Join Firsthand's applied AI lead, Chen Chen, for a practical session on finding the agent projects actually worth building in your business. Everyone is being told to put AI agents to work. Almost nobody can tell you where to point one, and that's not a technology problem. You'll learn four tests you can run on your own operation to find where an agent would genuinely earn its keep, and where it wouldn't.
Chen will walk through all four using one real business taken apart end to end, showing where its information quietly dies between teams and systems. You'll see which problems agents can finally solve that earlier automation never could, and which are still better left to ordinary software.
Bring an operation that annoys you. Whether you're new to AI or already running agents in production, you'll leave knowing which part of it is worth handing to an agent, which parts aren't, and where to start.
Our Speaker:
Chen Chen leads the applied AI team at Firsthand, a B2B AI company, where she builds and evaluates the agentic systems behind live marketing campaigns, plus the internal "world model" that lets agents act on how the business actually runs.
🚨 Register on Luma 🚨 Six evenings that use the defining technology of our moment to re examine our relationship to one another. Not AI as a tool to master or a threat to repel, but a sustained question: who are we in dialogue with when we use AI, and what is it teaching us about ourselves? Each evening stands on its own, and the six together make an argument. There is nothing to catch up on and no background required, beyond having noticed that something has changed. This is not a technical course. It is an invitation to look at AI plainly, together, and to notice what it is teaching us about ourselves. Bring whatever you already think. It holds up better in a room full of people than it does alone. Read more: https://www.indialoguewithai.org/ Night 2: The AI Culture How AI quietly became the medium between us, and what that costs. About Roberto Santiago Roberto A. Santiago is an applied AI researcher who has spent thirty-five years inside this field, in a lineage that runs directly back to Paul Werbos, the inventor of backpropagation through time. He builds these systems, and he has watched the culture around them form. Agenda 6:00 - 6:45: Lecture 6:45 - 7:00: Discussion 7:00 - 7:30: Post-event networking 🚨 Register on Luma 🚨
Join us for Hacktoberfest Hack Day Portland x Portland AI Devs — a one-day, in-person community hack day focused on learning, collaboration, and open-source contribution, part of Major League Hacking's Hacktoberfest. Whether you're new to open source or an experienced contributor, come connect with fellow developers, explore real-world projects, and build together. Participants will work on pull requests, issues, and open-source contributions, with hands-on hacking using open-weight models and open-source AI tools. Schedule: 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Check-in and welcome 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM: Collaborative hacking and open-source contributions 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Project demos, wrap-up, and networking Hosted by Portland AI Devs at the Portland State Business Accelerator. Light food will be provided. Just bring your laptop, curiosity, and a desire to build something together. MLH event page: https://events.mlh.com/events/15552-hacktoberfest-hack-day-portland-x-portland-ai-devs
## Details \#\# Mentorship Saturdays Partnership Because of the big overlap between our communities, we’ve partnered with Mentorship Saturdays. As a result, we’ll now be hosting two Code & Coffee events per month — at this location \#\# What to Expect: Roseline Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. Drink some coffee, bring your laptop, and have engaging conversations. This is a great opportunity to learn from others, share your knowledge, and possibly collaborate on side projects, online courses, or even your day-to-day work tasks. Still uncertain? Let's chat on Discord! \#\# Venue: The Venue is at Roseline Coffee, who is graciously allowing us to host a space. WIFI, power outlets Recommended Parking: Smart Park, $7 all day https://www.portland.gov/transportation/parking/smartpark \#\# Agenda: 10 AM - Arrival: Head to the couches or the big table 10:15 AM - Introductions: Share your name Discuss your current projects or interests. If you don’t have a specific project, share what intrigues you! Mention your expertise and how you can assist others. Are you job hunting or hiring? Let us know! Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. 12:30 AM - Wrapping Up: You can stay longer, but we'll officially be done! We usually grab lunch as a group at near by food carts \#\# Online Link