Do I need a technical background?

No. The workshop is taught in plain language and no technical background is required.

The Upskilling Labs says it records and AI-transcribes workshops for marketing purposes, and registration includes a photo consent question.

Thinking or Predicting? How AI Actually Works

Name: Thinking or Predicting? How AI Actually Works
Start: 2026-12-15T16:00
End: 2026-12-15T17:30
Location: West End Neighborhood Library, 2301 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037

A free, plain-language workshop on how AI works, so you can prompt it deliberately and judge what it gives you back. No technical background is needed. It is led by Ann Marie Guzzi, whose firm Dalmatian Ops provides fractional operations support to pre-seed and seed companies.

What to expect

Thinking or Predicting? How AI Actually Works is a free in-person workshop that explains AI in plain language, with no technical background required. Rather than learning through trial and error, you learn the underlying mechanics so you can prompt more deliberately: what to include, what to leave out and how small wording changes affect results. The session also covers how to evaluate AI output, including where it is strong, where it is likely wrong and what to verify before relying on it. The goal is to move from simply using AI to directing it.

Who should attend

This suits non-technical founders, small business owners and early team members who use AI tools every day but do not fully trust what comes back. If you are deciding how far to lean on AI for real work in your company, this is a useful hour and a half.

Who is leading it

The workshop is led by Ann Marie Guzzi, founder and board member of The Upskilling Labs. She is a product and operations leader and managing partner of Dalmatian Ops, which provides fractional operations support to pre-seed and seed-stage companies, and a co-founder and board member of The Agora Initiative DC, which supports venture funding for female founders in the DMV.

Venue and how to register

The workshop runs from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at West End Neighborhood Library, 2301 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037. Register on Luma. The organizers record and transcribe workshops with AI for marketing purposes, and registration includes a photo consent question.