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Apr 2026

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This isn't just another tech talk; it's a bridge connecting curious minds to the innovators, dreamers, and doers who are shaping the future of AI. In each episode, we'll dive deep with those at the forefront of AI work, from the thinkers to the tinkerers, to understand not just what's new but what's truly making a difference. This is your all-access pass to the conversations that matter, offering insights, inspiring stories, and a bit of fun along the way. Whether you're an AI aficionado or simply AI-curious, we're here to connect, learn, and explore together.

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28 recent

April 20, 2026Episode 2732 min

Healthcare + AI + Just the Right Amount of Cheese

Last week was a full week. Like, genuinely full: mayors, panels, happy hours, and a revelation about cheese portions.Megan and Nicole are back to unpack a stretch that somehow included a civic tech incubation lab with the City of Portland and Oregon State University, a sold-out healthcare panel that had people fired up enough to walk out (we mean that as a compliment), and a happy hour collaboration with Prosper Portland that brought knife makers and violin professors into the same room to talk AI.The healthcare conversation hit different: featuring Janet Johnson from the AI Governance Group, cancer patient and AI power-user Burt Rosen, and pediatrician Dr. Arpi Chalian, the panel dove into the real, messy, genuinely unresolved questions around AI in medicine.Along the way: 🏙️ How a civic incubation lab at Big Pink is setting the stage for Portland Startup Week's hackathon in May 🩺 The "three-legged stool" model: you, your doctor, and your AI 🧬 N=1 medicine vs. population-level care — and why Burt cares most about one of those ⚖️ The uncomfortable space between AI's promise in healthcare and the very real risks of getting it wrong 🧀 The just-right amount of cheese (no, really — it was a breakthrough)Plus: the mayor shakes hands and cleans up trash, a Nighthawk connection that somehow ties into the panel, and Nicole finally nailing the snack situation after years of cheese surplus.Related links:Janet Johnson Burt RosenDr. Arpi Chalian Oregon State University AI WeekProsper PortlandUpstart CollectiveCivic Incubation LabAI Portland Calendar of Events

March 21, 2026Episode 2633 min

Film Premieres + Figma Friends + A Really Cool Redemption Arc

It's been a week! A really, genuinely cool one: premieres, packed rooms, a hot tub time machine reference, and one very satisfying redemption story.Megan and Nicole are back to recap a stretch of AI Portland events that somehow all landed in the same seven days: an advanced screening of *The AI Doc* (yes, the Sundance documentary — yes, Nicole left halfway through, no judgment), a sold-out design-focused collab with Friends of Figma where Alex from Paramount Plus dug into Figma Make, and a triumphant return to the Silicon Forest Tech Summit stage.Along the way: 🎬 What *The AI Doc* gets right and why it's not a vacation watch 🎨 How a Paramount Plus design leader is actually (and honestly) using Figma Make 💡 Why showing > telling when it comes to getting your team on board with AI 🎤 The redemption arc we didn't plan to put in the podcast but absolutely had to 📅 What's coming up: healthcare panels, a civic hackathon, a scholarship, and morePlus: why Portland designers are a little hungry for events right now, a psychedelics mixer that accidentally captured some AI Portland attendees, and a $11,500 scholarship through Willamette University that you should absolutely go apply for.Related links:The AI Doc and the Case Against Cynicism (Megan’s Substack article)The AI Doc: Or I How I Became an ApocaloptimistFriends of Figma Portland The Willamette University MS in Data Science – AI Portland ScholarshipCo-creAIt, an unconference about Human/AI collaboration - Save 15% with Code AIPDX15%AI Portland episode about 2025 tech summit AI: Start Here — Scott HanselmanChapters:00:00 – N8N or Natan? Starting strong01:00 – Why we don't record our events (and what you get instead)03:30 – The AI Doc: apocaloptimists, empty chairs, and polar bears09:00 – What we took away from the film11:20 – Design night with Alex from Paramount Plus14:00 – The Figma Make workflow that actually works17:00 – Showing vs. telling: getting your team curious about AI19:30 – What Figma Make is (and isn't) good for right now22:00 – Willamette University scholarship announcement25:30 – Co-CreAIte conference + discount code27:30 – Nicole's redemption arc (we had to)32:00 – Silicon Forest Tech Summit: the sequel34:30 – Upcoming events

November 20, 2025Episode 2552 min

Living in the Messy Middle + Hype fatigue + What is an Agent again?

