Global Nerdy

Three days ago, I asked: Would you be interested in a hands-on A.I. coding meetup?

Two days ago, I asked ChatGPT for suggestions for names for that meetup.

Yesterday, we got that meetup group. Its name: Tampa Bay AI/Python Hands-On Coding Group 2 be Renamed Later.

What’s the group about?

Sure, the name’s unwieldy, but it does explain exactly what the group is all about:

• Tampa Bay: It’s based in Tampa Bay. Sometime we’ll convene in Tampa, sometimes we’ll convene in St. Pete. We’re trying to serve “The Other Bay Area!”
• AI: It’s going to be about artificial intelligence in all its forms. The “classical” or “symbolic” AI from the 60s and 70s to neural networks and backpropagation from the 80s and 90s to deep learning and statistical modeling from the 2000s and 2010s to the present day.
• Python: It’s also going to be about the Python programming language, which combines simplicity and power. We’ll mostly focus on AI, but we’ll also delve into using Python to solve problems and get things done.
• Hands-On Coding: It’s nice to talk about AI and Python, but more fun (and educational) to do something with it. Each meetup will be a “code-along” exercise we’re you’ll actually write code to sharpen your Python skills or do something AI-related!
• Group 2 be Renamed Later: The name’s clunky, but the point is to get the group launched. We’ll eventually come up with a better one. As for using “2” instead of “to”: that’s so the group’s name fits within Meetup’s limit for group name length.

What will happen at our meetups?

They’ll be coding workshops, mostly in Python, one of the preferred languages for implementing artificial intelligence / machine learning / data science-driven applications.

We’ll follow the model I use for the Tampa Bay Apple Coding Meetup, the “code along with me” exercise. We’ll start each meetup with some kind of goal in mind and write code towards achieving that goal. The idea is for you to leave each meetup with at least a partially working application, if not a complete one, and with the understanding gained from having worked on that application.

What will you need at our meetups?

The technical requirements for this meetup are relatively simple:

1. A laptop that was made sometime in the past 10 – 12 years and has 4GB or more of RAM. This meetup is all about being hands-on and coding in a group setting, so you’ll need a computer that you can bring with you that can also run Python 3.9 or later.
2. Python 3.9. The current version is Python 3.11.something, but 3.9 will do. At the time of writing, Python 3.9 is the version that comes with Anaconda, a Python distribution that comes with a lot of utlities and libraries. It’s a great choice if you’re new to Python.

Just for kicks, I might lead a session using my Raspberry Pi as my demo machine.

What will we build?

I’ve already got the first few sessions planned out. I thought we’d start with a bang and code ELIZA, the very first chatbot, developed between 1964 and 1966 at MIT by Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum. It simulates a Rogerian therapist, using pattern matching to reflect what the patient says back at them or gets the patient to talk about what they just said.

The first few sessions will cover “classical” AI applications, such as ELIZA, tic-tac-toe, and simple sentiment analysis. We’ll work our way up to data science-style applications such as the “recommended if you like” system that a lot of ecommerce sites use. And then, neural networks. The goal is to try to work our way up to a scaled-down version of ChatGPT.

Along the way, we’ll cover Python, and the useful algorithms, data structures, and libraries that you can use. We’ll also cover the onerous task of cleaning up data, which is important to AI, and a topic that needs more coverage.

Where will the meetups take place?

I’m looking for a venue for the first meetup, and will announce it as soon as I’ve secured it. I want to hold meetups on both the Tampa and St. Pete sides of the bay, perhaps alternating. If you have suggestions, connections, or better still, a meetup venue, drop me a line!

In the meantime, sign up to join the meetup group so that you’ll be notified when the first meetup is announced!