1ST ANNUAL SUMMIT 

July 9, 2026 · Hula Lakeside, Burlington

Practical AI literacy for

for Vermont workplaces.

Hands-on practice, real Vermont case studies, and shared discussion about where AI helps and where it does not. Walk out with clearer next steps.

Register Now

Talk to us about your team

Nonprofit. No platform sponsors. No sales agenda.

D A T E

Thursday, July 9, 2026

T I M E

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

V E N U E

Hula Lakeside · Burlington, VT

C O - P R E S E N T E D W I T H

Hula Lakeside

This is not a software showcase. There will be no vendor pitches, no miracle claims, and no pressure to adopt AI tools. The goal is to help Vermont businesses build shared understanding, ask better questions, and make practical decisions.

WHAT THIS IS

Large companies are spending heavily on AI. Smaller Vermont businesses have a different opportunity: to start closer to the work, test carefully, and decide where AI helps — and where it does not.

aiVermont — On why this conversation needs to happen in Vermont, now.

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AI is already showing up in Vermont workplaces. Let’s make that use more visible, thoughtful, and useful.

WHY THIS SUMMIT —

Employees are trying it. Vendors are selling it. Clients are asking about it. This summit is for who want a clearer understanding of what AI can do, what it cannot do, and how to make sound decisions about Vermont business leaders, operators, and frontline staff its use at work.

Hands-on practice using real workplace scenarios from Vermont businesses.

01

Shared discussion about judgment, policy, risk, and practical use — not just tool demonstrations.

02

A Vermont nonprofit perspective. No platform sales, no vendor pitches, no pressure to adopt.

03

What AI can make easier — and what still needs human judgment.

WHAT WE’LL LOOK AT CLEARLY

A practical look at where AI can support better work, where it has limits, and how Vermont teams can use it with care and confidence.

Where AI may help

  • Move faster on first drafts, summaries, and routine communication

  • Find patterns in messy information

  • Prototype ideas, templates, and workflows

  • Reduce repetitive administrative work

  • Strengthen team learning by helping people ask better questions

Where AI needs care

  • Checking accuracy when tools sound confident

  • Protecting private or sensitive information

  • Watching for biased, generic, or misleading outputs

  • Keeping human judgment and accountability in the work

  • Setting policies people can actually understand and use

THE DAY AT A GLANCE

Understand the tools.
Test real uses.
Leave with next steps.

The day moves from basic AI literacy to hands-on workplace examples, with time to think through what is useful, what is risky, and what your team should do next.

Opening

9:00 -9:30

Keynote: Adam Davidson

A plainspoken look at what AI may change in business work, what it probably will not, and how small organizations can make sense of the moment.

Block 01

9:30 -10:30

AI Foundations

How common AI tools work · where they are useful · where they fail · privacy and accuracy concerns · the role of human judgment · practical first steps for staff.

Ignite Talks: AI in the Workplace

Block 02

10:30 -12:00

Leaders and supporters of Vermont businesses will share their thoughts and experiences around AI, including:

Break

12:00 -1:00

Lunch & Conversation

Catered lunch by SugarSnap with an opportunity to discuss questions and issues from the morning sessions.

‍Exploring AI Applications

1:00 -2:30

Hands-on practice with common workplace uses led by:

  • Duane Dunston, Cybersecurity specialist, professor, entrepreneur

  • Brian Lowe, founder and co-managing partner, and Beth Anderson, co-managing partner, Assembly Theory

  • Marc Natanagara, co-founder, lead facilitator, aiVermont

2:30 -3:00

What Comes Next

Closing

A wrap-up of the day focused on keeping the conversation people-focused, next steps, and how to keep learning with other Vermont businesses.

Opening Keynote · 9:00 – 9:30

Adam Davidson

Co-founder of NPR’s Planet Money and a longtime business journalist who has spent the last two years reporting on how AI is actually changing the work of companies — and where the hype outruns reality.

More speakers — including Ignite Talk presenters from Vermont businesses — announced in the coming weeks.

TICKETS • JULY 9, 2026

Priced to stay affordable

for Vermont small businesses and nonprofits.

One ticket covers the full day — keynote, sessions, hands-on practice, and lunch. Tiered so smaller Vermont organizations can send the people who most need to be in the room.

$100

BASE

Standard admission

Individuals, larger businesses, and general registrations.

per seat

SMALL BUSINESS

$75

per seat

fewer than 10 employees

For Vermont small businesses keeping a tight headcount.

$50

NON-PROFIT

Vermont non-profits

For staff and leadership at Vermont nonprofit organizations.

per seat

Reserve your seat · July 9, 2026

Walk in with AI questions. Leave with clearer judgment, shared language, and practical next steps.

Register for July 9

Nonprofit. No platform sponsors. No sales agenda.

OUR APPROACH

Methods & mindsets

aiVermont is a nonprofit. We do not sell software and we do not represent any AI platform. We are educators, facilitators, and practitioners helping Vermonters understand AI well enough to make thoughtful decisions about when, how, and whether to use it.

01 Practice over presentation.

Participants work through realistic examples instead of sitting through a software pitch.

02 Human judgment first.

AI should support careful thinking, not replace accountability, expertise, or local knowledge.

03 Safe, visible experimentation.

Teams need room to test AI openly, compare results, name risks, and decide what belongs in their work.

FROM A PAST PARTICIPANT

I saw staff members who don’t use or who are hesitant to use AI really leap forward in their understanding of what it can do for them, and those already using AI realize how they can bring it into a collaborative team space.

— Eric Hart· CEO, NPI

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