If you’ve been feeling a little gaslit by your AI tools lately—one minute brilliant, the next minute chaos—you’re not alone. In this episode, Megan and Nicole sit down with longtime friend-of-AI-Portland Nicolle Merrill to talk about the real state of AI in late 2025: the mandates, the messiness, the disillusionment, and why everyone secretly wishes AI would just manage their calendar already.Nicolle’s been in the conversational AI world since before generative AI was cool, and she brings the kind of clarity that only comes from talking to hundreds of teams who are all trying to navigate the same fog.Along the way: 🌀 Why “AI-first” mandates are breaking middle managers 🧹 What “AI workplace slop” is—and how to avoid producing it 🔍 The skills people _actually_ need before anyone starts talking about agents 🧩 Why “no-code” tools are still… code 📉 And why disillusionment might be the breath of fresh air we all neededPlus: The agent hype cycle and Nicolle’s case for starting small, asking better questions, and treating AI like the messy coworker it currently is, not the magical productivity elf the marketing pages promise.Related Links:- Boring AI- Nicolle Merrill on LinkedInChapters00:00 – Baby carrots and near-anniversaries 01:16 – Who is Nicolle Merrill? 03:35 – The messy middle of organizational AI 07:41 – Mandates, pressure, and the illusion of expertise 11:49 – Disillusionment as a feature, not a bug 20:49 – Agents: what they are vs. what the marketing says 27:25 – AI literacy, data fluency, and responsible use 36:57 – Social norms, transparency, and the “workplace slop” era 43:43 – The chaos machine and the shiny-object spiral 47:19 – What we’re curious about heading into 2026 51:24 – How small teams can actually get started

November 17, 2025Episode 2427 min

Real-World AI: Trail Blazers Innovation + A Deep Dive Into MCP

If you ever hear someone yell “WHAT SUCKS ABOUT YOUR JOB?” at a meetup, there’s a good chance it’s us.In this episode, Megan and Nicole finally sit down after a long podcast break to debrief two big AI Portland events: an October session with David Long, VP of Digital and Innovation for the Portland Trail Blazers, and a very nerdy, very packed November deep dive into MCP (Model Context Protocol). Along the way, there’s a birthday, some early-morning chaos, and a few strong opinions about agents, hype, and where AI very much does not belong.They dig into how the Blazers are actually using AI (and when they deliberately don’t), why “what sucks about your job?” is a surprisingly powerful innovation question, and what MCP really is for the non-engineers in the back. Then they recap live demos from DevSwarm, shout out Radek from Keboola for the emergency hero fill-in, and talk about why good engineering fundamentals matter more than ever when you give the robots access to your codebase.Along the way: 🏀 How the Portland Trail Blazers are using AI to solve real problems, not invented ones 🧠 The Einstellung effect and why “this is just how we do it” is killing innovation 🛠️ MCP 101: what it is, why it matters, and why even non-devs were taking notes 🧩 DevSwarm’s demos: from Confluence specs to JIRA tickets to Figma-to-code flows 📏 Why human-in-the-loop, architecture, style guides, and documentation matter _more_ with AI, not less Plus: Stacklok’s token-saving magic for MCP integrations, the never-ending trough of disillusionment, and why 2025 still feels like “the year of trying to actually get productive with AI.”Related links:Einstellung EffectMegan's ProFocus AI 2025 predictionNicole's ProFocus AI 2025 predictionSpecial thanks to our speakers:David LongRadek TomasekMike BiglanTrevor DilleyAnd to our event sponsors:Apify Stacklok | Token optimization tool KeboolaAC HotelSpork Bytes Chapters00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections02:50 AI Portland October Event Recap04:02 Innovation in Organizations10:54 AI Portland November Event Recap (MCP)21:23 Closing Thoughts and Future Directions25:48 Stacklok Token Optimization

June 16, 2025Episode 2324 min

Sandwich Math Is Hard + AI for Good + Small Groups, Big Impact

We had too many sandwiches. We had too few proper nights of sleep. But we had just the right amount of AI Portland energy.In this episode, Megan and Nicole debrief a jam-packed week featuring AI Launchpad Northwest and AI Portland's AI for Public Good meet up. They cover the chaos and success of organizing their first definitely-not-a-conference, from small group Q&As with local experts to the very real challenge of predicting catering.They also dig into highlights from speakers Jordan Plawner, Cassie Scyphers, and Dr. Richard Bruno - each bringing a different but equally powerful take on what responsible AI looks like in 2025.Along the way: 🥪 How AI Launchpad nearly became the Sandwich Crisis of 2025 🧠 Why Jordan says you only need to be three days ahead of your team 🚑 The life-saving power of AI in public health Plus: Big shoutouts to our sponsors (thank you forever), a wrap hangover, live music teasers, and the exact moment Megan realized she’d made it through the week: holding an ice cream cone at the end of a long week.

