BRAIN - AI Applications and Tooling Meetup

Come share and learn how people are actually using AI in their day-to-day work - whether that's coding, engineering, creative projects, or solving business problems.

We'll skip the "what is AI" basics and focus on practical stuff: real workflows, useful tools, and honest experiences. You don't need to be an AI expert - just curious about doing more than asking ChatGPT questions.

This month we'll have:

Fun with local models

How to run and use local models on variety of budgets so that you don't have to give your data away.

Chris Berry from Zainode has been working with local LLMs for some time now after working in security, engineering, infrastructure and automotive.

What to expect:

• Main Talk: A chosen presenter will give a 15-30 minute feature talk on an emerging AI technology or a unique use-case in their industry.

• Lightning Talks: Any participants are welcome to stand up for 5 minutes and talk/show how they use AI day to day, or a project they're excited about. Feel free to bring your own talk!

• Info about BRAIN (Ballarat Regional AI Network) and future meetups

Who should come: Anyone already tinkering with AI or ready to move beyond the basics. Developers, engineers, creators, business folks - all welcome. Bring your laptop if you want to try things out.

This is a collaboration between BRAIN (www.brain.net.au) and Ballarat Hackerspace. We're planning more sessions, so let us know if you'd like to present your own AI workflow at a future meetup.

Topic's covered: Text, image and audio generation. Software used. System architecture breakdown. Live demos.

If you’re a developer, engineer, or curious technologist, this session is a hands-on look at running and integrating local LLMs into real-world environments

Tickets required - see you there!