Foundations of Artificial Intelligence

Where You’ll Be

All session options meet in person at Oscura Coffee & Cocktails. Arrive a few minutes early to get comfortable and connect with other attendees.

Why This Matters

AI is showing up everywhere — in search, email, marketing tools, classrooms — but most explanations are either too shallow or too technical to be useful.

In this session, Mason James draws on 20 years of building and running tech companies to show you, in plain language, what today’s AI can actually do. You’ll see real tools in action, hear honest talk about their limits, and leave with practical ideas you can put to work right away. No PhD, and no buzzwords required.

About Your Instructor

For the past two decades, Mason James has turned complex technology into tools that real people actually use. He has built and sold multiple tech companies and recently partnered with two former Google engineers on an AI initiative.

Today, he focuses on practical AI services and education. His nine-lecture series uses clear stories and live demos to show how AI can support the day-to-day work of businesses, educators, and local communities.

What You’ll Gain

By the end of the session you won’t just “know more about AI”; you’ll have specific workflows you can actually use.

You’ll learn how to:

• Set up an AI assistant to help with scheduling, follow-ups, and everyday communication.
• Build a reusable “content kit” you can plug into emails, social posts, and campaigns.
• Prototype a simple no-code AI agent that does one job reliably well.

We’ll start with clear mental models—what AI is and isn’t—and end with repeatable workflows you can run the very next day.