Should you host AI workshops?
The AI Avalanche: How We Got Here
In the Fall of 2024, something shifted in the AI landscape. What was once a trickle of innovations became a flood. Like a kid counting down to Christmas, I watched as AWS re:Invent's AI seminar listings exploded from a handful to over a thousand. Every refresh of their course catalog revealed more machine learning and AI courses. The future wasn't just coming—it had arrived and was unpacking its bags in our living room.
So what did I do over the 2024/2025 New Year's break? While others were sipping champagne and making resolutions they'd abandon by February, I made a date with artificial intelligence. Two full days of nothing but AI immersion. It was during this digital retreat that I discovered vibe coding and built this very website you're reading. (Yes, that's how I impress people at parties now: "Oh, this old thing? Just whipped it up during a holiday AI binge.")
The 5x-10x Revelation
After emerging from my AI cocoon, I had an epiphany that hit harder than caffeine withdrawal: AI wasn't just making me marginally better at my job—it was making me 5 to 10 times better. And this wasn't limited to tech nerds like me. This applied to anyone who operates a keyboard and mouse for their daily bread.
Looking around at my colleagues (who, coincidentally, all use keyboards and mice), I realized I couldn't keep this to myself. It would be like discovering fire and using it only to toast my own marshmallows. I needed to share what I was learning—and create a space where we could all learn from each other.
There's No Playbook for Innovation (So Let's Write One Together)
In my career, I've been fortunate enough to witness several technological revolutions up close:
Installing internet in my high school in 1995 (at the tender age of 15, when most kids were just trying to figure out how to talk to their crush)
Front row seats to the dot-com boom during college (1998+)
Riding the cloud revolution wave (even starting my own cloud company that's still serving customers today)
Each of these experiences taught me something crucial: when a transformative technology emerges, you have two choices—hide under your desk or grab your surfboard.
From Fear to FOMO: Changing the AI Narrative
Let's face it: many people are terrified of AI. They're convinced that algorithms are coming for their jobs, their privacy, and possibly their lunch. There are indeed many unknowns, but what better way to deal with the unknown than by learning and doing?
This realization led me to a commitment: hosting 12 consecutive monthly AI workshops throughout 2025. It's an ambitious plan, but as they say, "If your goals don't scare you a little, they're not big enough."
The Workshop Vision: Learning, Sharing, and Probably Some Technical Difficulties
Here's what these workshops aim to accomplish:
Share what we've learned (both the triumphs and the "let's never speak of this again" moments)
Tackle real problems with real solutions
Acknowledge upfront that we'll be using tools in the final session that don't even exist yet (time travel not included)
By December 2025, we'll be smarter, less afraid, and better equipped to ride the AI wave rather than be crushed by it.
Setting Realistic Expectations (With a Side of Optimism)
When pitching this to management, I kept it real: Out of the 80+ people invited to these workshops, about 20 will likely get something truly meaningful out of it. Some will share what they learn with a colleague. Perhaps 5 people will develop something their entire department can use.
And the golden ticket? If 3 people contribute to a future product innovation, we'll be popping the champagne. (The good stuff, not the kind you buy for office holiday parties.)
Creating a Framework for the Unknown
Creating a framework for tackling the unknown and fostering innovation isn't something they taught me in school. If there had been a class called "How to Not Freak Out When AI Changes Everything 101," I would have signed up immediately.
But here we are, learning as we go, making it up as we move forward—and trying to have some fun along the way. Because if we're going to be disrupted, we might as well enjoy the ride.
Join the AI Adventure
So here's my invitation to you: Join us on this AI journey. Bring your questions, your skepticism, your wild ideas, and yes, even your fears. There's room for all of it in our workshops.
Because in the end, the question isn't whether AI will transform our work—it's whether we'll be active participants in that transformation or merely spectators.
And between you and me, the participants have way more fun.