Hey AI LA Community,
We have an exciting lineup of events on the horizon this year, from meetups across LA to our signature summits, that we knew it was time to grow our team to help bring them all to life.
Welcome our New Head of Programs, Shawn Anderson
Please join us in welcoming Shawn to the team.
We're thrilled to welcome Shawn Anderson as our Head of Programs. Shawn's background spans marketing, communications, special events, and group sales at The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Northern Cardinal Limited. In this role, Shawn will lead the strategy and execution of AI LA's growing event portfolio helping us create event programming, stronger production quality, and new connections across LA's AI landscape as we continue to grow our calendar of summits, meetups, and partner events.
We’re not done growing. Interested in becoming an Ambassador?
Want to establish yourself as a thought-leader in the space? Act as a connector between AI LA and your community, campus, company, or network. Ambassadors receive a free AI LA+ Advocate Membership and join the team as an affiliate, with deeper access to our network and programs.
We are looking for Ambassadors in all areas of LA and across all industries. Step into this entrepreneurial and creative role and let AI LA be the backbone to your vision.
Save the Date
Life Summit | September 26, 2026
We are proud to host our annual Life Summit on September 26th, convening academia and industry to showcase the latest advances in exponential technologies, discuss healthcare’s most pressing issues, and empower a new generation of data-driven startups transforming the healthcare industry to improve patient outcomes.
Save the date to join local leading industry experts, technologists, innovators, researchers, investors, and healthcare decision makers for an in-person experience that’ll inspire, inform, and motivate you to take your life to the next level.
Shape the Conversation at the 2026 Life Summit
Call for Speakers
We are seeking passionate, knowledgeable panelists and innovative startups to join the conversation. Are you an expert on AI's impact on the healthcare workforce? We want to hear from you.
Volunteer
We’re assembling a dedicated volunteer team to help bring this experience to life. Volunteers will play a critical role in ensuring smooth operations, from welcoming guests and supporting speakers to managing logistics and production.
Interested in shaping the Life Summit event? Fill out the form below.
DataCon LA Partnership
We are proud partners of this year’s DataCon LA in Long Beach on August 22, 2026. The conference brings together industry leaders to discuss AI/ML and data science, data engineering, business analytics, and data careers.
Our Executive Director, Heather Sit, will be a featured speaker on the Women in AI & Data panel with practicioners across analytics, engineering, and AI to share the paths they took, the obstacles they navigated, and how we build a stronger, more representative data community.
AI LA x Qualcomm Robot Soccer Cup
This August, AI LA and Qualcomm Technologies are bringing the Southern California developer and tech community together for a one-day, hands-on AI and robotics hackathon.
Teams will program AI-powered robots, train them to identify and strike the ball, and put their creations to the test in a live, one-on-one soccer tournament. Participants will get the opportunity to build with Qualcomm-powered hardware, explore computer vision and edge AI, connect with fellow developers and technologists, and compete for prizes, swag, and the Robot Soccer Cup trophy.
Whether you’re a robotics engineer, AI developer, creative technologist, student, or simply curious to experiment with edge AI, this is your chance to build, compete, and be part of something new.
Save the date and join the interest list for early access to registration.
Upcoming Events:
Worlds in Action Hack [02-LA]: SIGGRAPH EDITION
Saturday, July 18 - 19, 9 am–5 pm | Register to see address
Two days to build the future of interactive AI worlds. Right before #SIGGRAPH2026, founders, researchers, engineers, VFX artists, filmmakers, game developers, and spatial computing pioneers come together in Los Angeles to prototype the next generation of AI-native 3D experiences.
StartOut x AI LA Happy Hour
Thursday, July 30, 6–9 pm | GYM Bar WeHo
Join StartOut and AI LA for an intimate evening of connection, conversation, and cocktails at everyone's favorite WeHo spot—GYM Bar. Whether you're building in AI, curious about the space, or just looking to meet your next collaborator, this is a low-key, high-value mixer for the queer tech and AI community in LA.
Come for the drinks, stay for the people.
AI in the Valley Meetup
Wednesday, August 12, 5-7pm | Idle Hour
AI LA and Machine Cinema team up for the next AI in the Valley Happy Hour. It's entertainment focused but you don't have to be in entertainment...or technical, or working on anything to belong here. Curious is enough. Come grab a drink and talk to people figuring it out in real time.
Aerospace Meetup
Thursday, August 13, 6–8 pm | Rock & Brews, El Segundo
Calling all aerospace professionals, space dreamers, and anyone fascinated by flight. Join us at Rock & Brews in El Segundo for a relaxed evening of lively conversation about everything that soars—within Earth’s atmosphere and far beyond.
Whether you’re designing the next aircraft or captivated by deep-space exploration, this meetup is for you.
Community Spotlight: Meet Lauren
Three years ago, Lauren Bradley walked into our AI Policy Mixer not quite sure what to expect—and walked out having joined the Responsible AI Reading Group as a volunteer. She's been part of the AI LA community ever since. In her day job, Lauren works in Government Affairs at The Jackson Laboratory, tracking California's fast-moving AI legislation. But it's the variety at AI LA that keeps her coming back: "The different formats of events, covering so many industries, are so valuable because I love learning new things outside of my day-to-day work."
Most of all, she says, it's the people—volunteers, attendees, and members alike—who make it worth showing up.
Ready to find your own community at AI LA? Members like Lauren get full access to a year of events, workshops, and networking—plus the chance to help shape where AI LA goes next.
This is your community. Help us tell the story.
Whether it's an event, a milestone, or an update from your corner of the AI LA community, we're opening up our social channels and newsletter to community submissions. Fill out the form below with your details, copy, and any visual assets, and our team will review it for inclusion in an upcoming social post or newsletter edition.
