it's fully charged as local LLMs tend to be power-hungry), and don't forget to bring your coding gear (hoodie).
This workshop will be most likely accompanied by a guest speaker (TBD).
***
## Prerequisite
Prerequisite: a local Ollama, LMStudio installation or equivalent (but if you don't have any of that, don't worry, come a bit early and we will help you).
If you want to take a quick look at the slides from the previous events fell free to do so:
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-01/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-01/) (Ollama);
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-02/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-02/) (LangFlow, not really related but still)
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-03/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-03/) (private RAG w/ Anything LLM)
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-04/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-04/) (AI-native browsers)
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-05/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-05/) (OpenClaw basics)
[https://andysign.github.io/ai-london-06/](%E2%80%8Bhttps://andysign.github.io/ai-london-06/) (OpenClaw advanced)
***
## Agenda for the evening (Subject to change)
**18:00 - 18:30 Arrival and networking**
Mingle with fellow developers over refreshments.
**18:30 - 18:45 Introductions**
Intro and a bit of audience engagement.
**18:45 - 19:40 Workshop**
Hands-on technical workshop (if you are non-technical it's OK, tag along).
**20:30 - 20:45 Guest Speaker**
**20:30 - 21:00 Networking**
**21:00 - Closing remarks and follow-up**
**END:** Carry on the fun at a nearby pub around the corner.
***
## Event Venue
We'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to **Encode Club**.
[Encode Club ](http://encode.club)has spent over five years fostering a global community of developers, researchers, and founders in Web3, AI, and emerging technologies. The [Encode Hub](http://hub.encode.club) brings everything together under one roof, providing a dedicated environment for collaboration and innovation through meetups, co-working, and in-person events.
Experts Live UK 2026
**Note this is a ticketed event, please purchase a ticket from here to attend.**
🚀 Ready for the UK's premier Microsoft Community event? Experts Live UK is back and bigger than ever! 🚀
If you want to skyrocket your technical skills, forge invaluable industry connections, and get a front-row seat to the future of Microsoft technology, you need to be in the room. This year’s edition is a powerhouse of practical knowledge split across two action-packed days!
🌐 Event Details:
📍 Location: London
📅 Date: Thursday – Friday, June 11–12, 2026
🎟️ Website & Tickets: [eluk26.expertslive.co.uk](https://eluk26.expertslive.co.uk/)
📅 Agenda at a Glance: The Ultimate Two-Day Formula
We are changing the game this year. The conference is structured into two distinct, high-impact days designed to give you the ultimate learning experience:
* DAY 1 (June 11) – 5 Elite Deep-Dive Hands-On Workshops:
Bring your laptop, log into real lab environments, and configure systems side-by-side with Microsoft MVPs. No endless slide decks—just pure, practical implementation. Choose your elite track from the 5 available core topics: Intune, Entra, Agents, Fabric, and Power Platform. Wrap up the day at our legendary Evening Happy Hour with complimentary drinks, canapés, and great music!
* DAY 2 (June 12) – Dynamic Breakout Sessions & Keynotes:
A highly-charged, multi-track day featuring 35 expert-led sessions, live technical demonstrations, real-world field experiences, and the latest enterprise announcements. To help you navigate the ultimate Day 2 experience, the sessions are organized into core cutting-edge pillars directly sourced from the official agenda:
* 🤖 The AI & Data Agent Track: Demystify the enterprise AI landscape! Dive deep with core sessions focused on real-world engineering and architecture, including "Navigating the Copilot Maze: Choose the Right AI Agent for Your Enterprise", "Architecting multi-agent solutions with Copilot Studio vs. M365 Agents Toolkit", and "Building & Scalable Enterprise AI Agents". Plus, learn common pitfalls to avoid in "You Give Agents A Bad Name: Key Copilot Studio Mistakes To Avoid", accelerate organizational rollout with "GitHub Copilot Adoption: Lessons Learned", prepare your architecture via "Containers first, files next: a layered path to Copilot readiness in Microsoft 365", and enhance analytics using "Conversational Experiences in Microsoft Fabric with Data Agents".
* 🔐 The Next-Gen Security & Identity Track: Arm your defenses with frontline security infrastructure tactics. Learn to build modern network perimeters with "Zero Trust Network Access with Microsoft Entra Private Access", accelerate incident containment using AI via "AI-Speed IAM Response with Microsoft Security Copilot", and secure data using "Securing AI Apps and Agents with Microsoft Purview & Beyond" alongside "Signal Over Noise: AI-Powered Data Security at Speed and Scale". Master forensic cloud investigations with "Sherlock in the Cloud: Solving Compliance and Investigation Mysteries with Microsoft Purview", leverage AI monitoring via "AI-Driven: Modernising Enterprise Security with Microsoft Sentinel", and discover how to "Strengthen cyber resilience for Entra ID and Microsoft 365".
* 💻 The Modern Endpoint, Cloud PC & Infrastructure Track: Walk away with actionable field blueprints directly from deployment experts. Catch live infrastructure configurations in "What’s New in Windows 365 & AVD: Live Demos, Real-World Practices, and the Future of Cloud PCs", explore virtualization strategies with "Choosing the Right VDI & DaaS Strategy in 2026: A Practical Guide for Real-World Use Cases", and streamline endpoint compliance with "OpenIntuneBaseline 101 - Intune Easy Mode". Maximize your environments using "What to watch when configuring your Intune tenant - notes from the field", "Ten(-ish) learnings from ten years of Windows Autopilot", "Simplifying Android Enterprise Management: Selecting the Right Mode for Your Organization", and master advanced telemetry through "Mastering KQL: A Guide for Endpoint Admins".
* 📊 The Workplace Productivity & Power Stack Track: Supercharge business processes, data flows, and team collaboration. Discover advanced analytics integrations with "Dataverse, Power BI and Microsoft Fabric", optimize dashboard creation using "AI for Power BI Professionals: The Prompt Pack That Actually Makes You Better at Your Job" and "Wireframes to Wow: Building Beautiful Power BI Dashboards in Minutes". Learn how to clean up digital workspaces in "Spark joy in Microsoft 365: Marie Kondo your data", organize deployment rollouts with "Everything under control: The new Microsoft Planner as a command center for projects", and tackle workforce deployment challenges in "Solved: The challenge of onboarding and involving mobile first users".
🌟 Don't miss inspirational and vital community panels including "The Human Hack: The Future of Consulting Culture", "Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Stories of Struggles and Superpowers", and "Women in Tech: Real Stories, Real Change."
🎯 Why You CANNOT Miss This
This isn't just another passive webinar where you sit back and scroll through your phone. Experts Live UK 2026 is built for real impact.
* Top-Tier Global Speakers: Learn directly from internationally recognized Microsoft MVPs, community champions, and tech leaders who are deploying these solutions at scale every single day.
* The Most In-Demand Tech Skills: From Agentic AI and Fabric to cutting-edge Entra ID security and Intune policies. You’ll walk away with skills that immediately increase your market value.
* Unmatched Community Vibes: Network during the Vendor Expo, ask your burning questions in MVP roundtable discussions, and unwind at the end of Day 1 at our Happy Hour with complimentary food, drinks, and career-changing conversations!
🎟️ Secure Your Ticket Before They Sell Out!
Because Day 1 features fully interactive, hands-on labs, seats across the 5 workshops are strictly limited to ensure a high-quality experience for every attendee. Don't wait—invest in your career and become the go-to Microsoft expert in your organization.
Your ticket is an all-inclusive pass to premium growth:
* Full access to your choice of the 5 hands-on workshops and all 35 Day 2 breakout sessions,
* Catering, coffee, and refreshments throughout both days,
* Entry to the official Expo and the evening networking parties (complete with free drinks and food!).
*
👉 Get your ticket now: [Experts Live UK 2026 - Registration](https://eluk26.expertslive.co.uk/)
See you in London!
Predictive Analytics Events Near You
Connect with your local Predictive Analytics community
Data & Analytics Wednesday - Finding Product Insights
**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose**
Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap.
Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn:
* Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge
* How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change
* Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction
* How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools
This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work.
**About Our Speaker**
[Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use.
Thanks to our 2026 sponsors:
[Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro)
More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)
Battle of the personal agents
Join the Columbus AI community for a special event.
**Battle of the Personal Agents** is your chance to see what people are actually building with AI agents and personal automation systems. Whether you’re running OpenClaw, Hermes, or a completely custom solution, bring your agent and show the community how it works.
We’re interested in real-world implementations: the problems your agent solves, how you use it day-to-day, how it’s hosted and managed, how you built it, and why you’ve chosen to keep using it. Live demonstrations are encouraged, so be prepared to show your code, architecture, workflows, and your agent performing real tasks.
This is less about polished presentations and more about sharing practical experience, comparing approaches, and learning from one another. If you’d like to present, please contact Chris Slee (via meetup) before the event so we can allocate enough time for everyone’s demonstrations.
Come ready to show what you’ve built, discover what others are doing, and maybe find a few ideas worth taking home.
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.linkedin.com/company/transformlabs/)
Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/transformlabshq)
Stop Guessing: A Product Person's Guide to AI Adoption
## 🤝 Host Information
A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus
💡 About the Workshop
AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge.
This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow.
Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required.
🛠️ What to Bring
Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go.
AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!)
🍕 Logistics & Perks
Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided!
Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site.
###
Omnipresent Atheists Weekly Meetup
Jimmy V's Grill & Pub in Grandview Heights. You are responsible for your own meal/drinks. We usually don't have any agenda other than eat, drink and talk. :) If the weather is nice we will be on the back patio, otherwise we are in the cigar room.
This group has been meeting every Tuesday evening for over a decade. Many attendees do not RSVP on meetup. Please don't let the small number here discourage you. Anyone/everyone is welcome to come. We'd love to have you join us.
COTA bus #5 comes to W. 5th and Wyandotte Rd. And it's a minute walk to the restaurant.
June 2026 AWS Columbus - Topic to be announced
Topic to be announced.
**THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/
**DIRECTIONS**
Franklin University
Fisher Hall
300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8
Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map.
NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct.
**Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?**
Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com
QA or The Highway 2026
QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry.
This is a ticketed event please register here:
https://www.qaorthehwy.com/
Featured Keynote Speakers:
**Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\.
**Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.
AI Agents 101: How to Make ChatGPT Do Actual Work
Most people still use AI like a search box: type one question, get one answer, repeat.
But the next step is AI agents: systems that can take a goal, break it into steps, use tools, remember context, and produce useful work for a human to review.
In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll demystify what AI agents actually are — without hype or jargon. We’ll walk through practical examples of how agents can help with research, planning, writing, coding, operations, and personal productivity.
We’ll cover:
* What makes an AI “agent” instead of just a chatbot
* How agents break tasks into steps
* Where agents are genuinely useful today
* Where they fail, hallucinate, or need human review
* How to design simple AI workflows for your own work
* A live demo of an AI agent-style workflow from start to finish
No coding experience required. This is for anyone who wants to understand where AI tools are going and how to use them more effectively right now.
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.






























