1ST ANNUAL SUMMIT
July 9, 2026 · Hula Lakeside, Burlington
Practical AI literacy for
for Vermont workplaces.
A hands-on summit for Vermont businesses that want to understand AI clearly, use it carefully, and decide where it belongs at work.
Nonprofit. No platform sponsors. No sales agenda.
D A T E
Wed, 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.
“
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
Brief talks from Vermont businesses on what they have tried, what helped, what did not, and what questions remain. Speakers announced soon.
Break
12:00 -1:00
Lunch & Conversation
Catered lunch with structured table topics to keep the conversation going.
Exploring AI Applications
Block 03
1:00 -2:30
Hands-on practice with common workplace uses: writing and editing, internal communication, templates, research, data review, prototyping, and team workflows.
2:30 -3:00
What Comes Next
Closing
A practical wrap-up focused on what to try next 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.
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