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Applied AI Society — January 2026 Plan

Created: December 23, 2025
Role: Applied AI Society Lead, Open Technology Incubator
Accountability Partner: Tim Dort-Golts

The Mission​

First month working with OpenTeams/OTI. Ramp up hard. Build momentum. Execute the first event. Establish the foundation for everything that follows.

Outcome Goals​

GoalSuccess CriteriaStatus
Applied AI Live #180+ attendees, smooth execution, content capturedScheduled: Jan 29
Case Study Library4+ detailed case studies publishedPending
Network DensityKnown by name at major Austin AI eventsPending
NebariOS FluencyBuilt something useful, can demo confidentlyPending
Communication RhythmWeekly async updates sent, no surprisesPending

Process Goals (Weekly Cadence)​

Networking & Visibility​

  • Attend 3+ AI/tech meetups per week
  • Text superconnectors (Michael Daigler, Reid McCrabb, etc.) asking for event invites
  • Tweet about applied AI 3+ times per week
  • Get into virtuous cycle: attend → meet people → get invited to more

Content & Documentation​

  • Conduct 1-2 interviews per week with applied AI practitioners
  • Document 1 detailed case study per week (real business, real results)
  • Write 1 POV blog post per month on applied AI themes

Event Execution (Jan 29)​

  • Confirm all speakers (Travis, Rostam)
  • Identify business owner for live architecture session
  • Coordinate with AITX on promotion
  • Arrange A/V and recording
  • Build registration momentum

OpenTeams/NebariOS​

  • Complete NebariOS onboarding and tutorials
  • Build a small project using the platform
  • Identify 2-3 community members who could benefit from NebariOS
  • Document feedback for product team

Communication & Accountability​

  • Send weekly async update to Travis/OpenTeams team
  • Prepare for any sync calls with clear agenda and follow-through
  • Daily check-in with Tim Dort-Golts on applied AI tasks
  • Every non-Sabbath day should have an applied AI task

Weekly Tracking Template​

## Week of [DATE]

### Meetups Attended
- [ ] Event 1:
- [ ] Event 2:
- [ ] Event 3:

### Interviews Conducted
- [ ] Interview 1:
- [ ] Interview 2:

### Case Study Progress
- [ ] This week's case study:

### Tweets Published
- [ ] Tweet 1:
- [ ] Tweet 2:
- [ ] Tweet 3:

### NebariOS Progress
- [ ] What I learned/built:

### Jan 29 Event Progress
- [ ] What moved forward:

### Async Update Sent
- [ ] Yes/No - Summary:

### Blockers / Needs
-

Jan 29 Event Details​

Applied AI Live #1

  • Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
  • Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM CST
  • Venue: Antler VC, 800 Brazos St #340, Austin, TX
  • Co-hosts: Applied AI Society + AITX Community

Speakers:

  • Travis Oliphant — Importance of applied AI engineers + OpenTeams vision
  • Rostam Mahabadi — Case studies + live architecture session with real business owner

Target: 80-100 attendees (mostly engineers + AI-hungry business owners)

Why This Matters for OpenTeams​

  1. User & Product Research — Gathering people who could use NebariOS. Their feedback becomes R&D.
  2. Indirect DevRel — Teaching engineers to architect solutions naturally introduces tools like Nebari.
  3. Market Creation — Defining "applied AI engineer" as a professional identity positions OpenTeams as infrastructure layer.

Daily Task Reminder​

Every day (except Sabbath), ask:

"What's my applied AI task today?"

Options:

  • Attend an event
  • Conduct an interview
  • Write content
  • Learn NebariOS
  • Advance Jan 29 event
  • Network/outreach

Tim Dort-Golts Accountability Checklist​

Weekly review questions:

  1. How many meetups did you attend?
  2. How many interviews did you conduct?
  3. Did you publish any content?
  4. What progress on NebariOS?
  5. Did you send your async update?
  6. What's blocking you?

Notes / Log​

Use this section as ongoing work log. Date each entry.

### [DATE]
- What I did:
- Who I met:
- What I learned:
- Next actions: