Schedule
Workshops, mentoring drop-ins, and weekly work for the 17-week program.
Orientation week
Workshop 1
Introduction to AI — Its positive and negative impacts and how to use it responsibly
A broad introduction to AI: what it is, where it shows up, and the ethics and governance questions it raises. A welcoming entry point for anyone thinking about AI in their work.
Speaker: Carolina Rossini
Orientation
Program and platform overview. Introduction to the team and program orientation. Same content offered twice — drop into either session.
Led by Tom Bernardin
Workshop 2
AI Under the Hood Part 1: How does it do that?
How AI tools actually work — and why that matters. The plumbing is often obfuscated, making AI seem more intelligent and autonomous than it is. With a clearer view of what's happening under the hood, you can use AI more effectively and diagnose what's gone wrong when it doesn't perform as hoped. We'll also cover the AI tools available on the program platform and where the technology is heading sooner than most expect.
Speaker: Tom Bernardin
Workshop 3
AI Under the Hood Part 2: How does it know that?
How AI models actually work — and why that matters. This workshop covers the AI "brain": how it's made, curated, and deployed by AI companies. The AI brain is the new electricity that powers AI tools and processes. We'll explore why AI behaves certain ways — including sycophancy, hallucinations, and common misunderstandings. Participants leave with a greater understanding of AI's core attributes and how they affect our work and interactions with AI in practical, human-scale terms.
Speaker: Tom Bernardin
Workshop 4
Agentic AI — Building AI agents for business processes
The basics of AI agents and AI automations — agentic concepts, automation patterns, and practical examples. A foundation for thinking about where agents and automated processes might fit into your work.
Speaker: Tom Bernardin
Design Day · In person
In-person design sprint — hold both dates
An in-person design sprint to accelerate high-impact projects. We've reserved two days for capacity — Thursday, July 16 is the primary date, and Wednesday, July 22 is held in case we need overflow space. Please hold both dates on your calendar; we'll confirm your assigned day closer to the event.
Workshop 5
TBD
Workshop topic to be confirmed.
Workshop 6
TBD
Workshop topic to be confirmed.
Workshop 7
TBD
Workshop topic to be confirmed.
Workshop 8
TBD
Workshop topic to be confirmed.
Workshop 9
TBD
Workshop topic to be confirmed.