Welcome to AI Tinkerers Ottawa’s 2nd Meetup

Save the date: Tuesday, October 24th at 5:30pm

(Optional) Please fill out this form so you can get name tags and check-in quickly at the event: https://forms.gle/3z3YRRvC8iKe6ZAa7

This is our most ambitious meetup to date.

Our lineup is headlined by Eric Fillion, the open-source author behind Happy Transformer—a library designed to simplify the intricacies of leveraging Hugging Face models and fine-tuning large language models.

We will also feature a live demo by Chris Bartholomew, who will showcase LangStream, DataStax’s open-source project that empowers developers to create event-driven generative AI applications.

But that’s not all—a panel discussion featuring experts from diverse backgrounds. Alongside Eric and Chris, the panel includes Jen Schellinck, a senior data scientist at AI Guide with backgrounds in cognitive science, and Edward Funnekotter, the Chief Architect & AI Officer at Solace. Together, they will delve into the lessons and insights gained from building experimental projects using language models over the past few months.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with some of the most innovative minds in the field in our city.

Come mingle with folks who are actively building and not just talking about LLMs.

Demos

• Happy Transformer

• LangStream

Discussion Panel: Lessons learned building with LLMs

Panelists

• Edward Funnekotter (Chief Architect & AI Officer @ Solace)

• Jen Schellinck (Lead Data Scientist @ AI Guides)

• Chris Bartholomew (Head of Streaming Engineering @ DataStax)

• Eric Fillion (Founder @ Vennify AI)

Who are AI Tinkerers?

Our city didn’t have a space for AI / LLM practitioners to share knowledge and code without being bothered by businesses pitching their products and services.

So we started a thing.

Original Chapter Founders:

• Hai: Founder @Cats with Bats, ex-engineer @ CoLab (YC S’19)

• Greg: Principal Developer @ Solace

• Abror: Engineer @ DreamLinked

Photos from previous meetup

What are AI Tinkerers?

AI Tinkerers is a meetup designed exclusively for practitioners who possess technical, machine learning, and entrepreneurial backgrounds and are actively building and working with foundation models, such as large language models (LLMs) and generative AI.

If you’re deeply passionate about creating LLM-enabled applications, have hands-on experience in building such systems, and are eager to connect with like-minded individuals who share your level of commitment, then this group is the perfect fit for you.

With AI Tinkerers meetups taking place in multiple cities, we cater to a dedicated community of practitioners.

Who is this for?

We’re not “AI Enthusiasts”, we are AI Tinkerers.

The core essence of AI Tinkerers lies in active collaboration surrounding early-stage discovery and innovation, which requires a high degree of experimentation, vulnerability, openness to sharing challenges and learnings, and collaboration among individuals with a shared level of expertise.

This unique environment allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI and LLMs while maintaining a strong sense of camaraderie and mutual support.

Event Schedule

• Doors open and networking at 5:30 PM

• Demos start at 6 PM

• Networking at 7:30 PM

• Panel starts at 8:00 PM

• Doors close at 9:30 PM

There will be drinks and appetizers served, courtesy of our sponsors.

Demo Submissions

Please submit your demo proposal if you’re interested in presenting (top of this page). This may go into our next meetup.

Pitch decks are strongly discouraged forbidden - we want to see your messy WIP! Note, as capacity is limited, we’ll be prioritizing those that can demo something.

More Information

If you are new to the group, please be sure to read the AI Tinkerers FAQ.

Photos of AI Tinkerers meetups from around the world

Seattle

San Francisco

👑 Sponsors

The event is generously sponsored & hosted by Invest Ottawa

Invest Ottawa helps accelerate your growth and success, leverage the best programs, people and places, and make your mark in Ottawa, a global tech hub and collaborative business community.

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