FLX AI Hub Community Convening

Room: Café

Start the day with a continental breakfast and conversation with professionals from across the Finger Lakes. Take this opportunity to network with peers, share your experiences with AI, and get excited for a day of learning.

From Uncertainty to Clarity: Evolving Work in the Age of AI Agents
Jen O’Brien  |  Director for Research and Innovation  |  American Marketing Association  |  LinkedIn

Room: Café

Among apocalyptic headlines, AI hype and apathy, and a pervasive sense of overwhelm, most people are asking the same question: how do I evolve my career and my organization during this time of disruption?

Marketing is perhaps the second-most AI-exposed profession after software engineering, which makes it a useful case study for understanding what is coming for healthcare workers, educators, small business owners, and anyone else navigating work in the age of AI agents. If you want to know what is heading your way, watch what is happening to marketers now.

Drawing on original, not-yet-released research from the American Marketing Association, this session is designed to move you from uncertainty to clarity. Futurist and researcher Jen OBrien will share data-based insights into:

• The seismic shifts reshaping work
• Which jobs are declining, which are growing, and which are just emerging
• Which tasks can be automated versus which skills remain distinctly human—at least for now

You will leave with a clear picture of how jobs are changing, a roadmap for which skills to invest in, a framework for thinking about how you use AI in your own work, and concrete steps you can put into practice tomorrow.

AI 101: Getting Started with Everyday AI Tools
Adam Widera  |  Automated Systems & Technical Services Librarian  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2750

Explore practical ways AI can support everyday tasks at work, school, and home. This beginner-friendly session introduces common AI capabilities, smart prompting basics, and strategies for getting useful results. Attendees will leave with the confidence to start experimenting with AI tools right away. No technical experience required.

Generating Movies, Music, and Images with AI
Paige LaBarr  |  Assistant Professor of Computing Sciences  |  FLCC

Room: 2760

Discover how AI can help create original visual art, music, video, and multimedia content in minutes. Participants will learn about the strengths, limitations, and creative possibilities of modern generative AI tools through demonstrations and examples. The session will also explore the responsible and ethical use of AI-generated media. Attendees will leave with ideas and inspiration for their own creative projects.

Monitor and Improve Your Generative Search Visibility
Adam Heidebrink-Bruno  |  Digital Content Strategist  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2770

AI-generated answers are changing how people search for products, services, organizations, and expertise. For marketers, web content managers, and small business owners, this means your content needs to do more than rank in search results. It needs to be clear, credible, and useful enough to appear in AI-generated responses.

In this presentation, you’ll learn practical ways to improve your organization’s visibility in AI search tools and answer engines. We’ll cover how to review your current content, identify gaps that may limit AI visibility, and make targeted edits to make your pages easier to understand, summarize, and cite.

Facilitated Conversation: Follow-up to the Keynote
Jen O’Brien  |  Director for Research and Innovation  |  American Marketing Association  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2780

Continue the conversation sparked by the keynote in an open, facilitated discussion with fellow attendees. Participants will reflect on key themes, share perspectives, and explore how AI is affecting their work and communities. This interactive session encourages thoughtful dialogue rather than technical instruction. Attendees will leave with new insights, questions, and connections.

Claude Cowork Can Organize Your Life 
Dave Ghidiu  |  Associate Professor of Computing Sciences  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2790

Perhaps you’ve heard of Claude Cowork; it's a tool from Anthropic that is not your typical AI chatbot. It runs on your computer. It can organize your files, browse the web, and execute multi-step tasks. Anthropic’s Claude has been pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for you, and Claude Cowork is a fantastic step in the right direction! Come check out a Cowork demonstration and explore other pseudo-agential AI tools.

How to Get Better Results: Advanced Prompting Strategies
Dave Ghidiu  |  Associate Professor of Computing Sciences  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2750

Join Dave and work through some potent prompting techniques. We’ll look at how to use metaprompting, panel-prompting, Socratic prompting, and a host of other high-end, eye-popping, jaw-dropping prompts that amplify what you do! We’ll also look at other paradigms (like Projects and Skills) that can save you time and lead to better results.

Chatbots: It’s Easier than You Think. Really.
Jeff Dugan  |  Assistant Director of Online Learning  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2760

Learn how simple it can be to create your own chatbot for customer service, education, internal support, or community engagement. This session introduces the core concepts of conversational AI and demonstrates approachable ways to build useful chat experiences without advanced programming skills. Participants will explore examples, workflows, and design considerations for effective chatbots. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to start building their own.

Seeing the Story: High-Impact Visuals and Infographics from Data
Debora Ortloff  |  Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assessment  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2770

Good data deserves good storytelling. In this session, participants will learn how AI can help transform spreadsheets, reports, and raw data into compelling visuals and easy-to-understand infographics. We will highlight two tools: ChatGPT and Claude. The workshop will cover strategies for identifying key insights, simplifying complex information, and communicating clearly to different audiences. Attendees will leave with practical ideas to make their data more engaging and actionable.

