Vancouver AI: March 26
The Vancouver AI Community Meetups welcome all those interested in the future of AI – reearchers, artists, geeks, enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, experts, students and more!
What happens when a Zen priest who codes meets a quantum storyteller? When neural networks start making music that actually moves people? When we finally admit we've created thinking machines but still have no idea what thinking actually is?
Listen, Vancouver's getting real tired of AI panels featuring dudes in blue button-ups explaining how large language models work.
We've been running this meetup series since before ChatGPT knew how to tie its digital shoelaces, and Vancouver AI cuts thru all the corporate buzzword bullshit.
THE LINEUP:
Khayyam Wakil - Makes quantum physics make out with storytellin
Brittney Smaila - UBC brain-hacker helping RIVAL throw $10K at people who can tell stories with data
Gabriel George Sr. - Acknowledging tradition and community, Gabriel George Sr. from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will open the night with a powerful song and blessings,
Michael Tippett - Got Emmy-nominated while the rest of us were still arguing about AI art
Cian Whalley - Literally a Zen priest who builds tech. Your move, Silicon Valley.
Sev Geraskin - Teaching machines to feel things while humans forget how
Kris Krüg - Host & Creator
Expect:
Raw, unfiltered insights from the bleeding edge
Deep dives into the philosophical quandaries of our time
Hands-on exploration of tools that are reshaping reality
Real talk about the promises and perils ahead
This is a space for:
The curious and the courageous
The skeptics and the dreamers
Those who see technology not as an end, but as a means to amplify human potential
Anyone ready to engage with the big questions of our time
THE $10K DATA STORYTELLING HACKATHON:
Brittney and the folks at Rival Technologies are tired of data that doesn't say anything. They're throwing serious money ($2,500 per winner across four rounds) at people who can make numbers tell stories that actually matter.
Round 1 submission deadline: April 16. Detailed rules at the event or by telepathically communicating with the organizers.
THE SPACE:
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St. The place with the UFO-looking roof that makes you feel like you're discussing AI in the appropriate sci-fi setting. Fully accessible. Parking available for your carbon-producing vehicles. Transit nearby.
THE SPONSORS (WHO ACTUALLY GET IT):
Dimitri Schwartzman: Real estate guy who funds community stuff instead of just buying yachts
SEGEV LLP: Lawyers who can talk about tech without reading from Wikipedia
METACREATION Lab: Researchers who understand AI should make art, not just surveillance tech
TheUpgrade.ai: AI education & adoption for businesses and teams.
THE PARTNERS (WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN):
HR MacMillan Space Centre: Letting us use their cosmic dome
Creative Mornings Vancouver: Morning people who somehow still have good ideas
MOVE37XR: Extending reality while the rest of us still struggle with this one
CMPFYR: The folks at cmpfyr.co doing... actually we're not entirely sure but it's cool
GET INVOLVED:
Want to speak? Have an insight that isn't "AI will change everything"?
Built something weird? Demo spots open.
Join the community: Get in the Vancouver AI CORE Group where the real conversations happen
THE FINE PRINT:
Limited to 200 human bodies
Will sell out, just like every other VAI event
Bring stickers to trade. Yes, we're serious. Analog connection in a digital world.
Photography & video will happen. Your mug might end up online. If you're in witness protection, wear a fake mustache.
QUESTIONS? EXISTENTIAL DREAD?
Contact: kris@motleykrugmedia.com | 778.898.3076
→ GRAB A TICKET BEFORE THE BOTS DO ←
The machines are watching. Let's give them something worth the bandwidth.
🖤❤️✊🔥🏴
THE ROUGH SCHEDULE:
6:00 PM: Doors open. Networking starts. Food appears. Drinks materialize.
7:00 PM: KK says words of welcome, possibly coherent
7:05 PM: Khayyam bends reality with quantum immersive media
7:15 PM: Michael explains how AI is eating filmmaking from the inside out
7:25 PM: Cian asks if your neural net has Buddha-nature
7:40 PM: Brittney introduces a hackathon that might actually matter
8:10 PM: Sev makes music that'll give your emotions a firmware upgrade
8:35 PM: Launch of Vancouver AI membership (because this community needs more than just monthly digital hangovers)
9:00 PM: More human connection while we still remember how
10:00 PM: Go home and dream of electric sheep
About BC + AI
Vancouver was just the start. BC's AI Ecosystem continues to grow, with new community hubs emerging in Surrey, Victoria, Kelowna, and beyond—each contributing unique perspectives to a thriving, interconnected network.
BC + AI represents a collective, province-wide effort to democratize AI knowledge, innovation, and opportunity. If you're in Surrey (or nearby!), come join the movement and connect with fellow AI explorers.