May 20, 2025Episode 2226 min

Do I hear wedding bells + Hackathon Heroes + More not-a-conference

If you meet your soulmate at an AI Portland event, just know the officiants are already picked. (It’s in the fine print.)In this episode, Megan and Nicole debrief an absolutely wild Startup Week, complete with 400+ RSVPs, 11 hackathon teams (including a few surprises), and one very legit Cancun prize. They also dive into what’s coming next, from their most ambitious event yet to an AI-for-good session you won’t want to miss.Along the way: 👰 Why we now offer wedding officiation as a member benefit 🛠️ How 11 teams built working AI tools in under 30 hours 🌶️ What makes a “spicy” startup pitch 🧠 Addie Olson’s cat-filled crash course on ML and NLP 📣 Why we’re (still) shouting about the proposed Prosper Portland funding cutsPlus: Monday brain fog, the GIF vs. JIF debate that never endsAlso featuring: A full breakdown of AI Launchpad Northwest—our June 11 extended event built to get teams up to speed (and a little past it) on AI literacy, strategy, and automation. Don’t call it a conference.🎟️ Tickets: https://lu.ma/ygct00ldRelated links:Addie's slides from Thursday: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G7ZZxoyOjMXsVkRO4X0pU3pu7-1SX7WQ-aMN_T3KYdU/edit?usp=sharingSupport Prosper Portland: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwKGSuXqLSqkPax3VpYtz5kuuP_hESafzN7IUJmsD3O29_0Q/viewform

April 29, 2025Episode 2132 min

Don't call it a Conference + Will chatGPT tell me I'm dumb + Quality, real events for the community

Someone might panic if you call it a conference. Someone else wonders if ChatGPT would tell her if she's dumb. And a certain French bulldog named Gary refuses to get off the mic. It’s another classic episode: part community update, part philosophical debate, part dog-induced chaos.In this episode, Megan and Nicole talk about what’s coming next for AI Portland: from a definitely-not-a-conference event to an upcoming build challenge with UFO-adjacent priorities. They also dig into the weird emotional weight of AI feedback, why sycophantic robots aren’t helping anyone get better, and what it means to be the human in the loop _with actual_ critical thinking.Along the way: 📆 Why we’re hosting a half-day event that’s definitely _not_ a conference 🧠 Why ChatGPT's compliments feel like something your mom would say 🪞 Whether AI can _actually_ tell you what you need to hear to get better💥 And why the productivity gap might just explode in the age of AIPlus: Heather Havrilesky makes them feel weird, the robots are sycophants, and Gary attempts a full podcast takeover and a not-so-secret yearning for federal data privacy regulation.Related Links:Hello World! Demystifying AI/ML/NLPZero-to-One Build ChallengePerplexity is making a browserOpenAI rolls back sycophantic update Chat - Heather HavrileskyAI is coming for the unmotivated - Sinead Bovell

April 12, 2025Episode 2036 min

What if it’s not all bad? + Hanging with Diplomats + AI Portland merch?

Fresh off their latest event (literally - they walked in the door and hit record), Megan and Nicole cozy up for a late-night debrief on futures thinking in the age of AI. From why our brains are wired for dystopia to what we’d actually do with a two-day work week, they unpack what it means to imagine better futures, and why it’s so dang hard.Along the way: 🧠 Why clarity of direction > certainty 🔮 Why imagining 2035 made them sweat 💼 Why "human in the loop" might not be the final answer 🧃 Why Megan should never be in charge of snacks 🕴️ Plus, that one time they presented to a room full of diplomats and Megan said “brogrammer”Also featuring: coveralls redemption, shoutouts to the volunteer dream team, and a maybe-real-maybe-not promise of AI Portland merch.Related links:Aimee's slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A1Ns6WGutINzeshtDhu1BjRbKDvfF4lA/view?usp=sharingChristian Hammer's article on self-fulfilling doom (https://christianhammer.io/self-fulfilling-doom/)What do you do with Brogrammer (https://medium.com/@megnotarte/what-do-you-do-with-brogrammer-df67752f48ec)Hosts: Nicole Mors, Megan NotarteEditor: Marjorie Dela Cruz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorie-dela-cruz-3471231b9/)

March 14, 2025Episode 1940 min

Severance mystery solved + AI in your job search + Vibecoding

In this conversation, Megan and Nicole recap March's AI Portland Event, discussing the challenges job seekers face, ageism in hiring, the importance of tailored applications, and how AI can be leveraged effectively in the job search process. The discussion highlights the need for human discernment in an increasingly automated world, emphasizing empathy for both job seekers and recruiters. Megan and Nicole discuss the significance of networking and maintaining a strong online presence, particularly on LinkedIn, in today's job market. They emphasize the importance of community and in-person networking events (like AI Portland!), especially during These Times. The conversation concludes with Megan sharing her recent experience vibecoding with Loveable, illustrating the potential and challenges of integrating AI into software development. Thank you to HR Annie, True Calling Recruitment and our panelists for sharing their time and expertise with the community! Panelists:Viviana Dominguez Tim ButlerElisa GoodingRobin WayModerator: Katy ByrtusLinks:* Prompting for Job Seekers* Megan's Vibecoding experience

February 25, 2025Episode 1846 min

Bridging AI & Education: Insights from AI Portland's February event

This is a special crossover episode in collaboration with Seth Fleischauer and the Make it Mindful podcast. This conversation recaps the February AI Portland event and explores the intersection of AI and education, highlighting diverse perspectives from educators on the implications of AI in the classroom. The discussion emphasizes the importance of teachers in navigating the complexities of AI, the need for community engagement in educational reform, and the challenges of ensuring equitable access to AI tools for all students. Related links: Make it Mindful