Facilitated Conversation: How to be an AI Leader
Jennifer Carney  |  Professor of Science and Technology  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2780

What does leadership look like in the age of AI? This facilitated discussion explores how leaders can guide teams through technological change while keeping people, ethics, and culture at the center. Participants will discuss opportunities, challenges, and practical strategies to build AI fluency across organizations and communities. Attendees will leave with ideas for leading thoughtful, responsible AI adoption.

Insure Your Career with AI: A Hands-On Fluency Field Guide
Sean Murray  |  Director of Product Management  |  ITX  |  LinkedIn
Dan Sharp  |  Senior Product Manager  |  ITX  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2790

AI isn't just changing what tools we use — it's compressing the structure-heavy parts of getting work done and raising the stakes on vision, judgment, and strategy. In this hands-on session, you'll use the AI Fluency Scale to honestly assess where you are today, explore which parts of your role are already being transformed, and walk away with a practical framework for filling the space AI creates with higher-value thinking.

Room: Café

During lunch, regional industry leaders will host a roundtable to discuss AI's impact on their work. Representatives from healthcare, agriculture, and other sectors will reflect on current economic trends and share emerging AI practices in their workplaces.

Moderated by Tracey Dello Stritto, President and CEO of the Ontario County Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers include:

• Kurt Koczent, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, UR Thompson Health
• Dr. Christine Smart, Goichman Family Director and Professor, Cornell AgriTech
• Matthew Bragg, Vice President, Chrisanntha Construction

Finding Your AI Stack: Creative Uses of AI for Small Businesses
Katie Pullen  |  Owner  |  Katie Pullen: Allstate Insurance  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2750

Small businesses can use AI in practical, affordable ways to save time, improve communication, and spark new ideas. This session explores creative workflows across marketing, customer engagement, operations, content creation, and everyday business tasks. Participants will learn how different AI tools can work together as part of a flexible “AI stack” tailored to their needs. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas they can begin testing immediately.

Vibe Coding: How to Build Apps Even If You Don’t Know Code
Dave Ghidiu  |  Associate Professor of Computing Sciences  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2760

Got ideas for interactive elements on your website? How about a cool little game? Maybe you need a custom tool to make memes. Or a tool to create an animated GIF. Perhaps you need a tool to edit PDFs. Guess what? You can build it with AI! We’ll cover strategies for creating small apps you can use immediately!

From Information to Insight: Using AI to Build Better Materials & Presentations
Lindsey Chamberlain-Zeller  |  Executive Director of FLCC Association, Inc.  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2770

Learn how AI can help transform complex information into clearer, more engaging communication materials. Participants will explore ways to summarize reports, organize presentation content, simplify data, and craft audience-friendly messaging. The session focuses on using AI as a collaborative thinking partner rather than a replacement for expertise. Attendees will leave with practical workflows to improve presentations and written materials.

Facilitated Conversation: Environmental Impact
Maura Sullivan  |  Professor of Environmental Conservation and Horticulture  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2780

AI technologies raise important questions about energy use, sustainability, infrastructure, and environmental impact. This facilitated conversation will explore current events, emerging concerns, and competing perspectives on AI’s environmental footprint. Participants will discuss topics ranging from data centers and energy consumption to responsible innovation and policy considerations. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of AI’s environmental dimensions.

Unlock the Power of Local AI: Running Language Models on Your Own Hardware
Paul Engin  |  Professor of Visual and Performing Arts  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: 2790

Learn how to run AI language models entirely on a local machine — no API costs and no data leaves your control. We'll cover the practical setup, key benefits, and real-world use cases that make local LLMs a game-changer for developers and businesses alike.

Smooth Sailing in a World of Headwinds and Undertows
Dave Ghidiu  |  Associate Professor of Computing Sciences  |  FLCC  |  LinkedIn

Room: Café

In this closing keynote, Dave Ghidiu—AI educator, strategist, and apologetic optimist—pulls back the lens to look at where we go from here. Not just next week, but next year, when we reconvene to compare notes on what we built, changed, and navigated together.

AI adoption doesn't fail because people lack tools or training. It fails because of opposing forces: headwinds and undertows. Two very different forces that shape how change actually moves through organizations and communities.

Headwinds? Everyone knows them. They're in the news, in the discourse, and in every LinkedIn post and dinner-table argument. "AI is being pushed on us. It's in our email, our browser, our spreadsheets—and nobody asked." Naming them is table stakes.

Undertows are different and rarer. They're the hidden forces moving beneath the surface, invisible to the casual observer but unmistakable once you know how to look. Spotting undertows is a skill that combines the AI landscape with your expertise, your domain, your hard-won experience, and a lifetime of introspection. It's what transforms AI from a trendy tool into a genuine force multiplier. It's also what keeps you from stepping on landmines others never saw coming.

Dave will challenge you to return to your organization and be bold. Go back and be experimental. Go back as someone who doesn't just follow the AI story but shapes it. Because the AI story in this region doesn't write itself.

It gets written by the people who were in this room.