Kansas City AI Club: Helping Your Business Embrace AI

Kansas City AI Club grows to over 100 attendees. Professionals discuss AI's impact on business and the future of the industry.

The Kansas City AI Club is on a mission to help businesses overcome their apprehensions about AI in the workplace, and the club's attendance has already skyrocketed to over 100 people.

Hai Chen, a steering committee member for the club and freelance product management and strategy consultant, expressed the club's enthusiasm for AI. "We're all huge nerds about AI," said Chen. "We want to make AI accessible to business professionals and help them learn how to apply it in the business world."

The club was co-founded in April by marketing professional Chris Kovac, managing partner of a business strategy consultancy Simon Kuo, and software engineer Nathan Allen. Initially, the club's monthly meetings attracted only a few attendees and casual conversations on AI. However, over the course of ten months, the number of attendees has grown exponentially. The December meeting featured panelists from various industries who shared their experiences incorporating AI into their businesses and day-to-day operations.

The club has gained sponsorship from insurance broker SelectQuote and digital marketing agency Emfluence, both of which are developing their own AI products. SelectQuote is already benefiting from its generative and conversational AI tool, saving over $1 million. The club's attendance reflects the local business community's eagerness to understand how to adopt this new technology. It aims to champion AI while also fostering conversations about its nuances, including legal and ethical considerations.

Kovac's goal was to create a space where professionals and those who are simply curious about AI can come together to discuss and learn from others adopting the technology. The club's attendees range from early-career professionals to those with decades of experience in their fields. As attendance has grown, so has the club's leadership, forming a steering committee of nine people responsible for planning events. The committee spans different industries and is planning panels on how AI affects healthcare, sports, and media, as well as other social events.

Jill Groebl, a member of the steering committee, expressed her desire to stay on the cutting edge of AI. "AI comes with a fear that it's going to steal my job," said Groebl. "The club is helping others move beyond that fear and think about the benefits of AI. There's a whole other world of AI that will open up new industries and opportunities."

Kovac and Kuo were inspired to form the club by their experience at one of the first Social Media Club of Kansas City meetings 15 years ago. They believe that Kansas City is emerging as one of the top AI communities in the country, outpacing other cities in club attendance. "Kansas City is a leader in the community," said Kovac. "We all need to help amplify that."