AI
for the Rest of Us
AN INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY CONFERENCEÂ Â
DATE & TIMEÂ Â
Hosted Virtually on Zoom
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Date & Time:
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Sunday, February 8th, 2025
11:00 AM-4:00 PM EST
An Invitation
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly shaping how we live, work, learn, and create. Yet many people still experience AI as something distant, intimidating, or controlled by a few.
AI for the Rest of Us: An Interactive Community Conference is a free, half-day gathering designed to change that.
This conference invites the public into a hands-on, participatory space to explore AI in human terms—through dialogue, experimentation, and shared learning. Rather than centering experts or hype, the day centers community wisdom, creative practice, and accessible tools that help people understand and engage AI with confidence and care.
Where This Conferences Comes From
This gathering emerges from a growing community of participants who took part in the Acosta Institute’s AI Certificate Programs and GPT Challenges, where individuals designed custom GPTs rooted in education, healing, creativity, and community support. Members of the Acosta Institute Fellowship will also be speakers.
Over a couple of years, this group has continued to meet—sharing how their work, thinking, and relationship with AI have evolved. Recently, a shared desire emerged:to open this work to the broader community and create a space where people could not only learn about AI, but play with it, question it, and shape it together.
This conference is the result of that collective call.
What to Expect
This is not a traditional conference with long lectures or passive listening.
Instead, participants can expect:
- Interactive demonstrations of community-built GPTs
- Hands-on sessions where attendees can experiment with AI tools in real time
- Small-group activities focused on creativity, reflection, and practical use
- Conversations about ethics, power, and care, grounded in lived experience
- A spirit of play, curiosity, and shared discovery
No technical background is required. Watching, listening, and experimenting at your own pace are all welcome.
What We'll Explore Together
Throughout the day, we’ll explore questions such as:
- What is AI, really—and how is it already showing up in our daily lives?
- How can AI support learning, creativity, and well-being without replacing human judgment?
- What does community-centered, ethical AI actually look like in practice?
- How might we design tools that serve people, not the other way around?
Participants will have opportunities to engage directly with AI tools, learn from peers, and reflect on how these technologies can be used responsibly and imaginatively.
Who This Conference is For
This gathering is designed for:
- Educators and school leaders
- Nonprofit and community organizers
- Creatives, facilitators, and consultants
- Students and lifelong learners
- Anyone curious, cautious, hopeful, or unsure about AI
You do not need prior experience with AI.
You do not need to be “tech-savvy.”
You simply need curiosity and openness.
A Community-Led Experience
Many sessions and activities will be facilitated by members of the GPT Challenge community—people who have been experimenting with AI over time and are eager to share what they’ve learned, what they’re still questioning, and what’s possible when AI is approached with intention and care.
This conference reflects a simple belief:
The future of AI literacy should be shaped with communities, not delivered to them.
REGISTRATION
This conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
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Facilitators
Comeshia Williams | Desiree Aspiras | Dr. Linda Noble
Erica Hernandez-Scott | Stephanie Knox | Tracey Lenhardt
Rachel Davis | Oswaldo Montoya | Joshua Abiazar
